California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is currently running to replace Gov. Jerry Brown. In one of Newsom's latest ads, he claims he was the first to take on the National Rifle Association (NRA) and quotes a headline from The Los Angeles Times as evidence. There's just one problem: Newsom's campaign took the headline out of context. Thankfully, The Times wasn't going to sit by and let it go unnoticed.
Here's the ad in question:
I'm proud to have been the first Mayor to recognize marriage equality. The first to create a universal healthcare system. And the first to have taken on the @NRA and pass a comprehensive gun safety initiative.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 23, 2018
Check out our first ad that's up statewide - 6 weeks to Election Day! pic.twitter.com/hgm4fMJiTI
From The Los Angeles Times:
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, front-runner in the race to succeed termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, ran a TV ad claiming he was "the first to take on the National Rifle Association and win."
Hardly.
This is the relevant ad text, read by a pleasant-sounding female narrator: "The L.A. Times called Gavin Newsom 'Ahead of the pack, from gay marriage to gun control.' The first mayor to recognize marriage equality. The first to provide healthcare to every resident. The first to take on the National Rifle Association and win. The one candidate with the record of bold leadership and bold results. ..." Etc.
The Times did publish a column by Cathleen Decker about Newsom under an "ahead of the pack" headline in December 2015. But the article didn't say he was the first to take on the NRA and win.
It's true that in 2016, Newsom sponsored Proposition 63, a ballot initiative that strengthened California's already toughest-in-the-nation gun controls. It passed overwhelmingly with 63% of the vote.
It's also true that the NRA waved a white flag early and didn't spend money fighting the measure. But after the vote, it sued and won a preliminary injunction blocking a key provision that banned possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines.
After Newsom's TV ad was released April 23, it was assailed in several news media outlets. PolitiFact, a nonpartisan organization that referees political ads, rated Newsom's claim of being the first to fight the NRA and win as "false."
The article went on to point out other Democrats in the Golden State who have been adamantly in favor of gun control, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, former state Senate leader Kevin de León, state Senate leader David A. Roberti, and Assemblyman Mike Roos.
The Dreaded Political Call
The Times reached out to Newsom's campaign asking them to stop running the ad with the false claim and/or run a new ad that was factual. Here's how that went down:
This column would not have been written if the Newsom camp had just admitted "we screwed up" and dropped the ad. But the ad kept running and the candidate's spokesman, Nathan Click, tried to justify the spot.
What the ad intended to say, Click told me, was that Newsom is "the first to take the NRA to the ballot box and win." But that's not what the ad says.
"When you're trying to convey something in 30 seconds," he replied, "you're limited by the format."
Not an excuse.
A separate Newsom ad began running simultaneously that voiced a similar message without claiming he was "the first." But it didn't bump the untruthful ad.
Why It Matters
If Newsom wants to be taken seriously by both gun rights and gun control groups, his campaign managers need to make sure that they're asserting the facts. Claiming to "take on the NRA" and its five million members isn't a small slip up. If anything, it's an irresponsible campaign tactic that backfired.
Gavin, if you want to take credit for taking on the NRA, actually put your money where your mouth is. Do something more than just posting a gun control-advocating tweet.