Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar’s first TV ad, noting the indictment of Rep. Duncan Hunter, was posted to YouTube late Wednesday and already was the subject of a national wire-service story.
The 30-second ad will air until next week on CNN and MSNBC, said The Associated Press in a 334-word story headlined “Democrat blisters indicted California Rep. Hunter in TV ad.”
In announcing the ad, Campa-Najjar said in a statement Wednesday: “We intend to run a campaign that is honest, fair and transparent. No one is above the law and we have a duty not to let those who make our laws get away with breaking them.”
Campa-Najjar said he gave House Speaker Paul Ryan credit for stripping the five-term congressman of his committee responsibilities.
“I have faith that the voters in my district will strip him of his responsibilities,” he said. “Integrity and responsibility isn’t a Republican issue or Democratic issue — it’s an American issue and I am ready to put country over party.”
The ad’s narrator begins: “We didn’t know, but now we do. Every citizen has a responsibility to read this indictment — 47 pages of corruption and greed.”
It displays a photo of “Duncan Hunter Jr.” — although he’s not a junior. (His one-time congressman father is Duncan Lee Hunter. The son is Duncan Duane Hunter.)
The commercial, titled “Duncan Hunter: More than Unethical,” goes on to say that Hunter defrauded wounded warriors and insulted the military.
Hunter and his wife, Margaret, pleaded not guilty last week to using more than $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, including family vacations, dental bills, theater tickets and international travel for relatives.
The 41-year-old Marine veteran still is favored to win re-election in the heavily Republican district. Campa-Najjar, 29, trailed Hunter by 8 points in a Survey USA poll of 539 “likely voters.”
But the poll analysis said: “This survey was completed during a time of fast-moving and rapidly unfolding news events. As additional revelations about Margaret and Duncan Hunter’s lifestyle surface, the election’s dynamics may change. Campa-Najjar is a first-time candidate who is the son of Mexican and Arab parents. Thrust suddenly into the national spotlight, he may wilt or he may flower, torquing the numbers you see here.”
