Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

« Previous | Main | Next »

New anti-Huckabee 527 to launch ad tonight on Fox

January 10, 2008 5:06 PM

Tonight on Fox News Channel: the last Republican presidential debate before the Michigan and South Carolina primaries.

Also to air tonight on Fox: a forceful new TV ad against former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, which tells the story of Wayne DuMond, a rapist whom then-Gov. Huckabee suggested be paroled, after which he raped and killed at least one other woman.

The ad features an older woman, Lois Davidson, who says to the camera: "My name is Lois Davidson. My daughter was raped and murdered by Wayne DuMond."

The announcer then says: "Carol Sue Shields was brutally murdered by Wayne DuMond. DuMond was in an Arkansas prison for raping a 17-year-old high school cheerleader until Gov. Mike Huckabee helped him get out. Thanks to Mike Huckabee, DuMond was released from Arkansas prison. Then, less than one year later, he raped and murdered Carol Sue Shields."

Text on the screen quotes a member of the parole board telling the Arkansas Times: "I signed the (parole) papers because the governor wanted DuMond paroled."

Also shown: a letter from Huckabee to DuMond that reads, "Dear Wayne ... My desire is that you be released from prison."

Davidson comes back on camera at the end of the ad: "If not for Mike Huckabee, Wayne DuMond would have been in prison and Carol Sue would be with us."

Watch the ad HERE.

The ad is the brainchild of Keith Emis, a 29--year-old salesman for a paper company in Fayetteville, Arkansas who used to be a Republican operative in Arkansas politics, most recently working for the 2002 re-election campaign of former Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., who has endorsed Huckabee.

Emis first learned about the DuMond case on ABCNews.com's The Blotter and then saw Lois Davidson interviewed on another TV network.

He called her, traveled to see her, and convinced her that he could help get her story out.

Having already launched the anti-Huckabee website "HuckabeeFacts.com," he soon set up the 527 "Victims Voice."

"This isn't about being a fan of Gov. Huckabee or his politics," Emis tells ABC News. "It's about spreading the word on his record on crime and punishment."

He says the money to pay for the ad, which will run multiple times this evening on Fox News Channel, between 6 pm EST and 11 pm EST, came from contributions made through PayPal on his website, and from friends in Arkansas and around the U.S.

"I have not talked to any other campaigns at all," he says.

He will not share any other information about his contributors or the ad -- "I have to turn in a report to the government on the 31st of this month which will have all those details," he tells ABC News.

More to come…

-- jpt

January 10, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (52)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

No one on this blog is mentioning how many years mr.huckabee was governor. That is ten and a half years. Also running a state government is a microcosm of the united states. On panel is an african-american,Dennis Prager,3 more people.You will hear and see what he has done and what he truly believes for all people, he even respects atheists who are honest with their conviction.

Posted by: huckitorchuckit | Feb 6, 2008 1:26:31 PM

For the record, I'm an atheist.

Shame on any person who discredits me just because of the fact that I am an atheist.

Posted by: Katharine | Jan 17, 2008 12:58:05 AM

If you think the man has integrity, you're blind. He has said he will not uphold the Constitution.

I will not condone a president who promotes an extra-constitutional, non-constitutional mode of business, nor one that frees rapists, all in the name of an imaginary deity. He is a madman who would restrict human liberties for the sake of his own beliefs.

This is not a Christian nation. This is a secular nation, founded by atheists, deists, and Masons who believed in much more liberal and intelligent ideas.

If you support Huckabee, you are not what I would call American.

Posted by: Katharine | Jan 17, 2008 12:56:42 AM

It is a very sad thing when we have to slur someone else`s reputation.Is it because Governor Huckabee is a Chriatian? The people of this country should remember what this country was founded on. Our forefathers would be ashamed of what this country has come to. I think Mike Huckabee deserves a fair chance. I just wish everyone would quit shooting him down all the time. A negative campaign really turns a lot of people off. Some of these candidates say that are Christian, but there television ads don`t show it. I don`t understand why you have to try and ruin someone`s reputation by saying such horrible negative things about them.

