The Republican Party of Arkansas on Friday filed an ethics complaint against a North Carolina political action committee for funding "racist" radio ads in support of Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill.
The state GOP, in a complaint to the Arkansas Ethics Commission, argued that the group, Black Americans for the President's Agenda, is running afoul of state law by running campaign ads in Arkansas without registering as an independent-expenditure committee.
In the ad, a woman says that "white Democrats will be lynching black folk again," and black men will be accused of rape and presumed guilty if Democrats are successful during the Nov. 6 election. The ad cites the sexual-assault allegations against U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings.
The ad supports Hill, who is being challenged by state Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock. Hill on Thursday denounced the ad, saying it had no place in Arkansas.
State Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb on Friday called for the "hateful" ad's removal.
"This Independent Expenditure Committee did not register to campaign in Arkansas and therefore has no business promoting hateful and racist rhetoric within our state," Webb said. "We are committed to a fair and equal campaign process and in good conscience we cannot allow outside groups such as this to operate without regard to Arkansas campaign rules. We ask that the party responsible for this advertisement pull it immediately. If they do not, they should be assessed the most severe punishment available under the law."
Vernon Robinson, the PAC's co-founder and treasurer, told The Associated Press that the group didn't plan to remove the ads, which are also being run in the U.S. Senate race in Missouri.
The PAC was created earlier this year, and on Monday had $52,507 in the bank and $62,769 in debt, according to its Federal Election Commission filings. The group reported on Monday spending $30,000 on advertising in Arkansas and Missouri.
State Rep. Michael John Gray of Augusta, the state Democratic Party chairman, commended and attacked Republicans.
"I want to commend Chairman Doyle Webb and the RPA for calling the radio advertisement running in support of Congressman French Hill 'racist' and requesting its removal from Arkansas airwaves," Gray said in a statement. "However, this ad isn't a one-off. It follows racist political mailers from [U.S. Sen.] Tom Cotton's Super PAC and numerous intellectually dishonest messages from the other side in campaigns across the state. Arkansans deserve better. Leaders of political parties should campaign on ideas, solutions, and priorities, and not promote stereotypes and misinformation. Leadership should be about leading, not about winning at any cost."
Tucker last month decried a series of "inherently racist" mailers distributed in central Arkansas by Cotton's PAC, the Republican Majority Fund. Two of the mailers, which attack Tucker, raise the issue of illegal immigration and include photos of several dark-skinned, tattooed men holding guns. Text next to the photos warns of the dangers of open borders. A third mailer includes the photo of a California woman killed by an immigrant in the country illegally.
The Hill campaign isn't associated with either set of ads.
Metro on 10/20/2018