NM-01: White Campaign Uses Deputy's Murder in TV Ad

Repub Darren White's campaign for Congress in NM-01 must be getting desperate. His new attack ad uses an on-camera statement by the parents of slain Deputy James McGrane, attempting to exploit one of New Mexico's most emotionally distressing law enforcement tragedies for political gain. A photo from the officer's funeral is also featured in the ad.

White's insensitive ad is meant to be what his campaign calls a "counter attack" to Martin Heinrich's latest TV ad, which questions White's competence and performance when he served as New Mexico's Secretary of Public Safety under Gov. Gary Johnson. White's ad fails to refute any of the criticisms used in the Heinrich ad, including the fact that 89% of state police officers voted no confidence in White when he led the force, and a mention of a Santa Fe New Mexican report on the wives of state police officers saying White endangered their husbands.

White's ad clearly tries to get an emotional response from viewers by playing on their sympathies for the slain officer -- instead of presenting any material to knock down any of the assertions in Heinrich's ad.

Yesterday, KOB-TV News 4 featured a report (includes video) on the ad by Stuart Dyson. Excerpt:

UNM political professor Tim Krebs said White's new ad is a risky move for the sheriff. "I think anytime you politicize a tragic incident like this you run the risk of people perceiving that you're trying to take political advantage of this horrible incident," Krebs said.

The latest polling in the race has Martin Heinrich up by 6 points as we head into the last month of the campaign. Expect more how-low-can-he-go ads from the White camp. When GOP politicos can't campaign on the issues or the facts, you know what happens.

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