Political etiquette: If you're going to make a political smear ad, at least use a pic of the actual candidate you're attacking

Andrew La Grone, like most politicians these, never bother to fact check anything they send out. In this case, they did not even bother to post a picture of the actual candidate they were attacking, instead attacking a woman whose face was on the opponent's Facebook page. Sure, they look a little alike, but they did not bother to make sure they got the right person. Random lady, just be glad it wasn't a cop confusing you for a 60 year old Cuban guy like Broward County did to me. 

Well, you can't expect much from a clown who read a children's book on the legislative floor. Perhaps that is merely a book befitting his reading level. 

https://journalstar.com/legislature/attack-ad-in-district-49-race-uses-photo-of-a-campaign-volunteer-instead-of-candidate/article_0a60fc6a-0b27-5ae8-82f7-defa17bc8ef2.html

Attack ad in District 49 race uses photo of a campaign volunteer instead of candidate

Chris Dunker Sep 22, 2020 Updated Sep 22, 2020 

Voters in Sarpy County received a campaign flyer last week painting a candidate as "too extreme" to serve in the state Legislature.

But the mailer from state Sen. Andrew La Grone attacking challenger Jen Day had a glaring error.

The black-and-white photo on the campaign material of Day was not, in fact, a photo of Day. It was instead a photo of a volunteer on Day's campaign taken from her Facebook page.

"I was actually out canvassing for (Day) on Saturday when she sent it to me," said Brooklynne Rosado, the volunteer who learned her picture had been sent to thousands of voters in District 49. "It was jarring to see.

"Having my face on something like that was really humiliating," she added. "It's not me and it's not who I am and it doesn't portray who Jen is either."

La Grone, who is seeking to win his first election after being appointed by Gov. Pete Ricketts prior to the 2019 session, said in an email Monday the use of the photo was "inadvertent and unfortunate."

Rosado said the negative politicking in the mailer is part of why she volunteered for Day, whom she met online in a Facebook group for people who closely watch the Legislature.

When Day announced her candidacy last year, Rosado said she was compelled to volunteer knocking doors, handing out campaign literature, and making phone calls even though she lives in the neighboring District 14.

"I just really believe in her and her message," Rosado said. "She's a regular person running for office, a mother and a small-business owner, not a typical politician. I think we need more people like that in office."

Since joining the campaign, Rosado has volunteered hundreds of hours canvassing neighborhoods in District 49, where she said she works and frequents businesses, often posting pictures to social media to spread the word.

A December 2019 Instagram post Rosado shared depicts the volunteer in a "Jen Day for Legislature" sweatshirt, ready to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day.

"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made," the caption on the post by Rosado reads, quoting the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Day shared the post on her campaign's Facebook page — a common practice by candidates in the digital age — which is where the La Grone campaign obtained it, the senator explained, saying it "very closely resembles many of the candidate's photos."

Both Day and Rosado said their only resemblance is their dark hair color and criticized the La Grone campaign for "a sloppy, lazy error" that put misinformation in front of voters.

Said Day: "I have a fairly large social media presence, where I post tons of photos of myself and my family. It's not hard to find a picture of me you know is me."

"Someone didn't do their homework," Rosado added. "Even if we do look alike, you should probably know exactly what your opponent looks like."

La Grone said he would correct the ad "to avoid any further distractions on the stark differences between myself and Jen Day and many of her supporters on support for law enforcement and sentencing reform."

The mailer casts Day, who won the District 49 primary with 53% of the vote and will square off against La Grone again on Nov. 3, as someone who supports releasing criminals and sex offenders from prison early and putting them back into Nebraska communities, citing her Twitter account.

Day said that's a misreading of her Aug. 4 tweet that was critical of La Grone for reading the Dr. Seuss book "Yertle the Turtle" on the floor of the Legislature during a filibuster on a bill to speed up parole eligibility, adding the bill (LB1004) had the backing of law enforcement and prosecutors.

The bill later passed but was vetoed by Ricketts after the session concluded, leaving no veto attempt available.

"Taking that tweet and trying to make it sound like I'm trying to release criminals and sex offenders out on the street is ridiculous," Day said.

Rosado said she believes La Grone owes her and voters an apology, both for wrongfully using her image, as well as taking the campaign negative.

"Especially this year, when things have already been really hard and full of negativity, this creates more negativity that we don't need," Rosado said. "We need our leaders to unite us and try to lead us in a more positive direction."