The Republican candidates in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District entered the final weeks of the primary trading misleading claims in TV ads that rely on deceptive tactics to distort the facts.
Misleading Michigan GOP Primary Voters
Parsing McConnell’s Job Description
A laid off coal miner in an Alison Lundergan Grimes TV ad poses a question to Sen. Mitch McConnell: “Why’d you say it’s not your job to bring jobs to Kentucky?” McConnell doesn’t dispute saying it, but he claims that he misunderstood a reporter’s question and his words have been misinterpreted.
More Carbon Tax Distortions
Crossroads GPS claims that Colorado Sen. Mark Udall “voted to enact a carbon tax.” Udall did no such thing. Republican Thom Tillis claims that Sen. Kay Hagan “supported a carbon tax” that would destroy “up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next ten years.” That’s not accurate, either.
Wisconsin Trek-ery
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker claims his Democratic opponent is “sending jobs overseas.” But Mary Burke says the family company makes “more bikes in the U.S. than anyone.” Neither is telling the whole story.
Stretching the Truth in Arkansas
The conservative group Americans for Prosperity stretches the truth to attack Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas for “higher gas and grocery bills.”
Cherry-Picking Season in Illinois
Republican Bruce Rauner falsely claims in a TV ad that Illinois leads the Midwest in “job losses” under Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn. In fact, Illinois has experienced job growth — albeit small — since Quinn took office.
Kingston’s False ‘Amnesty’ Connection
In the Georgia Republican Senate runoff, Rep. Jack Kingston is falsely claiming that his opponent, David Perdue, “sat on a board promoting amnesty for illegal immigrants.”
Who Supports Obamacare in Georgia Race?
Both candidates seeking the Republican nomination in a Georgia House race have repeatedly called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. But you wouldn’t know it from the competing ads from Bob Johnson and Buddy Carter.
Legal Immigration Down, Not Up
Rick Santorum said that the United States is “accepting more legal immigrants than we ever have.” Actually, the number of people being granted lawful permanent resident status has decreased consecutively for two fiscal years.
More Senior Scare in Montana
A new ad from Republican Montana Senate candidate Steve Daines falsely accuses his Democratic opponent, Sen. John Walsh, of wanting to privatize Social Security. And both candidates trade jabs in competing TV ads on Medicare.