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The Washington D.C.-based Campaign for Community Change apologized today for mailing an ad in Arizona that likened the opponent of Congressman Raul Grijalva to “white bread.”
Grijalva, a Democrat who’s now infamous for urging a boycott of Arizona, barely won his election against Ruth McClung, a 28-year-old political newcomer and Republican.
The ad sent to Congressional District 7 voters was paid for by the Campaign for Community Change, which is the lobbying and election-influencing arm of the Center for Community Change. Our blog post yesterday referred to the organization being “union-backed,” but we learned today that’s not the whole story. It’s also funded by liberal groups and rich folks like George Soros — which seems to make the ad as hypocritical as it was reprehensible.
We left messages yesterday for both Grijalva and the Change group. Grijalva’s office hasn’t called back, but we were somewhat surprised — and gratified — to hear such a strongly worded apology from the D.C. group.
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“We unequivocally apologize … to Ruth McClung and all the people of Arizona,” Jeff Parcher, spokesman for both the Center and Campaign for Community Change, tells New Times. “(The mailer) was developed and distributed by a vendor and we did not exercise proper oversight. We are regretful, because the Campaign for Community Change is committed to building an America in which we can all work together.”
McClung says she’s grateful for the apology and thanked the group for it.
“I do feel like we need to unite the country,” she tells us. “Our diversity makes us strong, but only if we’re united.”
McClung says she would consider running for office again, but hasn’t made any firm decisions about her political future. For now, she’s returned to her day job as a Tucson rocket scientist.
