House candidate drops F-bomb in new ad targeting NRA

A Democratic House candidate from New Mexico hopes to draw attention in an ad with an especially pointed message for the National Rifle Association: "F*** the NRA."

Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis, who is running in the June 5 primary uses the profanity at the beginning of a 15-second ad that he said went on the air on Friday.

"Their pro-gun policies have resulted in dead children, dead mothers and dead fathers," he continues.

A former police officer, Davis told USA TODAY that Democrats have been too cautious in their positions on gun-control in past election cycles. He hopes to show Democrats with later primary elections that gun control is a winning issue.

"It’s become more clear now than ever that the NRA has way too much power in the halls of Congress and being polite about our demands will only get us thoughts and prayers in return," Davis said in a fundraising letter.

NRA spokesman Jennifer Baker said, “At least the gun-control lobby and their anti-Second Amendment shills are keeping the campaign to ban guns classy. Beyond that observation, I won’t dignify their obscenity with a response.”

KRQE, a local TV station where Davis is airing the ad, said it cannot censor the f-bomb. Federal election rules prohibit the station from censoring or editing the commercial, said Bill Anderson, the station's general manager.

“What we can control however, is the 15 seconds of air time preceding it, which we will use to warn the viewer of a possible offense, disclaim our own views, and cite the federal laws imposed on candidates and TV stations," he said, according to a story on the KRQE website.

Davis told USA TODAY he’s targeting air time that adult voters, not children, will see.

“Kids aren’t watching the news shows on Sunday morning or the in-depth policy wonky shows where we’ll be running it, he said.

Davis is one of several Democrats vying in a competitive primary for a solidly Democratic open seat in the district covering central Albuquerque.