TPMMuckraker

Director Of CA-36 ‘Stripper’ Ad Says He Reset Hahn Election

Ryan J. Reilly July 13, 2011, 9:20 AM

In an exclusive interview with TPM, the creator of what has been called the most offensive political ad in history claimed credit for resetting the election and forcing Democrats into defense mode ahead of Janice Hahn’s win in the special election to replace Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA).

Even though Hahn, the target of the ad, beat Republican businessman Craig Huey, Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. said in an interview before the results were in on Tuesday that he had a big impact.

“I think it reset the entire election, it forced Janice Hahn to spend $1.25 million, it forced her to get Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton involved, it sucked out a lot of money out of the Democratic donation pool, and it also got folks like you trying to figure out who Turn Right USA was,” Ehlinger said.

Ehlinger called Hahn’s complaint to the Federal Election Commission “silly,” and said that the local Fox station which first covered the story about Hahn’s gang intervention program wouldn’t have done a follow-up story standing by their allegations if it wasn’t for his YouTube video.

Indeed, the ad drew plenty of attention to the (rather overhyped) gang story. National Republican Congressional Committee Communications Director Paul Lindsay said in a statement on Wednesday that Hahn was now “Nancy Pelosi’s problem.”

“Between her pattern of unethical behavior and close ties to LA’s most dangerous gang members, Hahn is adding to the pollution in the swamp of Washington corruption built by Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats,” Lindsay said.

Ehlinger said a take away from how his ad impacted the election is that any publicity is good publicity.

“Especically if you know what you’re doing and you know how collectivist media operates, you can inject subliminal messages that counteract what the collectivist media does,” Ehlinger said. “I made a double-edged sword, and TPM helped me get it out there.”

He’s bullish on the future of Turn Right USA.

“We’re gonna do just fine out of our check-cashing place,” Ehlinger said.