Hank Johnson’s catchy campaign song

By Christina Wilkie - 04/12/10 07:21 PM ET

The popularity of incumbents in Congress is at an all-time low. But Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) is hoping his campaign song will win over a few constituents.

Titled “Hank Johnson — Taking Care of Home,” the ditty sounds like a cross between a Peabo Bryson R&B number and a patriotic country-western ballad, complete with voiceovers by the lawmaker. According to Johnson’s campaign website, it’s being used at “events and [distributed] widely throughout the district. We all love to sing along!”

But some of the lyrics are, well, odd. Take the line, “We need strong representation/ And things like our healthcare, our safety and bad transportation.” So Johnson’s constituents need healthcare, safety and bad transportation? Would that be “bad” as in Michael Jackson’s definition of bad?

The chorus climbs up an octave to tell voters to “Vote for Hank Johnson for Congress/ Cause he’s just better than the rest.” That’s not really a stirring endorsement, more like a process of elimination. Yet on the other hand, it’s not cocky and strikes a populist theme.

One of Johnson’s potential GOP opponents this fall, Liz Carter, answered the phone at her campaign headquarters Monday and told ITK she had yet to commit to a campaign song of her own, although “several people have sent in compositions” for her.

As for her reaction to Johnson’s song, Carter joked, “My initial reaction was that I wanted to get my lighter out and wave it around. But really, for voters, I’m afraid it’s too little, too late.” Still, Johnson is a heavy favorite to retain his seat.

According to a spokesman for the congressman’s campaign, the song was written in 2006 and updated for this year’s cycle. The writers gave it to the lawmaker as an in-kind campaign contribution worth $750.

To hear the whole song, visit The Hill’s website, but beware: We had the song stuck in our head for a week after first hearing it.