Heck won’t condemn ‘misleading’ ad

Congressional candidate Joe Heck won't denounce an ad attacking opponent Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., that non-partisan political observers called "misleading" and "barely true", despite an earlier pledge to take a stand against phony and exaggerated claims that are prevalent in political advertising.

The latest controversial claim in the race for the 3rd Congressional District comes in an ad by a pro-Republican outside group called the American Action Network.

The American Action Network says "convicted rapists can get Viagra paid for by the new health care bill."

The claim has been denounced as "shocking and misleading" by one nonpartisan political observers and "barely true" by another.

In August when talking about pro-Titus ads attacking Heck that were deemed misleading, Heck said Titus had an obligation to denounce such campaign shenanigans.

Said Heck in an interview: "I would be the first one to stand up and say this is wrong, this is not what the political process is about."

Heck said the candidates have an obligation to the truth "regardless of who the actual sponsior of the ad is, it is incumbent on the person who the ad is in support of," to denounce it.

Given the chance to make good on the pledge to stand up for honest campaign ads, the Heck campaign instead blamed Congress, and by extension, Titus, for approving the health care bill American Action Network used as the basis for the dubious claim.

"This is an issue advocacy ad that demonstrates the problems when you bully through a massive piece of legislation like the healthcare bill, late at night, without reading or fully understanding the implications of the bill," the Heck campaign replied when asked for a reaction to the claim that had been deemed bogus.