TV station pulls political ad over questions of truth
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Republican Tim Burns, who is running for the 12th Congressional District seat held by the late John Murtha, is greeted by his aunt, Melanie Cowan, and her dog, Charlie, during a rally Friday in Washington, Pa. -
Tim Burns is flanked by his sons Brock, 14, left, and Trent, 12, at a rally in Washington, Pa., on Friday. -
Kristie Tyler, center, of Washington, Pa., attends the Tim Burns rally on Friday.
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The hotly disputed, neck-and-neck race for the late U.S. Rep. John Murtha's 12th District congressional seat escalated a notch Friday when a Pittsburgh television station pulled a Democratic ad that Republicans claimed was "demonstrably false."
Sinclair Broadcasting's local affiliate, WPGH Fox 53, suspended the 30-second ad by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The ad "falsely claims Tim Burns supports a 23 percent national sales tax and wants to ship jobs overseas," said Kent Gates, a political adviser to Mr. Burns, a Republican, who is vying with Democrat Mark Critz in a special election Tuesday for Mr. Murtha's seat.
Sinclair officials did not return calls for comment, while two other Pittsburgh stations, KDKA and WPXI, said they had no plans to pull the ad. Officials at a third station, WTAE, could not be reached for comment.
Sinclair Broadcasting is no stranger to charges of political partisanship. In 2004, it ordered its stations to broadcast a documentary critical of John Kerry the month before the 2004 presidential election, prompting a firestorm of protest from Democrats.
Sinclair's decision to suspend the ad triggered a flurry of competing news releases Friday by the national Republican and Democratic congressional campaign committees, who have poured large amounts of money -- $1.7 million, combined -- into the special election to represent the heavily Democratic but socially conservative, blue-collar district.
Nationally, political analysts regard the race between Mr. Burns, a 42-year-old businessman who lives in Eighty Four, and Mr. Critz, a 48-year-old former aide to Mr. Murtha who lives in Johnstown, as an important bellwether for the fall midterm elections. It could also signal whether there will be voter backlash to the party in power and to President Barack Obama's health care law.
Sensing an opportunity to gain a seat that's been in Democratic hands since 1974, the Republicans have brought their party's stars in to campaign for Mr. Burns, including Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who joined Mr. Burns Friday for a rally on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse, while the Democrats are bringing former President Bill Clinton in for Mr. Critz tomorrow.
First Published May 15, 2010 12:00 am
