A Republican House candidate challenging Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) is using controversial Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in a new ad hitting his opponent.
{mosads}”Tired of politicians?” a narrator asks at the opening of the ad over a shot of Ford lined up next to President Obama and Bishop.
“Then look at George Demos. He’s not a politician,” the narrator adds.
The now-infamous Ford rose to international prominence — and has been stripped of some of his mayoral powers — after a video of him smoking crack cocaine surfaced and his erratic behavior became the focus of media attention across North America.
Demos, a former Securities and Exchange Commission prosecutor, launched his third bid for the seat earlier this year and has poured $1 million of his own money into his campaign. He’s vying with Republican state Sen. Lee Zeldin for the GOP nomination to challenge Bishop.
Bishop is a perennial GOP target as his district is one of New York’s most favorable to Republicans, and split near 50-50 in last year’s presidential elections, with Obama winning by less than 1 percentage point.