Kobach campaign ad supporting death penalty used clip of Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest
Republican Kris Kobach’s new ad for Kansas attorney general included a clip of golfer Tiger Woods being arrested while accusing Democrat Chris Mann of wanting to eliminate the death penalty for individuals who kill police officers.
Kobach, the former state secretary of state, is running against Mann, a former police officer and Wyandotte County prosecutor. Kobach, known for hardline stances of voter fraud and illegal immigration, has sought to paint Mann as a soft-on-crime liberal.
“But if Chris Mann gets his way, there will be no capital punishment for cop killers,” the ad’s narrator says, according to a copy of the TV spot archived by AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.
The clip of Woods lasts roughly two seconds in the 30-second ad. The words “NO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT” is superimposed over the clip of Woods.
The clip of Woods also appears in a documentary about Jonathan and Reginald Carr, two brothers convicted of multiple killings in Wichita, which is posted to YouTube.
“That was an ad agency error. We caught it and fixed it within minutes. What a happy accident that media is going to pick this up and expose Chris Mann as a soft-on-crime liberal Democrat who will let cop killers and mass murderers off easy for their heinous crimes,” Kobach spokesperson Danedri Herbert said in a statement.
Mann’s campaign called on Kobach to remove the ad.
“Kobach’s ad is absolutely false and deceptive,” Kelli Kee, a Mann spokesperson, said in a statement. “Not only does it feature Tiger Woods getting arrested as a cop killer, which we all know is false. It also contains multiple lies about Chris Mann. Lies like this shouldn’t be on TV. He needs to take down the ad. Chris Mann is a former cop who was injured in the line of duty. Kris Kobach has no shame in the lies he’ll tell to win political power.”
The ad appears to have been modified since it was released Thursday. The version of the ad posted on Kobach’s YouTube channel doesn’t contain the Woods clip, but a copy maintained by an ad tracking firm includes it.
Woods, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, was arrested in May 2017 in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence. Woods later said he had been on prescription drugs and he ultimately pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
A copy of the police dashcam footage of Woods’ arrest posted by Fox News matches the clip that appears in Kobach’s ad.
The appearance of the Woods clip in the ad was earlier reported by Fox News.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Kobach campaign ad supporting death penalty used clip of Tiger Woods’ DUI arrest."
