PAC ad compares conservative Anoka County candidates to war criminals

A grassroots political action committee is comparing a handful of conservative Anoka County candidates to real-life war criminals and calling them "Hazzard County's Most Wanted," a reference to a backwoods TV comedy from 40 years ago.

The so-called 763 PAC ran an ad in Friday's Star Tribune with photographs of the Anoka County leaders alongside photos of Saddam Hussein, Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Moammar Gadhafi and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Politicians in the ad hit back Friday, calling the 763 PAC irrelevant and saying it had an inconsequential social media following — including 108 Twitter followers — who were out of touch with Anoka County voters.

"No one takes them seriously. Their playbook is pathetic," said Anoka County Commissioner Matt Look. "I am amused at some of the nonsense they are willing to spend money on."

Other candidates shown in the ad are Anoka County Board Chair Scott Schulte and Vice Chair Julie Braastad; former Blaine City Council Member Dave Clark, who is running for an open County Board seat; state Rep. Nolan West, R-Blaine; and Champlin Republican Karen Attia, who is running for the state Senate.

Also pictured is County Commissioner Robyn West, who is not seeking re-election. Her photo is stamped "CAPTURED," as are the photos of Saddam, Stalin, Mussolini, Gadhafi and Epstein.

The ad doesn't delve into issues, but says: "Remember to Vote November 8th for Prosperity and Reject Fascism!" The name of the PAC refers to Anoka County's area code: 763.

The PAC's founders, Anoka County residents Clayton Kearns and Michael Schardin, said Friday they are nonpartisan and simply want to promote prosperity in their community. They said the candidates shown in the ad are failing to do that.

"If you look around the metro, you see Anoka County doesn't have the nice things the south metro has, the west metro has. Why is that?" said Kearns, who works in advertising. "It's because we've had poor leadership. The whole focus of the PAC is to shine a light on that."

Schulte called the PAC and its two main supporters irrelevant and self-important. At one time they contributed to his campaign, he said, but "turned on him" when he declined to sign their prosperity pledge this year.

He said he's proud the county will have no levy increase for the third year in a row, and that the County Board secured more than $300 million in federal, state and local funding to improve Hwy 10.

"They are really just anti-conservative and anti-Republican," Schulte said. "I don't know what their motivation is other than it's some kind [of] anti-establishment movement."

Kearns and Schardin said the Anoka County Board is a big part of the problem, in how it manages departments and what it lobbies for at the Legislature. "They keep the levy unsustainably low," Schardin said.

So they said they're using satire to draw attention to the County Board, an often overlooked layer of government. This is the second time the PAC has run a Most Wanted ad in the Star Tribune.

"People need to realize what is going on at the county level," Kearns said.

The 763 PAC, which had a cash balance of $74.18 as of Sept. 20, first registered with the state in May 2016. It has never reported a contribution balance of more than $2,500. Most of its expenditures have gone toward print advertising.

The PAC relies heavily on social media including Twitter and Facebook to share its messaging, which includes endorsements of some local candidates and attacks on others.

Look said the Most Wanted ad last time actually bolstered support for conservative incumbents. He said some of their personal attacks on social media have crossed a line and that he may pursue a defamation suit after the election.

Tom Horner, a public relations professional and former Independence Party candidate for governor, said the ad was clearly an attempt to be provocative but may have missed the mark.

"It just seemed to be confusing and not clear who you are supposed to be voting for and who you are supposed to be voting against," Horner said. "I thought the ad was a waste of money."

Hazzard County was the fictional backdrop for "The Dukes of Hazzard," a farce that ran on CBS from 1979 to 1985 about two cousins on probation for running moonshine in rural Georgia. One of their archenemies was a corrupt county commissioner named Boss Hogg.