(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/17/22) The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) massive $4 million ad buy for the month of August is running uncontested by Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon's campaign, Michigan Families United or the Republican Governors Association (RGA).
The RGA has $4 million in airtime reserved for the campaign's last month and anti-abortion advocates have $17 million reserved for September and October, but that's primarily designed to defeat the pending ballot proposal, not necessarily to prop up Dixon, MIRS has learned.
The DGA spot, designed to make Dixon look extreme on banning abortion access, is airing hundreds of times across the state on network, cable and internet platforms at a time when few to nobody else is running political ads in Michigan.
The PAC put around $2.2 million in a run-up to the primary in an attempt to soften up the Republican nominee. With the August spend, the PAC will have dropped $6 million in anti-Dixon advertising by Labor Day.
The commercial currently being aired that features a segment of a past MIRS Monday is being rotated out in the coming days in favor of a new spot.
Contrary to the belief of Detroit News Columnist and No BS News Hour Host Charlie LeDuff, the ad has not and is not being altered to take out a segment featuring his interview with Dixon during which she said the rape of a young girl was the “perfect example” of why abortion should not be legalized.
The 30-second ad, which was paid for by the Democratic PAC Put Michigan First, used portions of Dixon’s interviews with WKAR Off The Record host Tim SKUBICK on OTR Overtime in October 2021, a LeDuff interview on No BS News Hour in July and a September 2021 MIRS Monday Podcast clip.
LeDuff called for the DGA to take out the segment with him saying, “That's proprietary. You didn't ask permission.”
That portion was edited out during the 15-second spot, not because of LeDuff's demands, but because that's the way it worked out, MIRS has learned.
LeDuff said the clip may represent Dixon's thoughts on abortion, but was used without his knowledge. He called out the PAC to “Cease and desist.”
“We don't work for you. We don't like you. We're non-partisan," he said.
Following LeDuff's request, he viewed the 15-second version of the commercial as aired, minus his segment.
In a recent tweet from Aug. 12, LeDuff thanked the PAC for removing the clip, but MIRS has been told the removal of the LeDuff portion from the 15-second clip was coincidental. The 30-second ad with the clip is still being aired.
