Indian Springs doctor Chad Mathis has poked and prodded his opponents in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District race to the point that they are now teaming up to hit him back, or as they refer to it, setting the record straight.
Since the early stages of the campaign, Mathis has waged an all-out assault on the four other Republican candidates who he considers to be threats — Scott Beason, Will Brooke, Paul DeMarco and Gary Palmer. Mathis dubbed them “The Gang of Four,” a group that the Mathis campaign has described as career politicians, Washington insiders and a host of other adjectives that make Republican primary voters squirm.
Yesterday, Beason, Brooke and Palmer held a joint press conference, an almost unheard of move for rivals this close to election day, to decry Mathis’ scorched earth campaign tactics.
“We are demanding that people tell the truth in this campaign,” said businessman Will Brooke, who Mathis has referred to as a “Washington insider.” “He’s using misrepresentations, which amount to fabrications and deceptive practices, in order to get his message out”
Former conservative think tank president Gary Palmer said Mathis’ tactics prove he lacks “Alabama values,” which he believes could be the result of Mathis having only moved to the state several years ago.
“It’s almost like he’s just passing through on his way to Washington,” Palmer said. “He doesn’t know us. He doesn’t know the issues. And he certainly doesn’t have Alabama values.”
State Senator Scott Beason, a long-time favorite of local tea party groups, said Mathis has even tried to paint him as a leftwing career politician.
“A half truth in Alabama is still a whole lie,” Beason said. “The message is to try to spin me as some liberal. As you know and the people of Alabama know, no one is ever going to call me a liberal.”
State Rep. Paul DeMarco did not participate in the press conference, but his campaign has openly criticized Mathis for stretching the truth in his ads.
“Chad’s claims against Paul DeMarco are false and not documented,” DeMarco campaign spokesperson Rick Journey said.
Even Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead took a shot at Mathis, calling his campaign tactics “not good for the Party.”
But Mathis has defended his campaign, saying he’s only trying to put the facts in front of voters and let them decide for themselves.
“Well, I guess I’ve ruffled a few feathers,” Mathis said smiling to a group of reporters Tuesday. “This is what happens when you bring out the records of career politicians and political insiders… They feel that this seat belongs to them and they’ve never really given my candidacy a serious look. I’m someone who’s running on the issues instead of an important feeling about themselves… Everything that we have said is true.”
AL.com’s Madison Underwood asked Mathis what it was like when other candidates confronted him about the contents of his ads. Mathis responded that he couldn’t “recall anyone approaching me personally about it.”
“Gary Palmer or Will Brooke never talked to you about the ads, about the campaign information you were sending out?” Underwood followed up.
“Not that I recall,” Mathis said after a long pause.
According to Will Brooke and Gary Palmer, Mathis is either forgetful or being choosy about what questions he answers truthfully.
The Brooke campaign referred Yellowhammer to a video at a recent candidate forum, during which Brooke, sitting about a foot from Mathis, finally decided to address Mathis’ ads publicly after not getting much response in private.
Mathis has claimed that Brooke does not live in the 6th District, an accusation that Brooke vehemently denies.
“I’ve lived in the 6th District for 54 years of my life,” Brooke said. “My opponent’s lived here five, I believe… I grew up in and went to public school in the 6th District. My children all went to public school in the 6th District… Every car or house I’ve ever bought or owned was in the 6th District. The Alabama State Legislature moved the line in redistricting 100 yards outside my front door. As soon as I made a decision to run for Congress, we bought a new house… To say that I don’t live there is untrue both conceptually and literally.”
But the issue that has Brooke most upset is the Mathis campaign’s suggestion that Brooke may be a supporter of abortion because of a handful of donations he has made to Democrats in year’s past.
“I founded a faith-based firm in 1985 that represented Jim Pinto and other members of the anti-abortion, pro-life movement in cases that went all the way to the Supreme Court,” said Brooke. “I marched against abortion on the south side. I marched against abortion on The Mall of the United States of America in Washington, D.C. I wrote an editorial that appeared in the Birmingham News in 1981 opposing abortion. To align me, or suggest that I had anything to do with (being pro-abortion) is an absolute falsehood and despicable… I’m telling you, folk, don’t send people that will twist the truth to Washington. It will only perpetuate the problems we have in D.C.”