Posted by: Sherry | Jan 14, 2008 8:42:00 PM

Hey Huckabee. . . .

At least have the courage to stand up, face the truth about this situation & own up to it. Instead, you make excuses, pass the buck, lie & deceive in an attempt to try to cover it up. For political gain? To cover your butt? You're seriously pathetic to say the least.

Don't forget. . . .God (Who you claim to know & profess) knows the truth about the situation. You won't pull the wool over His eyes no matter what kind of lies you tell or excuses you make.

Some people who DESPERATELY want to believe that your "hands are clean" in this situation may in fact be blindly sucked into the cowardly lies & deception. However, I can promise you that the Lord isn't persuaded or moved from the truth by your political speak (forked tongue) nor is anyone out there with an ounce of discernment who's willing to look at the facts.

It's my sincere hope that many of your "followers" will see the light & vote for somebody else.

Posted by: Truth Teller | Jan 12, 2008 6:16:24 PM

Hopefully, Huckabee will be TOAST very soon. He's slicker than snot with blood on his hands to boot. He's a very scary guy that refuses to take personal responsibility for anything. He's dishonest & a coward. His loyal "followers" need to wake up & smell the coffee. The writing is on the wall about this guy. He'd be an absolute nightmare as President (shudders to think).

Posted by: Janet | Jan 12, 2008 6:09:00 PM

Has any candidate in either party had to face so many attacks? I am amazed at how this continues AND how Mike hasn't allowed it to take him down.

Posted by: James | Jan 12, 2008 1:27:26 PM

Can John McCain pull conservatives together with his prior liberal voting record? Not a chance!

Can Fred Thompson pull conservatives together with his prior record absent of designing and improving programs and systems that improved the every day lives of all Americans? No way!

Can Mitt Romney buy the White House? Maybe!

Avoid the elite media’s “Rush”, study Mike Huckabee’s real record, and support “Huck” early!

Posted by: David, Oregon City | Jan 11, 2008 10:50:54 PM

It would be great if one of the news shows would do a piece exposing just how UTTERLY dishonest and despicable this DuMond ad is. Huckabee is 100% BLAMELESS in this issue and those running the ad KNOW IT! This big-budget character assination is SOOO WRONG!!

Posted by: michael litzau | Jan 11, 2008 10:47:26 PM

Fox News may destroy Huckabee but it will also polish of the GOP as Evangelicals give the Republicans their answer at the polls by abstaining or supporting a Third party candidate

Posted by: John | Jan 11, 2008 4:38:07 PM

Hey Baptist in Arkansas-- OK, fair enough. My point concerning proof is that the only information we have regarding what went on behind closed doors is the word of politicians, so it can only be trusted so much.

You're probably right-- if Huckabee was strongly opposed to the pardon, the board might have gone another way. But it was a controversial case, Huckabee was not the only one who questioned the fairness of Dumond's sentence, and he leaned the wrong way. I'm sure he deeply regrets the mistake, but it's a mistake many could have made.

I just wish the story was told in full. There's a lot more behind it that indicates it was not as black and white as some portray it to be.

Posted by: Chris M | Jan 11, 2008 4:24:56 PM

chris m- I agree, the Parole Board is responsible too. The blood is on their hands also. I'm just confident if Huckabee had OPPOSED the parole it wouldn't have happened. He's PARTLY to blame. That's all I'm saying. Now I don't know what "proof" you want to substantiate his pressure. Former parole board members have said they were pressured and Huck's former aide also said there was pressure. Commutations and paroles are signficant decisions. Innocent people can lose their lives (and did in this case). Examining the judgment that led to the decision is a fair question.

Posted by: Baptist in Arkansas | Jan 11, 2008 4:03:00 PM

Baptist from Arkansas,

Get my facts straight? It is a fact that it is the parole board's job to grant and deny parole, not the governor's. Even if Huckabee tried to pressure them (there's still no proof there), it is the parole board's duty to the people to do what *they* believe is right. *If* Huckabee pressured them, and *if* they thought it was wrong but did it anyway, then shame on them.

