Molly Beck and Patrick Marley

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - Three months ago, Gov. Scott Walker called his opponent "pathetic" for using the word "goddamn" in a speech to supporters.

But now, the Republican incumbent is airing an ad that flashes the partially blurred words "blow job" and focuses on a young girl's breasts. Another ad paid for by the state Republican Party in support of Walker depicts a male teacher unbuckling his belt to suggest his pants were about to come off.

Walker is seeking a third term and is facing a challenge from state schools Superintendent Tony Evers — an opponent who has put Walker on the defensive about his own education record and on the offensive about Evers'.

The result is a number of political ads crafted to attack Evers over not revoking the licenses of teachers accused of sexual misconduct — including an ad from Walker's campaign that talks about a middle school girl engaging in oral sex.

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Critics and supporters of Walker debate whether the governor is being hypocritical by denouncing his opponent's speech but using sexually explicit content in ads and whether Evers should have revoked licenses in these cases involving pornography regardless of what the law allowed.

But some parents just want to change the channel.

"It's like it's invading your home," Tammy Flahive of Grafton said of her reaction to a graphic ad from the state Republican Party that aired while she and her 14- and 16-year-old sons were having dinner.

Flahive is an Evers supporter but said she would be equally upset if Democrats were running ads that are so explicit.

"When you're eating dinner and that ad comes on, it doesn't matter who the ad is for or who created it or who paid for it," she said. "You want it to be off."

It's not just on TV. Since the Aug. 14 primary election, when Evers beat out seven challengers, Walker has tweeted more than 40 times about cases involving teachers accused of looking at pornography and engaging in alleged sexual misconduct.

Walker hits Evers on language

Three months ago, Walker expressed derision at using strong language in public. In a Twitter post in June, Walker wrote that Evers was pathetic for saying he was "goddamn sick and tired" of Walker's policies.

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"It’s pathetic seeing what has become of Tony Evers," Walker wrote. "He used the Lord’s name in vain this weekend — apparently to look tough at the convention."

The focus on sexual misconduct comes at a time when Walker and Evers are locked in a tight race with some polling showing Evers ahead in a year when Democrats have enthusiasm on their side.

Different tone

"Governor Walker has indicated that (this year) is going to be a challenging year for his campaign and for his party," said Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor and director of the university's Elections Research Center. "The headwinds he faces might be why Walker's style of campaigning is somewhat different in this election cycle."

Burden said the ads running on behalf of Walker represent a more aggressive and personal criticism of Evers this time around than what his previous opponents have faced.

"Earlier campaigns also featured negative advertising to be sure, but the 2018 ads are appearing earlier and are harsher than has been the norm for Walker," Burden said. "Personalizing the race and undercutting Evers on the very issue where he might otherwise be seen as especially credible is a possible way to reframe the election from a national referendum to a local contest where Walker has a better shot at keeping his seat."

But Walker's campaign and other Republicans say the cases illustrated in the ads are disqualifying for Evers.

"The language used comes directly from public reports and investigative files that were submitted to Tony Evers in cases related to his complete failure to protect students from predators," Walker spokesman Austin Altenburg said.

State Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), who is married to Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, paused for a few minutes before answering whether he would be comfortable watching Walker's ad with his young daughters.

"Sometimes reality is extremely uncomfortable and that discomfort emphasizes the graphic actions for which Tony Evers should have taken immediate, decisive action," Joel Kleefisch said.

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) said he hadn't seen the Walker ads but he was more focused on Evers' actions than how Walker is portraying them on TV.

"If I had to choose what I’m uncomfortable with, I’m more uncomfortable with the fact that women in these schools were subjected to this kind of behavior and kids were exposed to these kind of comments and actions and nothing was done to remove the perpetrators from those schools," he told reporters in a conference call this week.

Among the cases referenced in the ads, DPI investigators found no evidence to prove children were exposed to the behavior or content, however.

Evers' campaign manager Maggie Gau said Walker simply can't run on his record and is deploying a strategy of relying on "disgusting, dishonest and increasingly desperate attacks."

"The people of Wisconsin know Tony has spent his lifetime doing what is best for our kids, that he followed the law, and when a loophole in the law on teacher licenses needed to be changed, he worked with both parties to toughen the law so any offending teacher now would lose their license to teach," Gau said.

Some content not substantiated

The ads hinge on cases involving teachers who have been accused of misconduct and kept their licenses to stay in the classroom after DPI investigators concluded not enough evidence could be found to prove the accusations under state law. Some of the most graphic content within the ads are spun from details in those cases brought to light by a school district investigation but could not be substantiated by DPI investigators.

In Walker's ad, the narrator says Middleton teacher Andrew Harris made comments about middle school girls' chest sizes and oral sex skills. But a Department of Public Instruction investigation into the teacher's conduct could not confirm that the teacher ever made the comments because the teacher who accused Harris of making them subsequently refused to swear to them under oath.

As for the ad released by the Republican Party of Wisconsin depicting a male teacher taking off his belt, the DPI in the case the ad was based on determined the male teacher was just tucking in his shirt and unbuckled his belt to do so.

The blunt style of the ads will get them attention from viewers and the media and could make them go viral, said Tim Groeling, a professor of political communication at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Groeling called the ads “tough and salacious” but said he expected viewers to consider them “in bounds” unless aired during children's shows or proven to be false.

“I don’t know norms in Wisconsin very well, but I’m guessing people viewing it will be more angry at the violations the ads describe, rather than the language used to describe them,” he said.

Steve Lavin, general manager at ABC affiliate WBAY-TV in Green Bay, would not comment directly on specific ads or whether the station has received complaints. He said he typically directs callers with complaints to the advertiser.

"The reality is we get complaints all the time about political ads," Lavin said. " 'Tis the season."