Candidate Runs 'Fighting' Ad Against Assault Victim Rival

Boxing gloves odd choice in Wisconsin

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 1, 2010 6:12 PM CDT

(Newser) – Scott Walker has taken the gloves off—by putting them on—in his push to be Wisconsin's governor. The Republican county executive of Milwaukee has a new ad attacking his presumptive Democratic rival, Mayor Tom Barrett, that shows him wearing boxing gloves. Walker claims he's "ready to go the distance as your next governor."

But Walker's choice of imagery is a bit more charged than the usual pugilistic metaphor, reports Talking Points Memo: Barrett was the victim of a savage beating last year as he tried to protect a woman from a violent drunk. The assailant shattered Barrett's hand with a tire iron and got 12 years in prison. When asked if the ad is in poor taste, a Walker rep said: "That was not at all what we're talking about." Barrett himself says he's staying out of it, notes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "That's for people to decide," he said of the ad's purpose.

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A screen grab from a recent campaign ad shows Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott Walker in boxing gloves. (YouTube/Scott Walker)

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Candidate Runs 'Fighting' Ad Against Assault Victim Rival