Looks like Jack Davis has reached the end of the line for his latest congressional bid:

A State Supreme Court justice Thursday rejected congressional candidate Jack Davis’ attempt to remain on the November ballot, ending his third attempt to win the job.

Davis said Thursday he left a voice mail with Democratic primary winner Alice J. Kryzan to congratulate her on her victory but would not commit to helping her in her campaign against Republican Christopher J. Lee.

Davis said he would help Kryzan in the campaign if he thought she accepted his anti-free trade message but expressed his doubts. “I don’t think she understands my message,” he said.

Justice Richard M. Platkin of Albany disagreed with Davis’ contention that his petition to form a minor party line called Save Jobs and Farms should have been accepted even though he failed to file a certificate of acceptance on time, as required by state election law. 

Davis argued that the state Board of Elections should have provided him an opportunity to submit the late application anyway and that the board acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in not allowing him to file. 

The judge ruled otherwise. 

Of course, while that settles that, we’re still waiting to hear what Jon Powers is planning to do.

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The netroots who are keeping an eye on the congressional race in the 26th district clearly are lost in the wilderness. Their golden boy Jon Powers lost in the primary after being dogged by the War Kids scandal and after getting caught up in a nasty battle of attack ads with Jack Davis.

So, now they have to settle for Sloppy Seconds Alice Kryzan… and from the looks of things, the enthusiasm they had for the substitute teacher was far greater than they have for the trial lawyer.

So, they’ve predictably chosen to attack Chris Lee. And can you imagine, with the economic slowdown we’re experiencing right now that this blogger at Rochester Turning not only finds fault in Chris Lee’s background in business, but his opposition to regulation?

You don’t have to be an economics major to understand that regulation hurts businesses. But, who would think that a left-wing blogger would understand something as simple as that?

The WNY netroots is really grasping at straws in their lame attacks against Chris Lee. This blogger predictably chose to play the Bush card by saying “Christopher Lee is more George Bush.” It’s the same line of attack Democrats are using all over the country. Democrats like Barack Obama have no record to run on, so it’s easier to blame the world’s problems on President Bush and couple Bush with their opponent. 

That strategy hasn’t exactly worked all that well for Barack Obama, and it certainly isn’t going to work in the 26th district, a Republican-leaning district that went for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and reelected Tom Reynolds despite a rather toxic political environment for Republicans in 2006.

Playing the Bush Card is a weak strategy for the netroots. It is indicative of a major strategic problem they have in an election year where the economy is a top issue. Chris Lee’s background in business gives him a huge advantage over Sloppy Seconds Kryan’s experience as a trial lawyer.

UPDATE: Now isn’t this rich… After eight years of liberal bloggers calling President Bush things like “bushitler,” “bushit,” or “chimpy;” calling black Republicans “house slaves” or “Simple Sambo;” or new ones like calling Sarah Palin “Sarah Piglin,” somehow it’s Republican “old method of thinking” for me to refer to Alice Kryzan as the netroots’ sloppy seconds. Yet, for some reason, I am the one that should apologize for using offensive and “beyond the pale” language?  Ain’t that a hoot.

And I guess finding humor in Hurricane Gustav is somehow appropriate.

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I literally just saw one of Jack Davis’s campaign ads on TNT. Now, Jack Davis is no longer in the race, as he came in third in the Democratic primary, and his attempt to get on the ballot in November under his “Save Jobs and Farms” Party… and the ad is one that attacks Jon Powers, who is likely not going to continue campaigning… so why is his ad still running nearly a week after the primary? 

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Rochester Turning reportedly heard that meetings will be held today on whether or not Powers will continue his campaign, and appears to be concerned that Powers might continue his campaign, since he’ll be on the ballot in November.

Now it is about practicality. The DCCC just pulled support from Powers. The WFP party of NY supports Alice Kryzan even though Powers is on the ballot. Powers failed to win the large populous counties. He still is smarting from Jack Davis’ negative attacks. There is this solid post from swingstate project (which gave me the WFP link above). On the positive side, Powers has a bunch of money in the bank.

Even thinking about running on the WFP party is quite similar to Jack Davis attempting to form his own party just in case he lost the election. Is this, any party in a political storm? I should think not.

I believe the netroots has little to worry about. I don’t see Jon Powers moving forward with his campaign at this point.  If he has any desire for a future in WNY politics, he should concede, and move on with his life. I don’t see Powers actively campaign for Kryzan if he does end his campaign. What he really needs now is a new job so he can pay his rent.

