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A GOP senator running for reelection in Louisiana is catching heat for his latest political advertisement.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Kennedy recently released his third televised ad, suggesting that critics of police should try phoning a "crackhead" when they need help instead of law enforcement, per WLBT.
“Look, if you hate cops just because they’re cops, the next time you’re in trouble, call a crackhead,” Kennedy says in the ad widely circulated on social media.
A spokesperson for the incumbent's campaign said the ad "outlines Kennedy’s record of fighting crime, supporting law enforcement, and working to make Louisiana communities safe."
"Kennedy has an extensive track record of combatting crime and was recently endorsed by the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association," the spokesperson added.
“Violent crime is surging in Louisiana," Kennedy continues in the new political ad. "Woke leaders blame the police. I blame the criminals. I voted against the early release of violent criminals, and I opposed defunding the police because I know the difference between criminals and their innocent victims."
Some people have been critical of Kennedy's flippant use of "crackhead" in his political advertisement.
“The fact that something like that would be said to make fun of people who are dying with everything that’s going on in our community,” Tonja Myles told WLBT. “Being a person in recovery and being an ex-crackhead, I was very offended, and I thought that went too far.”
Myles believes the senator should've used a different term considering the high rate of overdose in the Greater Baton Rouge area.
“And we wonder why people don’t come out and talk about addiction or talk about mental health in our community, because of things like this. And we have to do better,” Myles said.
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