CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Sheriff’s candidate Steve Lawson says a newspaper advertisement calling him an “Obama Democrat” is despicable.
“I did not authorize the ad, it was not an ad for the Steve Lawson campaign, and the ad was obviously presented to try to have the people of Bradley County make their choice for sheriff be based on something other than the qualifications and leadership ability of the candidates,” Mr. Lawson said at a news conference Thursday.
The candidate called on his Republican opponent, Jim Ruth, to renounce the ad.
“We had nothing to do with that,” said Mr. Ruth’s campaign manager, Doug Bird. “Our campaign is honest and everything we do is more than aboveboard. Our rule is anything we do will have our name on it.”
The ad in Wednesday editions of Cleveland’s daily newspaper shows a silhouette of President Barack Obama’s head. To the right of the drawing in large type are the words, “Obama Democrat & Proud Of It.”