Kryzan of course, is now starting to get the attention of various left wing groups.

But Democrats moved quickly to hail her victory, and the DCCC on Wednesday added Kryzan to its “Red to Blue” program for promising candidates running for Republican-held seats. She may also soon be endorsed by EMILY’s List, a Democratic fundraising powerhouse that supports abortion rights.

Something tells me that EMILY’s List isn’t exactly going to be extraordinarily helpful to Kryzan in the 26th District. Her association with Planned Parenthood certainly won’t resonate well with the voters of a Republican-leaning district. Of course, I don’t see abortion being a big issue in this particular campaign, but there are other issues that will be, and she’s on wrong side of them.

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26th District Blog talks about why Jon Powers failed.

When asked about making a prediction last night I said continually “Logic would be on the side of Powers but… I don’t know.” He had money, he had biography but most importantly he had the support of the local Democratic Party establishment and the bloggers. In terms of building up manpower, he should have won, they should have turned out, the phone banking should have worked, the money should have been spent on important resources. None of it panned out.

There’s a lot more worth reading.

The Albany Project notes that the DCCC has made Alice Kryzan their sloppy seconds:

This didn’t take long.

The DCCC announced today that Alice Kryzan has been immediately named to the “Red to Blue” list. 

Buffalo 14228 criticizes left-wing blogs that were drawn to Powers for being an Iraq War veteran, while ignoring his thin resumé.

She was also routinely hammered by alleged progressive political blogs like Alan Bedenko’s “The Buffalo Pundit” and Robert Harding of “The Albany Project.” Each fell in love with the “Iraq War veteran label” discounting the resume.

Scott Leffler says if Powers doesn’t complete drop out of the race, it be for spite.

If he proceeds in any manner other than dropping out, it will simply be out of spite, because everyone knows you don’t win a congressional election from the Working Families Party line … and he would simply be siphoning off votes from Alice Kryzan - assuring a Chris Lee victory.

Cincinnatus at Monroe Rising writes a letter to the Democratic leadership in the 26th District.

I can only imagine how you folks feel. Jon Powers spent over a year running for office, raised over a million dollars, had the support of all of the “progressive” bloggers and lost to a lady none of you know.

He goes on to give them some free advice.

Buffalo Pundit says Kryzan’s game winning shot came with an assist from Powers and Davis.

Because Powers and Davis spent so much time bashing each other, 2/3 of Kryzan’s job was done for her without her having to spend a dime. She needed one thing to stand out, and the “boys, take it somewhere else” ad was just the ticket.

And I see Chris Lee winning in November.

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Earlier I posted an email Jon Powers sent to supporters where he said “as we are still on the ballot as the nominee for the Working Families Party, my family and team are currently deciding how best to proceed.” Well, it appears that the Working Families Party, which was so extraordinarily effective in getting out the vote for Jon Powers yesterday, will be backing Kryzan, even though Jon Powers name will be on the ballot on the WFP line.

A spokesman for the Working Families Party in New York said the party will work to elect Democratic nominee Alice Kryzan in the 26th congressional district, despite the fact that Iraq veteran Jon Powers will be the Working Families nominee.

Kryzan stunned Powers and 2006 nominee Jack Davis in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, winning with 42 percent of the vote. But Powers, who received national Democratic backing for his run, was unopposed for the Working Families nomination.

That creates a troubling situation for Democrats, with two of their candidates on the general-election ballot and potentially splitting votes in a swing district.

A Working Families official said Wednesday that the party could not legally remove Powers from the ballot, but that it would back Kryzan.

“I’m sure we’ll support Alice’s campaign,” the official said. “I don’t think there was ever any talk of doing the third-party thing. We play to win.”

So, it appears that the Working Families Party has made the decision for Powers. He’ll be on the ballot no matter what, so I don’t think we’ll see him continue to campaign if the pro-union Working Families Party has jumped off the Jon Powers ship.

In other words, Jon Powers needs to go to Kinkos, make a few dozen copies of his resumé, and start looking for a job.

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There’s certainly a lot to talk about following the results of Tuesday night’s primary. I’m only going to talk about two things.

First, Sam Hoyt. Are you freaking kidding me!?!? Really, are you freaking kidding me?

Okay, now, I’ve got to talk about NY-26.

Alice Kryzan won. Jon Powers lost.

Rochester Turning asks what happened? I’m gonna give my thoughts and answer the question.

Anyone would agree this campaign was Jon Powers’ to lose, and he lost it big time. He had the support of local party leaders. He had the support of the unions. He had the support of the netroots and the Democrat establishment in Washington. He should have won easily.

