A not-so-subtle theme has emerged in recent Republican attack ads in the battleground California state election: linking Democrats to pedophiles.

for example, 30 seconds spot The National Republican Congressional Committee attacked Democrat George Whiteside, a former NASA chief of staff who is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in Antelope Valley, one of the nation’s most competitive races.

Melancholy piano music plays over images of an overturned bicycle and an empty playground swing. The camera switches to a computer tablet displaying a messaging app.

“I’m literally over the next block. Come calm down!” writes a user nicknamed SKTRDUDE293.

“On my way!!!” a girl who looked about 12 years old responded with the username SWIFFTIEE661.

The tablet sits in a cozy-looking bedroom next to a lava lamp, a tube of mascara, and a framed portrait of a girl and her dog. The camera lingers on the girl’s face, then shows a photo of her taped to the wall next to photos of other children in a dark, dingy room. There, a laptop, apparently belonging to a child predator, opens the same chat.

“George Whiteside has donated money to an organization that opposes the registration of pedophiles as sex offenders,” the ad reads, and is one of the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organizations in the state. Equality California.

another ad targeting State Sen. Dave Minn (D-Irvine), who is running to fill the seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County, said the bill Minn supported “has made it difficult for our children to survive.” Let sex offenders, including the ones they victimize, walk free.” The ad says Min is “supported by organizations that support sex offenders,” including California Equality. It is a mention of.

The ad’s sponsors say that while the focus on child sex crimes is offensive, it accurately portrays Democrats and those who support them as soft on crime. But critics say the ad is inaccurate, offensive and based on homophobic and transphobic misconceptions that LGBTQ+ people prey on children.

“This is the same strategy that right-wing extremists and their allies have used for decades, perpetuating the harmless and unfounded stereotype that LGBTQ+ people are inherently pedophiles. “There are,” said Tony Huang, executive director of Equality California.

Ann unprecedented amount Steve Caplan, an adjunct lecturer in public relations and advertising at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, estimates that political advertising will total up to $17 billion nationwide during this election cycle.

“Crime and immigration are typically issues that Republicans have used to influence elections, especially in competitive districts,” he said.

Caplan called the ad “an attempt to shock voters,” but he said it shows Republicans view the House race as a must-win race. This is because the cost of reporting is extremely high.

California is a key battleground state this year, with 10 competitive House races that will determine which party controls Congress.

Mr. Whitesides is a first-time candidate and has no voting record to scrutinize. So Republicans are focusing on his hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to progressive candidates and causes, including Equality California. The group advocates for legislation that advances LGBTQ+ rights and works to elect candidates who support its mission.

With Equality California, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Officeco-sponsored the controversial California Senate Bill 145 of 2020, which aims to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in sex crimes involving minors and youth.

The law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, makes an adult convicted of having anal or oral sex with a minor a sex offender if the minor is 14 years of age or older and the adult is 14 years of age or younger. It allows judges to decide whether or not to register as such. Ten years older than the teenager.

Before SB 145 was enacted, adults convicted of having sex with a minor were automatically added to the state’s sex offender registry, but adults convicted of having sex with a minor were automatically added to the state’s sex offender registry. No adults were enrolled.

Supporters say SB 145 addresses a disparity in state law, a vestige of California’s old anti-sodomy laws, many of which have since been repealed, and which requires appropriate punishment when two people are close in age (17 years). He said it would give judges discretion to decide. For example, a 1 year old and a 20 year old are in a sexual relationship.

“SB 145 ensures that everyone is treated equally under the law – nothing more, nothing less,” Huang said.

The bill faced strong opposition from Republicans in the state Legislature, with some opponents using it to falsely claim that California was legalizing pedophilia. The latest attack ads echo the controversy that roiled the state Capitol four years ago.

Ben Petersen, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement that while voters may be put off by hearing that Whiteside “funded crime-fighting organizations, the facts are clear.” Whiteside’s money backed everything from zero-cash bail to reduced sentences for criminals, including sex offenders. ”

equality california approved A 2020 ballot measure that sought to eliminate the use of cash bail in California failed.

