GOP ad a throwback to infamous “Willie Horton” ad

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A recent campaign ad from the National Republican Campaign Committee is drawing comparisons to the infamous “Willie Horton” ad launched by the GOP to discredit Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988.

The 2014 ad is being called “Nikko” because it features Nikko Jennings, a convicted felon who murdered four people over the course of ten days after his early release from prison in 2013.  The “Nikko” ad is running in support of Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry, who is in a tight campaign race with challenger Brad Ashford.The campaign ad places Ashford’s photograph and Jennings’ mugshot side-by-side and discusses Ashford’s support of the “good time” law which allowed Jennings’ 21-year sentence to be slashed in half.

The ad echoes a similar ad drawing connections between Michael Dukakis and felon Willie Horton. Horton, a Massachusetts felon granted weekend furlough, used his brief time out of prison to commit rape, car theft and assault. Dukakis was governor of the state at the time of Horton’s furlough. The “Willie Horton” ad was criticized heavily at the time of its release for its racial overtones; the “Nikko” ad is seeing a similar response. Willie Horton and Nikko Jennings are both African-American.

The over twenty years old “good time” law allows eligible prisoners to receive one day off from their sentence for each day they do not violate prison rules, according to NewsOK. Other states offer time off for good behavior, but it is usually granted on the basis of 54 days for every year served.

When commenting on the ad, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Ashley Lewis said, “This repellent, race-baiting ad has no place in America, and national Republicans should apologize and take it down immediately.”

Despite the controversy, National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Tyler Houlton indicated that the campaign has no plans to stop airing the ad, saying, “Brad Ashford’s dangerous record on crime is fair game. Nebraska voters deserve to know that Brad Ashford supports policies that have made them less safe.”