But, instead, Jon Powers got sucked into a brutal battle with Jack Davis. They hit each other constantly with negatives ads, leaving Alice Kryzan on the sidelines. Powers and Davis thought the race was between the two them. To a degree that is still true.

I don’t think Alice Kryzan won as much as Jon Powers (and I suppose Jack Davis) lost.

Alice Kryzan did run an incredibly effective ad. Personally, I thought she ran it too late in the campaign to move the race enough in her favor to win. One cannot ignore the significance of the Democrats of NY-26 rejecting the candidate their party leaders chose for them. They not only rejected the recommendation of their party leaders, but they rejected the netroots candidate. Powers touted his so-called grassroots campaign… but clearly it helps to have a grassroots campaign in your own district and not in Washington D.C. and everyone else but your own district.

Politico notes that the Democrat establishment had banked on Powers winning, and Kryzan’s upset victory certainly casts more doubt on the Democrats being able to win the seat.

But, there’s a potential wrench to be thrown in this race by Jon Powers. He did receive the endorsement of the Working Families Party, and is guaranteed a spot on the ballot in November on the Working Families Party line.

The question is, will he continue his campaign until November or not?

According to Monroe Rising, Jon Powers refused to concede, even when the outcome of the race was pretty much settled. What does that mean? We’ll have to wait and see. As of this post, Chris Lee has issued a congratulatory statement to Alice Kryzan. Lee said, “I want to congratulate Alice Kryzan on succeeding in the Democratic primary and invite Alice to join me in discussing the real issues that are important to Western New York.”

Alice Kryzan has emailed her supporters with her declaration of victory. “I am honored that the Democrats of this District have chosen me to represent them in the upcoming general election to be their next representative in Congress.”

I didn’t expect to hear from Davis, but the silence from Jon Powers is deafening. I suspect he is, at this very moment, deciding whether to pack it in, or to fight on as the Working Families Party candidate.

The news of Kryzan’s upset victory has caught some national attention from Politico:

Without their favored candidate, Democrats are a little more circumspect of their chances of picking up this Rochester and Buffalo-area district in November. Even though New York has become a reliable Democratic stronghold, this is one of the most solid GOP districts in the Empire State, giving President Bush 55 percent of the vote in 2004. 

Well, it’s past 1:00 AM and I have to go to work in the morning, so I’ll post this now and give more thoughts on the results of this race and a number of others…I assume I’ll also get to react to Powers’ decision to either continue his campaign  on the WFP line or to start looking for a new job.

In any case, congrats to Alice Kryzan. She’s going to lose in November, but I can’t help appreciating the upset victory she achieved tonight.

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I’ve been asked to predict the outcome of the Democratic primary between Jack Davis, Jon Powers, and Alice Kryzan by quite a few people now. And the more I think about it, the various factors that can contribute to the outcome, and recent events, I think this race could be a 3-way toss-up.

I don’t live in the district, and I’m not a Democrat. So, I can only make an educated guess, but there are, I believe, three key factors that benefit each of the candidates in the primary race.

1. Name Recognition. Local sources tell me that when it comes to name recognition, Jack Davis (still) has the advantage. He is a known quantity because of his past congressional runs, and that means that many of the primary voters have voted for him before. Considering this is a presidential election year, people are more focused on that race than they are on local races (including congressional races) name recognition might be enough for Jack Davis to win the primary.  
2. Union influence. Jon Powers has the backing of the powerful unions, and of course, has the local Democratic Party endorsements. They will undoubtedly launch an aggressive get out the vote effort on behalf of their golden boy.
3. Negative backlash. While people may be more more focused on the presidential election, it’s hard to avoid political ads, and Jack Davis and Jon Powers have been hitting each other hard. Alice Kryzan’s first television was brilliant in highlighting this back and forth negativity between the two and casting herself as a reasonable alternative. I suspect her ad has proven very effective, and I am lead to believe that Democratic polling shows Kryzan is now competitive in the race, since Jon Powers has recently released another attack ad on the radio against Kryzan. The question I cannot answer is who does Kryzan take the most support away from? My guess would be Jon Powers, which would be supported by the fact that Powers has gone negative against her.

I think the first two are stronger influencers on the primary than the last one, but, then again, there are obviously many more than three factors that will contribute to the outcome. If this is going to be a close race (which I suspect it will be) I don’t think I can make a confident guess at who will end up the winner. Pundits are always concluding that a close race is decided by the GOTV effort. If this is a close race according to party and campaign polls that would give Powers the overall advantage, given his union support.