“As the father of two children, ages 12 and 14, George puts the safety of his family above all else,” Emma Harris, Whiteside’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

“It’s no surprise that Rep. Mike Garcia and his far-right friends lie again because they know they’re going to lose this race,” Harris said. Unfortunately for Democrats, these baseless attacks on Democrats are spreading up and down, left and right.” The state will fail and voters will see through these lies. ”

whitesides new ad “The lies they told about George are disgusting,” one woman said while holding her two children, emphasizing the support from her parents and family. The ad ends with Whitesides standing next to his daughter.

Garcia said in a statement that his campaign “cannot control third-party commercials, but voters are now getting to know the real George Whiteside.”

“He does not have a long history in our district,” Garcia wrote. “So follow who he supports to find out who he really is.” Some of the people Whiteside has supported are “putting children at risk.” There are also extremist groups that expose people to violence,” he added.

Whiteside’s support for Equality California was also highlighted in a new ad by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC supporting Republicans running for Congress. $27 million This fall, she will appear in television and digital ads in the Los Angeles area.

The new anti-white side tv spot “Today I learned that he is a major donor to an organization that is sponsoring a bill to reduce penalties for pedophiles,” a woman says.

Super PAC spokeswoman Courtney Parella said in a statement that the ad was fair.

“These California liberals may be angry at being caught funding extreme political groups and supporting radical policies, but the fact remains the same. These measures… “Weakened penalties for sex offenders, put minors at risk and made it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs,” she said.

The Congressional Guidance Fund also disbursed funds. anti-min advertisement This is a strong condemnation of his endorsement by Equality California. Minn is in a close race in the 47th Congressional District against Republican Rep. Scott Baugh, a Huntington Beach attorney who served in the California State Assembly from 1995 to 2000.

The ad criticizes Min for voting in favor of California’s controversial Senate Bill 357, which repeals the misdemeanor law that prohibits loitering in public for the purpose of prostitution. Supporters argued the bill would prevent law enforcement from using the state’s loitering rules to disproportionately target Black, Latino and transgender Californians, but opponents said the bill would They argued that it would remove an important means of stopping the movement. sex traffickingespecially of children.

In the attack ad, a deep-voiced man plays on Min’s name and says: “Predators receive minimal treatment. Abusive partners? They get their minutes. Child sex offenders? They get their minutes, too.”

Democratic state senator Dave Ming (left) and Republican Scott Baugh (right) are running for California’s Orange County 47th Congressional District.

(Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press; Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

Minn said in a statement that he has the support of police officers and sheriff’s deputies and that he has “served the public as a state senator, including authoring more than a dozen bills to protect victims of sexual assault and abuse.” We are proud of our excellent safety record.”

He said Republicans are “lying about my record as one of the toughest on crime members in the state Senate,” and that the ad “is a disgrace in that it capitalizes on my endorsement from Equality California. “It was particularly unpleasant…to spread bigotry and hatred.” The myth that homosexuals are child predators and groomers. ”

John Fleischman, a spokesman for Mr. Baugh’s campaign, declined to comment on the ad, saying, “We do not control spending by outside parties.”

In Riverside County, attack advertisement He opposed Democrat Will Rollins, saying he was “backed by radicals who gave billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded stimulus checks to convicted felons, including terrorists and pedophiles.” ” Also included is an image of an empty swing set.

Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, is seeking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert in another tight race.

This ad is a reference to the Democrats in Congress who voted for. Pandemic-era relief bill As a result, stimulus checks will be sent to prisoners. (Republicans also supported such legislation, but then tried to stop Payments were made to prisoners over Democratic opposition. )

The “radicals” mentioned in the ad are congressional Democrats who supported Rollins, a spokesperson for Americans 4 Security PAC said. was funded by Oil and gas industry.

Rollins’ campaign manager, Coby Ice, accused a “Washington Republican super PAC” of lying about Rollins’ position on criminal justice.

“As a federal prosecutor, Will had a 99% conviction rate and worked collaboratively with law enforcement every day,” Ice said in a statement.