Politics
Ohio family objects to use of crash photo in Republican Senate ad
Relatives requested the removal of an ad linking Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown to a fatal vehicle crash involving a naturalized citizen.
The short version
- The family of three people killed in a traffic accident requested the removal of a Republican campaign ad that featured their photo without permission.
- Funded by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the ad attempted to link Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown's immigration record to the fatal crash.
- Incumbent Sen. Jon Husted distanced his campaign from the third-party ad and supported its removal, despite an end note stating his campaign authorized it.
- The ad stopped running on streaming services after more than two weeks, but a clip remained available on the NRSC's YouTube channel.
Key facts
- The National Republican Senatorial Committee funded a political ad featuring a photo of the Soposki family, who died in a highway crash, to attack Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown on immigration.[The Hill]
- Jesse Mallen, brother of crash victim Lynnea Soposki, asked incumbent Sen. Jon Husted's campaign to take down the ad.[The Hill]
- The semitruck driver in the crash, Modou Ngom, immigrated in the 1990s, became a naturalized citizen in 2015, and is under ICE investigation for allegedly using fraudulent information for an ID.[The Hill]
- Sen. Jon Husted attributed the ad to a third-party group and supported removing it, even though the ad explicitly stated it was authorized by his campaign.[The Hill]
- The ad ceased running after more than two weeks, though a clip remained published on the NRSC YouTube channel.[The Hill]
What remains uncertain
- The outcome of the ICE investigation into driver Modou Ngom regarding alleged use of fraudulent names and birth dates has not been publicly detailed.[The Hill]