In the end, I’ve decided not to make a public prediction. I cannot pretend to understand how Democrats respond to the various things things that have happened on this campaign. This is the same party that reelects such gems as Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), who was caught with $90,000 in bribe money in his freezer. Rep. Gerry Studds (D-MA), who had a sexual relationship with an underage congressional page, Rep. Mel Reynolds (D-IL), who had an affair with an underage campaign worker and caught with child porn… So, all the scandals that have come out against Davis and Powers might not had any impact at all, or very little.

I guess the moral of the story is, we’ll just have to wait and see. 

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I just read that Jack Davis failed to get his so-called “Save Jobs and Farms” Party line on the ballot in November due to a missing form.

Davis can appeal the decision, but it seems highly unlikely that such an appeal would get anywhere.

via iPhone.

UPDATE: Here’ the story:

Jack Davis collected 7,000 signatures to get his “Save Jobs and Farms Party” on the November ballot, but he forgot the most important one: his own.

The state Board of Elections on Friday threw Davis’ new party off the November ballot because he failed to file a document accepting the party’s nomination for Congress in the 26th District, commission spokesman Robert A. Brehm said.

“The state board commissioners voted today to determine that the . . . petitions of Mr. Davis are invalid,” Brehm said. “The reason was the failure to timely file an acceptance by the candidate, which is required by state Election Law.”

Davis, an Akron millionaire who has vowed to spend $3 million of his money on the race, has until next Wednesday to go to court to appeal the decision.

Brehm indicated, however, that the ruling was an easy one on the part of the board.

“I don’t see how we can waive a statutory requirement,” he said.

Davis’ campaign manager, Luke Vaughn, attributed the problem to “a clerical error” and said the campaign is trying to find out how it happened.

“We’ll be exploring all possible options” to try to get the Save Jobs and Farms Party back on the ballot, Vaughn said.

How stupid can you get?

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Scott Leffler recently noted that Powers was deliberately using Jack Davis’s words out of context…

He’s been in contact withe the Powers campaign since, and their response hasn’t changed his mind. He wrote back to their response:

I must admit, I’m quite disappointed in this campaign … which I had previously had faith in. I’m just being honest. I hope you will, too.

Ouch.

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…according to left-wing blog, Rochester Turning.

Something unfortunate has happened: the two Democratic frontrunners to be the candidate for the 26th congressional district (Jon Powers and Jack Davis) have succeeded in beating up each other rather than beating up the Republican candidate, Chris Lee. I am afraid- and this is my own personal opinion, so take it for what it’s worth- that the primary campaign has gotten so negative, that neither of them will be able to win the district this November.

You know, Democrats like to say they’re the ones who want to talk about issues. Well, the Democrats of this race have dominated this election, not with issues, but with attacks.  It doesn’t matter who started it. They both continued it.  And now, i’ve heard, Alice Kryzan has decided to jump into the fray and attack her opponents, quite directly, with a new ad.

When a member of the liberal netroots is willing to concede that the Democrats chances to take the 26th district are lost, then I think that says a lot.

So, while the Democrats in the race put personal attacks before the issues, I call on my liberal blogger friends to put party loyalty aside and give a serious look at Chris Lee. Look at his experience. Look at his vision. If you can put the country and the 26th district before your party, you will see that Chris Lee is the right person to send to Congress.

The race for the 26th district doesn’t have to be about party loyalty. It should be about sending the right person to Congress. I’m new to Western New York. I came from a state that is being crippled by loyalty to a party that has driven out the population and businesses. I left a state of increased taxes, not increased opportunity. I’ve come to a state being crippled by overregulation, high taxes, a corrupt political establishment. and ridiculously powerful unions.

Jon Powers isn’t going to put the district before party loyalty. He’s got the endorsement of local Democrat party leaders and the unions that have been a part of the problem. He’s already got the support of the Democrats in Washington, salivating over the idea of a new yes-man to join their ranks.

Jack Davis is as bad a Democrat as he was a Republican. He sees this race as being about him. He truly is his own special interest.  But, the attacks he’s engaged in with Jon Powers, and now Alice Kryzan, have shown that personal ambition trumps the issues and concerns of the voters.

I may be new to the area, but I see there is hope for Western New York. Just as Chris Collins has been able deliver real reform as Eric Country Executive, Chris Lee can deliver real reform in Congress. 

If all is lost for the Democrats in NY-26, it’s time to get on board with Chris Lee.

