Has the time for clever campaign ads passed? Mayoral hopeful David Catania banished his puppets from his first appearance on the airwaves, and now Muriel Bowser has dropped the lip synching in her new TV ad. Instead, Bowser opts for a simpler message: People like me!

Bowser’s ad, which prominently features her endorsements from President Barack Obama and the Washington Post editorial board, features the usual shots of the candidate talking and smiling with people. Among the places Bowser talks and smiles: a classroom, a library, a kitchen, and a construction site. Bowser spokesman Joaquin McPeek tells LL that the ad started running yesterday.

Mayoral hopefuls won’t be the only ones staking out your TV until election day. Attorney general Lorie Masters is using some of her $140,000 in campaign cash to fund a TV ad, starting today, that touts her anti-corruption bona fides.

Don’t miss the ominous music that plays when the ad runs courthouse pictures of political crooks Harry Thomas Jr., Michael Brown, and Jeff Thompson. Thompson’s “Uncle Earl” alias even makes the cut.