Omaha House race: A crime fight to the finish

Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

The Omaha House race is boiling down to a clear cut case of in your face crime commercials.

So know this: If GOP Congressman Lee Terry is re-elected next month he’ll have those ads to thank—if he loses to Democrat Brad Ashford, Terry will have those same ads to blame.

Just a few days after Washington Republicans unleashed a commercial placing Ashford side by side with convicted murderer Nikko Jenkins, an ad that reminded many of Willie Horton, Terry is doubling down.

The new ad doesn’t mention Jenkins—at this point it doesn’t need to—instead it’s Omaha Police Union President John Wells, with a bullet in his hands, blaming Ashford for letting deadly criminals out of prison early, all thanks to the state’s controversial good time policy which Ashford supports.

Team Terry’s ads have been met with complaints that Terry will say anything to keep his “nice house” and $174,000 a year job.

Among those criticizing Terry and telling him to “stop it” are some of Terry’s fellow Republicans and the state’s largest newspaper, which has endorsed Ashford. The Omaha World-Herald’s anti-Terry talk is heightened in a new Ashford ad (see both sides below).

At the same time the Ashford campaign is reminding voters that in 2012 Terry was forced to pull an ad when the facts fell short.

Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org.

Joe can be heard on Omaha’s KFAB radio every Monday morning at 7:40, KLIN in Lincoln every Tuesday morning at 7:35 and KHAS-AM in Hastings every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.

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