UPDATE: Here’s Alice Kryzan’s latest ad.

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Jerry Zremski reports on a rather sad encounter between Jon Powers and Jack Davis:

It was a beautiful day for a parade, and thus a beautiful day for a politician, but that doesn’t mean Jack Davis was ready to shake everyone’s hand.

Sitting behind the wheel of his gleaming black Excalibur at Monday’s Labor Day Parade in Clarence Center, Davis saw one of his opponents in the race for the Democratic nomination for Congress, Jon Powers, approaching.

Powers, who has been engaged in an exceptionally bitter battle with Davis, went up to his opponent and extended his hand — and Davis refused to shake it.

Instead, growing flustered, he simply shouted: “Get out of here!”

Powers, after persisting for a moment, simply sulked away, muttering under his breath. 

What’s also telling about this story is that Davis reportedly had no problem shaking Alice Kryzan’s hand:

Afterwards, Kryzan went to say hello to Davis. He shook her hand and was as cordial as always, said Anne Wadsworth, Kryzan’s campaign manager.

Both Davis and Powers have shown that they believe the primary race is between the two of them. Their campaigns have attacked each other while ignoring Kryzan. Still that doesn’t mean Davis couldn’t have shook Powers’ hand.

Even Buffalo Pundit and I can have our political disagreements and still have a friendly lunch at The Falafel Bar. If Davis can’t even shake hands with his opponent, how can he claim he’ll be a problem solver in Congress?

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I’ve listened to the debate between Jon Powers and Alice Kryzan on The Hardline with Kevin Hardwick on WBEN. Jack Davis, of course, was not present.

i didn’t get to listen to the original broadcast, but i listen to the entire audio of the debate. Buffalo Pundit posted his quick impressions Sunday, which were full of gushing praise for Powers and how he handled the questions he was asked. 

Well, I don’t know what interview he was listening to, but after I listened to it, I heard a much different Jon Powers than Buffalo Pundit did.

For starters, Jon Powers absolutely fumbled on War Kids Relief. He kept sticking to the same old script and talking points he’s used over an over, but when he was forced to answer a direct question he couldn’t make a clear answer. Buffalo Pundit, to his credit, did acknowledge this.

Powers kept claiming that the only money he received from War Kids Relief was the $!5,000 noted on the Form 990, but he made no mention of the money he recieved for his work with War Kids Relief when it was it was a project of Veterans for America. By failing to acknowledge that money he received he was being deliberately disingenuous.

Alice Kryzan, who has largely stayed out of the fighting between Powers and Davis, said she “still has questions” about the War Kids Relief issue, and said many in the district she’s spoken with still do.

What really got me about Powers performance was his hesitation to take any specific stance on an issue he was asked a direct question about. The long pauses and mumbling really stuck out. Powers hesitated on whether or not he supported federal funds to pay for abortions… but ultimately decided he did support it after being pressed to give an answer.

Kryzan said she opposesd a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.. Powers ducked the question by saying it was a state issue.

Both oppose free trade, just like Jack Davis.

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Jack Davis may not have the guts to debate his primary opponents, but he certainly has no problem making a fool out of himself when he’s on his own. The Tonawanda News posted an “abbreviated version” of an interview with the Lockport Union Sun & Journal, and his responses sound silly and paranoid and more like a conspiracy theorist than a legitimate candidate for congress.

For one thing, his adamant opposition to free trade is just ignorant, and demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of economics. How he could possibly be against free trade, as an international businessman, just makes no sense, unless of course he just exploiting a liberal talking point to gain votes in the primary.

He also claimed that all the unions that endorsed Jon Powers would have endorsed him, but couldn’t. 

Q: Jon Powers has racked up a lot of labor endorsements. You have none. Why not?

A: You know about the Free Choice Rule? The way the present law is written, say if you would like to organize I Squared R, the Teamsters, the Auto Workers, people could do it on their own, you would have this little card and take it to the employees and say “we’d like to join the union, would you sign this card to have the Labor Relations Board come in here and run a secret ballot?” Some would sign, some would not. Some could be intimidated to sign. This “free choice” is, when you sign that, you have a union. It doesn’t protect the workers. I made my position clear on that and the unions said they couldn’t endorse me.

When I first talked to the unions in 2003, I was a non-union shop owner; I thought they’d throw things at me, but at the end of that meeting, they said, and I said, look we have differences. We should put our differences aside. We have to march on Washington and get this free trade problem straightened out. And they endorsed me. Twice. This time they said (Free Choice) was the criteria and I walked away from ‘em. They changed the rules.

