A national group is changing a political ad after a Colorado father who lost his daughter in a fatal school shooting condemned it, saying it mirrored the last moments of Emily Keyes’ life.
“Tomorrow is the 12th anniversary of losing Emily, and to see that story politicized is disappointing,” John-Michael Keyes told 9NEWS.
His daughter was killed by a gunman who took students hostage at Platte Canyon High School in September 2006. She texted her parents and twin brother as the tragic events unfolded that day. Her last message was “I love U guys.”
It’s a phrase the family took to heart, using it as the name of a foundation they created in her memory. It also bears a striking similarity to the phrase a fictional student named Emily texted her mother in a political ad attacking Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora.
In the 30-second ad, the fictional Emily wrote “Yeah but I’m so scared. I love u. Tell dad I love him” before she stopped responding. The ad then pivoted to an image of Coffman and attacked him for accepting donations from the National Rifle Association as well as receiving an A rating from the organization.
The ad doesn’t come from Coffman’s Democratic opponent, Jason Crow. It’s from an outside group called Giffords PAC that was created by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
“I respect Gabby Giffords, but exploiting the name and horrible death of one of our own to try to win an election is beneath basic human dignity,” Coffman said in a statement. “I can take criticism, but this is reprehensible. This ad should be pulled and someone should be fired.”
John-Michael Keyes told 9NEWS he is considering a legal challenge if the PAC doesn’t take the ad off the air.
The Giffords PAC — which maintains the name wasn’t chosen intentionally — doesn’t plan to take the ad off the air, but it does intend to change it.
“This ad was not modeled after any one individual tragedy. We are amending the ad, removing a name all together and making clear that it is not connected to any one incident,” Giffords Executive Director Peter Ambler said in a statement. “Given how many families have experienced gun violence tragedies, there isn’t any name we could have used that wouldn’t be connected to a victim somewhere.”
Crow’s campaign spokesman, Mitch Schwartz, said the group’s decision “to respect the Keyes’ family’s wishes and remove any mention of Emily’s name from the ad is the right one.”
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