By Jessica Taylor and Sean Sullivan
A controversial web ad that attacks Janice Hahn, the Democratic candidate in California's 36th District, had Democrats inflamed on Wednesday, calling for Republican candidate Craig Huey to condemn the spot, which he did Wednesday afternoon.
A controversial web ad that attacks Janice Hahn, the Democratic candidate in California's 36th District, had Democrats inflamed on Wednesday, calling for Republican candidate Craig Huey to condemn the spot, which he did Wednesday afternoon.
"The ad was not authorized and not affiliated with my campaign," Huey said in a statement. "Whether people agree with my politics or not, anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I would not participate in something of this nature. The ad is blatantly racist and sexist and neither racism nor sexism has any place in the public sphere. I have spent this campaign focusing on the issues that matter to our district: jobs, taxes, and the national debt. I hope that Janice Hahn and national allies will stop dragging this campaign into the dirt. They know the ad is not from me. In fact Hahn is the only person who has approved of typical negative attack ads. Our district deserves better, and that is what I stand for."
But even as Huey has repudiated the spot, Hahn's campaign believes there was coordination between Huey's campaign and Turn Right USA PAC, the group that launched the ad. The Hahn campaign is calling for a Federal Election Commission investigation into the ad and for Huey to go further than just denouncing the ad and call for it to be taken down.
Hahn's camapign charges that the official address for Turn Right USA is the same location as a group called CampaignLA, according to FEC filings from the latter group in May 2010. Huey's latest FEC disclosure report names CampaignLA as one of their vendors, says the Hahn campaign.
"There are literally millions of post office boxes where Turn Right USA could have set up their phony political location. I'm not a statistician, but I think I have a better chance of winning the Super Lotto Jackpot, than these two Pro-Huey political groups winding up in the exact same address by accident," said Hahn's campaign manager, Dave Jacobson.
"It just came to our attention in the last hour that a rogue vendor who sold 100 yard signs to our campaign in March shares an address with people who may have been involved in some way in the vile and racist 'ad' circulating on the internet," responded Huey campaign manager Jimmy Camp. "We have had no contact with this vendor since March and completely disavow their actions, if they were in fact involved in the ad. We have stated repeatedly over the last 24 hours that this ad is greatly offensive and we had no involvement whatsoever in its production or distribution. We stand by that statement."
The ad charges that Hahn "hired hardcore gang members with taxpayer money to be gang intervention specialists." As a stripper dances on a poll, a rap refrain continues: "Give me your cash b--ch so we can shoot up the street."
EMILY's List called the ad "the most vile, racist, sexist ad we have ever seen," and had a conference call planned for Wednesday afternoon with its president Stephanie Schriock and other California officials to press Huey to denounce the ad. But the call was canceled once Huey released his statement.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is fundraising off of the ad. "An attack on women and minorities this blatant and offensive deserves our strongest grassroots response. That's why we want to raise an immediate $150,000 by Monday for our rapid response fund to help fight back against vile right-wing attacks like these," wrote DCCC Executive Director Robby Mook in a fundraising e-mail.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/06/huey-denounces-controversial-ad-hahn-to-file-fec-complaint-15
But even as Huey has repudiated the spot, Hahn's campaign believes there was coordination between Huey's campaign and Turn Right USA PAC, the group that launched the ad. The Hahn campaign is calling for a Federal Election Commission investigation into the ad and for Huey to go further than just denouncing the ad and call for it to be taken down.
Hahn's camapign charges that the official address for Turn Right USA is the same location as a group called CampaignLA, according to FEC filings from the latter group in May 2010. Huey's latest FEC disclosure report names CampaignLA as one of their vendors, says the Hahn campaign.
"There are literally millions of post office boxes where Turn Right USA could have set up their phony political location. I'm not a statistician, but I think I have a better chance of winning the Super Lotto Jackpot, than these two Pro-Huey political groups winding up in the exact same address by accident," said Hahn's campaign manager, Dave Jacobson.
"It just came to our attention in the last hour that a rogue vendor who sold 100 yard signs to our campaign in March shares an address with people who may have been involved in some way in the vile and racist 'ad' circulating on the internet," responded Huey campaign manager Jimmy Camp. "We have had no contact with this vendor since March and completely disavow their actions, if they were in fact involved in the ad. We have stated repeatedly over the last 24 hours that this ad is greatly offensive and we had no involvement whatsoever in its production or distribution. We stand by that statement."
The ad charges that Hahn "hired hardcore gang members with taxpayer money to be gang intervention specialists." As a stripper dances on a poll, a rap refrain continues: "Give me your cash b--ch so we can shoot up the street."
EMILY's List called the ad "the most vile, racist, sexist ad we have ever seen," and had a conference call planned for Wednesday afternoon with its president Stephanie Schriock and other California officials to press Huey to denounce the ad. But the call was canceled once Huey released his statement.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is fundraising off of the ad. "An attack on women and minorities this blatant and offensive deserves our strongest grassroots response. That's why we want to raise an immediate $150,000 by Monday for our rapid response fund to help fight back against vile right-wing attacks like these," wrote DCCC Executive Director Robby Mook in a fundraising e-mail.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/blogs/hotlineoncall/2011/06/huey-denounces-controversial-ad-hahn-to-file-fec-complaint-15