And of course, he once again stated his intention to stay on the ballot under his “Save Jobs” party line if he doesn’t win the primary.

Q: If you don’t win the Democratic line, will you continue to campaign?

A: Yes, oh, definitely. This is too important to leave to the politicians. Our country is being destroyed. They’re still passing free trade agreements … . They’re paid off. I think a lot of ‘em know it’s wrong but they’re doing the wrong thing anyway. They got the money, they got re-elected and they don’t understand the seriousness of what’s going on here.

The only person who doesn’t understand things is Jack Davis. His opposition to free trade is just ignorant. The brilliant Thomas Sowell wrote a good piece defending free trade earlier this year… Jack Davis might learn a few things by reading it.

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Jon Powers and his supporters pretend as though the issue of War Kids Relief and the large salary Jon Powers gave himself through War Kids Relief is an over and done with issue.

But, clearly someone knows that remaining unanswered questions are only going to hurt Jon Powers’ campaing: Jon Powers. 

The Buffalo News is reporting that Jon Powers has removed War Kids Relief from his campaign literature.

His opponents have pounded congressional candidate Jon Powers over the charity he ran to benefit Iraq’s children.

They say that, for the most part, it flopped yet still rewarded Powers with a salary.

Powers now has mailed his first campaign piece to voters. He tells them about his background, serving in Iraq as an Army officer and teaching public school in Clarence.

But there’s no mention of the charity, War Kids Relief.

In the campaign’s early days, his charity was mentioned often. But Democratic challengers Jack Davis and Alice Kryzan may have found the Achilles heel.

They’re kicking it at will, and probably will continue to do so until the three-way party primary vote on Sept. 9. 

I did find it interesting that Alice Kryzan even chimed in on this:

“It was the prominent aspect of his biography when he first started running for Congress,” said Kryzan campaign manager Anne Wadsorth. “And now that some questions have been raised concerning the charity and Jon Powers’ role in it, he has eliminated any reference to it as he talks about his experience.”

Davis’ campaign manager, Luke Vaughn, had noticed the same absence in a Powers television ad — “perhaps because he has now realized that touting his failure is a bad strategy,” Vaughn said.

The Powers campaign finds the criticism laughable.

“There was no purposeful reason not to include it,” responded campaign manager John Gerken, who mentioned that the Powers Web site still offers a section about War Kids Relief.

That’s right. The website does still include a section on War Kids Relief. But, taking it down would have a more significant admission of guilt than omitting from campaign literature. Still, I believe that only a fraction of voters in the district actually peruse campaign websites. Political junkies and activists are the main forces of any campaign’s online army.  Campaign website are largely a portal for grassroots activity.  

Jon Powers has made War Kids Relief one of the key parts of his resume. It is something he can’t really afford to take out of it — if he thinks everything was all above board — considering how little experience he has.

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A blogger at The Albany Project is accusing Jack Davis of copyright infringement.

NY-26: Jack Davis began airing two new attack ads this week against Jon Powers, Iraq War veteran and the endorsed Democratic candidate in the 26th Congressional District.  As I was watching the ads I noticed that Davis’ campaign had used my image that I took of Jon Powers this spring without my consent.  Furthermore, the second ad used my colleague’s image without his consent.

I contacted Joy Langley, Davis’ Communications Director, Friday and notified her office that I did not give permission for the use of these images, they are mine and I want the ads taken down immediately or I will seek legal counsel.  The person I spoke to asked “Are they copyrighted?”  Yes, they are automatically copyrighted. 

Of course, Jon Powers’ ad also uses images from old Jack Davis ads. I wonder what will come of this.

Jack Davis is also refusing to debate Jon Powers and Alice Kryzan unless they sign his pledge.

Davis’ campaign spokesman, Joy Langley, said Davis decided this week that he will not take part in any group candidate functions unless Kryzan and Powers answer his prior challenges on campaign conduct.

The self-funded candidate, who committed $3 million of his own money to the race, earlier this year pledged not to accept campaign donations from political action committees, multinational corporations or lobbyists. He invited other contestants to join him in the pledge and none did.

Now Davis says he won’t join them in joint campaign appearances unless they return the donations that they’ve received from those interest groups — as well as sign on with Davis’ self-created “pledge to protect Social Security,” and promise to run “clean” campaigns.

It’s beyond unseemly for a self-funded millionaire candidate to set as a precondition to answering voter questions that his opponents return what he defines as “special interest” money. Naturally, as his own contributor, Jack Davis is his own special interest.

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