(Below: Will Brooke addresses Chad Mathis’ accusations during a candidate forum. Continue reading after the video.)
Another interesting wrinkle to the Mathis campaign is that many of his ads are now being paid for by third-party groups based in Washington, a fact that his rivals say indicates who among them is really a “Washington insider.” But the groups paying for ads are not typically considered to be part of the Inside-the-Beltway establishment. FreedomWorks and Club for Growth, both staunchly conservative groups that have been major players in Republican primaries in recent years, have pumped money into pro-Mathis ads.
He has also lined up an extensive list of endorsements, including the aforementioned groups, The Madison Project, Citizens United PAC, conservative blog RedState.com, and U.S. Sen. Mike Lee. The Tea Party Patriots, a national tea party organization, has also thrown its support behind Mathis. That decision prompted a coalition of Alabama tea party groups to pen an open letter to the Tea Party Patriots rejecting their endorsement of Mathis and pledging their support to Beason.
Several of the local tea partiers and political observers have openly accused the D.C.-based groups of essentially running “pay for play” operations, suggesting that their support of Mathis is either a direct result of Mathis donating to them previously or his political consultants soliciting favors.
The Mathis campaign obviously dismisses such accusations as sour grapes, and there is no real evidence to suggest such an arrangement was made to secure any of Mathis’ support in Washington.
Mathis has, however, been reluctant to engage in direct confrontation with his detractors.
Birmingham-based conservative talk radio host Matt Murphy has been trying to get Mathis to come on his show for the last week to either debate Will Brooke or simply defend his campaign tactics. Although Mathis appeared on Murphy’s station, WAPI, twice before, Murphy says he will no longer respond to his requests.
–@WBrooke205 is challenging @DrChadMathis to a debate on my show. Awaiting a response from Mathis. #AL06 #alpolitics
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 21, 2014
What is @DrChadMathis HIDING??Why does he refuse to appear before #AL06 on @wapiradio? Why won't he speak to the people?? #alpolitics
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 21, 2014
2 occasions, @DrChadMathis has appeared on @wapiradio. He answered questions. said I was fair each time. Why is he stonewalling?#alpolitics
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 21, 2014
So @DrChadMathis attacks all other candidates…but when they challenge him on it, he says it's a "sideshow". Does that make sense? #AL06
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 21, 2014
What is @DrChadMathis afraid of? He makes wild accusations, @WBrooke205 calls him on it, & Chad runs/hides? #cowardice #alpolitics
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 22, 2014
So @DrChadMathis is running away not only from @WBrooke205's debate challenge, but also from coming on show at all. #coward? #alpolitics
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 22, 2014
I'm guessing @SenMikeLee doesn't know @DrChadMathis from a hole in the ground. hey Mike! This guy is a lying about his opponents. thoughts?
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 22, 2014
Will the self-proclaimed front runner, @DrChadMathis, please call us back to schedule a visit next week on my show. #speaktotheVOTERS #AL06
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 23, 2014
–@DrChadMathis outside of Harbert center today LIED directly to media re: conversations w/ @WBrooke205 & Gary Palmer. I have audio 6am #AL06
— Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyshow) May 27, 2014
In spite of all the fuss about Mathis’ campaign and his ads’ questionable accuracy, negative political advertising is obviously nothing new. One independent study found that over 90 percent of ads during the 2012 presidential campaign were negative. And as much as people claim to hate it and as often as candidates pledge to run positive campaigns, the truth is, negative ads have a tendency to work.
Recent polling in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District shows Paul DeMarco with a fairly comfortable lead, with Beason, Brooke and Mathis battling for the second spot in a likely runoff. However, Mathis’ polling numbers have slowly but steadily risen in recent weeks. If what he is doing was not effective, the other candidates would probably just ignore him, even if a lot of his accusations are half-truths, at best.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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