Pougnet Attack Ad Questioned

A campaign ad paid for by Rep. Mary Bono Mack against Steve Pougnet, her gay Democratic challenger in a California congressional race, has been called out by Pougnet's campaign for its inaccuracy.

The Desert Sun reports that a recent attack ad features a local nonprofit founder who asserts that her mother's Palm Springs jewelry business went bankrupt as a result of Pougnet's policies as mayor.

"We were doing fine in Palm Springs until Steve Pougnet became mayor," Erica Stone, founder of Soldiers Organized Services, said in the ad. "Then came the national recession, which Pougnet made much worse."

Pougnet, however, became mayor in November 2007, several months after the jewelry store closed, the newspaper reported.

"In the face of the worst economy since the Great Depression, Mayor Pougnet has worked overtime to create jobs and balance the budget with no help from Bono Mack in Washington," Pougnet campaign manager Jordan Marks said in response to the Republican incumbents ad.

In an e-mail to The Desert Sun, Ryan Mahoney, Bono Mack's campaign manager, said the ad remained accurate, given Pougnet's tenure on the Palm Springs city council since 2003.

Read the full article here.