Current:Home > MyMayor condemns GOP Senate race ad tying Democrat to Wisconsin Christmas parade killings-LoTradeCoin
Mayor condemns GOP Senate race ad tying Democrat to Wisconsin Christmas parade killings
lotradecoin versus binance comparison View Date:2024-12-25 12:46:48
MADISON, WIs. (AP) — The mayor of Waukesha on Wednesday condemned a campaign ad run by a Republican independent group that links Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin with the killings of six people at a 2021 Christmas parade in that Wisconsin city.
Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly called the ad a “pitiful political tool” that “doesn’t just hurt the families that had members that were killed, or those that were injured or those that even saw it, it hurts the whole entire community.”
Baldwin faces Republican Eric Hovde in one of the most hotly contested Senate races in the country this year. The race is crucial for Democrats to win to maintain majority control of the Senate.
The ad, which began airing across Wisconsin last week, was paid for by One Nation, a super PAC aligned with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. A spokesperson for One Nation did not return an email message seeking comment about the ad and the mayor’s criticism.
“Unfortunately for the Waukesha community, our pain and our suffering from the 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade is once again being used by unprincipled people to drive votes,” Reilly said in a telephone interview.
Reilly referred to a joint statement issued by Baldwin and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson shortly after the parade killings in 2021 urging no one to use it for political gain.
“I would hope that Eric Hovde would also support what Sen. Johnson said,” Reilly said. “No politician should allow the use of the Waukesha Christmas parade attack and its impact on our community to drive votes by creating fear and disgust to purposely create divisions.”
Hovde’s campaign spokesperson, Ben Voelkel, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
Baldwin’s campaign also spoke out against the ad.
“Using the attack for political purposes is not only wrong, it is deeply hurtful to a community still recovering from the tragedy of that day,” her campaign spokesman Andrew Mamo said.
Reilly used to be a Republican but disavowed the party after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He said he is now an independent who supports Baldwin in the Senate race.
The ad shows footage from the Waukesha Christmas parade in November 2021 after Darrell Brooks Jr. drove his SUV through the parade route, killing six people. Brooks was sentenced to six life consecutive sentences without parole.
“It never should have happened,” the narrator of the ad says over the sound of sirens and video images of people running along the parade route and people hovering over those struck by the SUV. The narrator adds that Brooks was released on $1,000 bail just days earlier after trying to run over his girlfriend with the same car.
The ad then shows an image of Baldwin on the Senate floor, with the narrator saying she voted against funding for pretrial detention of violent criminals. The ad cites an Aug. 7, 2022, vote, which came nearly a year after the parade killings.
The narrator says the vote made it “easier for criminals like Darrell Brooks to terrorize our communities.” The ad ends with side-by-side images of Baldwin on the Senate floor and Brooks in an orange prison outfit.
Baldwin had nothing to do with the setting of Brooks’ bail before the Christmas parade.
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Today’s news: Follow live updates from the campaign trail from the AP.
- Ground Game: Sign up for AP’s weekly politics newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
The $1,000 bail was the amount requested by the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office. District Attorney John Chisholm acknowledged later that the $1,000 bail request from an assistant prosecutor in his office was far too low.
The judge granted the bail request, which Brooks posted, just days before he drove through the Christmas parade, killing six.
Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2023, pushed by Republicans after the parade killings, that makes it easier for judges to post higher bail amounts.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Beyoncé's BeyGood charity donates $100K to Houston law center amid Jay
- Harris and Walz are showing their support for organized labor with appearance at Detroit union hall
- US Olympic figure skating team finally gets its golden moment in shadow of Eiffel Tower
- 1 of last GOP congressmen who voted to impeach Trump advances in Washington’s US House race
- Southern California forecast of cool temps, calm winds to help firefighters battle Malibu blaze
- Utah man who killed woman is put to death by lethal injection in state’s first execution since 2010
- IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off
- Former Milwaukee hotel workers charged with murder after video shows them holding down Black man
- Syrian rebel leader says he will dissolve toppled regime forces, close prisons
- High-profile former North Dakota lawmaker to plead guilty in court to traveling for sex with a minor
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Follow Your Dreams
- Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
- 'Stranger Things' prequel 'The First Shadow' is headed to Broadway
- A steeplechase record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then a proposal. (He said yes.)
- US weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rise
- Top US health official acknowledges more federal money for utility help is needed for extreme heat
- Jury selection set for Monday for ex-politician accused of killing Las Vegas investigative reporter
- Carolinas bracing for second landfall from Tropical Storm Debby: Live updates
Recommendation
-
East Coast storm makes a mess at ski resorts as strong winds cause power outages
-
Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
-
NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
-
American news website Axios laying off dozens of employees
-
Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82
-
Boxer Lin Yu-Ting, targeted in gender eligibility controversy, to fight for gold
-
Team USA's Katie Moon takes silver medal in women's pole vault at Paris Olympics
-
Sarah Hildebrandt gives Team USA second wrestling gold medal in as many nights