Posted by: Chris M | Jan 11, 2008 2:56:59 PM

Chris M- Get your facts straight. The Parole Board is appointed by the Governor. They are highly paid positions. Two board members were reappointed by Huckabee ONE WEEK before Dumond's parole. Huckabee had a private meeting with the Board and told them that if they didn't parole him he would commute his sentence. Huckabee wrote Dumond a letter saying he wanted him free. There's just no way he can run from this. By the way, I'm trying to figure out why the "Christian" supporters of Huckabee feel compelled to "lie" about the Huckster's record so he can be a "Godly" President.

Posted by: Baptist from Arkansas | Jan 11, 2008 2:30:43 PM

Art-- Huckabee is not behind the push polls. In fact, he has openly condemned them. Please do not blame him for things that are out of his control.

Speaking of blaming him for things that were out of control, Huckabee did not have any control over DuMond's parole-- that was the parole board's decision. They need to take responsibility for their own actions instead of trying to shift the blame.

Posted by: Chris M | Jan 11, 2008 2:11:27 PM

Statement from Lois Davidson, Mother of Killer's Victim, in Response to Huckabee

Lois Davidson, whose daughter Carole Sue Shields was raped and killed in 2000 by a criminal whose release from prison was championed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, issued the following statement today in response to Huckabee's contention in a television interview that her story was being "exploited" for political purposes:

"Last night, Mike Huckabee accused me of being exploited and used for political purposes. I assure you, Mr. Huckabee, I am not being exploited. I am fully aware of the actions I have taken in attempting to inform the public of your role in my daughter's rape and murder. I have spent over 7 years thinking about this.

"I am not a dupe. But you, Governor Huckabee, were duped time and again by convicted felons who once released from prison by you began hurting people again.

"Mr. Huckabee, I am not a victim. However, my daughter was a victim. She was raped and murdered by a serial rapist that you wanted freed from prison. Please be honest about the role you played in releasing my daughter's killer."

Huckabee's dismissal of Davis came during an interview on the Hannity and Colmes television program following a Republican debate in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Posted by: Victim's Mother | Jan 11, 2008 1:18:57 PM

Wayne Dumond was convicted of Manslaughter in Washington state, served time and paroled. He was then convicted of rape in Oklahoma, served time and paroled. He then raped a woman in Arkansas and received a life sentence. Dumond said if he was released, he would kill his next victim. He was also the only suspect in another rape in Arkansas but the victim was too terrified to testify. Huckabee was told ALL of that PRIOR to pressuring the Parole Board to release him and letting Dumond kill TWO people. If he used that type of judgement for this one case, what type of judgment would he use as President?

Posted by: Baptist from Arkansas | Jan 11, 2008 1:01:29 PM

People should check their facts and not just repeat gossip. Mike Huckabee earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ouichita Baptist University in Arkansas before going to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to work on his Masters Degree. He finished his Bachelors degree in 2 1/2 years. He has 50 hours credit towards his Masters but stopped to go to work for James Robinson. Not being born into a wealthy family, and having a family of his own to support while he was going to college, I think most working people can understand when circumstances require you to work.

Posted by: Nancy Crayton | Jan 11, 2008 12:16:49 PM

As the French would say, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même." ("The more things change, the more things stay the same.") What Willie Horton was to Michael Dukakis, Wayne DuMond is to Mike Huckabee, and probably with the same results, too.

Posted by: chuck | Jan 11, 2008 9:54:35 AM

Look people this is just the first of the stories to break there are more. Plus Huckabee took money to grant Pardons,people hired lobbyists to get them pardons the man is corrupt and will do anything to make a buck. He is a liberal and has shown awful judgement over the last 10 years. Oh by the way he also campaigned and raised money for democrats running against conservative republicans who fought him on his tax increases.

Posted by: Cameron | Jan 11, 2008 9:35:12 AM

Post a comment





 

POLITICAL VIDEOS