Waukesha mayor condemns political ad tying Tammy Baldwin to Christmas parade tragedy

In the Canadian wilderness, Shawn Reilly was enjoying a respite from his always-on duties as Waukesha's mayor, separated from concerns raised by the airing of a political attack ad referencing the tragic 2021 Christmas parade in his community.

When he returned home on Aug. 31 from the canoeing and fishing trip, a phone call alerting him to the ad capsized his relaxed state of mind.

"I was upset," Reilly said.

Reilly is condemning the political ad that has since been pulled off the air, but which he nonetheless was able to view on YouTube. The ad sought to tie Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin to the Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy that killed six people and injured dozens of others.

In a statement prepared for a rush of media inquiries, Reilly called the ad a "pitiful political tool."

In a separate phone interview, Reilly reflected on the negative consequences the ad likely had on area residents still struggling with the tragic incident nearly three years later. "I thought of the people who were most affected by the parade," Reilly said. "It made them relive the experience. They don't want to be used as political pawns."

And it isn't just those who knew someone who was hurt or injured, he said. The "entire" parade community, meaning all of those who have connected with the annual Waukesha parade for decades, can be affected by ads incorporating such a raw theme. "A tradition, a time of joy, that year was made into something that was horrible," he said.

On Nov. 21, 2021, Darrell Brooks plowed an SUV through Waukesha's annual Christmas parade, killing six people who ranged from 8 to 81 years old. More than 60 were injured. Brooks was sentenced to more than 1,200 years in prison, including six consecutive life sentences.

The tragedy led to a debate over bail policy in Wisconsin. Brooks was free on $1,000 bail from an earlier case in Milwaukee County when authorities say he intentionally drove into the parade. Milwaukee's district attorney called the low amount a "mistake," though a Journal Sentinel investigation found multiple agencies across three states failed to communicate.

More: Construction to start in May for Waukesha parade memorial after fundraising goal is met

More: Our coverage of the 2021 Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy

The ad's narrator says Baldwin voted against pretrial detention of violent criminals, citing an Aug. 7, 2022 vote — almost a year after the attack in Waukesha. That vote was on a motion to send the Inflation Reduction Act, a large piece of legislation, back to a committee.

Baldwin is running for reelection against Republican challenger Eric Hovde. Hovde said Wednesday he was not familiar with the ad and called for "lowering the rhetoric" in the Senate campaign.

The ad was paid for by One Nation, an independent group aligned with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Associated Press first reported. The ad began airing in Wisconsin last week and stopped running yesterday.

Andrew Mamo, a spokesman for Baldwin's campaign, said Baldwin was "proud to work with both parties to heal, recover and ensure that our communities are safe" in the wake of the attack."

"Using the attack for political purposes is not only wrong, it is deeply hurtful to a community still recovering from the tragedy of that day," he said.

The tragedy spurred a moment of bipartisanship between Baldwin and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, her Republican counterpart. In a rare joint statement issued about a week after the attack, the senators called for outside groups or individuals seeking to exploit the tragedy for political purposes to "cease and desist."

At a campaign stop yesterday, Hovde told reporters he wasn't familiar with the ad and didn't know which group was behind it. In an Associated Press story, Reilly had asked Hovde to condemn it.

"Look, I'm the one who's had more attack ads on me. I mean, Sen. Baldwin, all her ads have been is attacking me. And if you looked at, most of my ads are being positive or talking about issues," Hovde told reporters.

Hovde said he'd prefer campaigns had no attack ads and called for an end to "divisive politics."

"My view is, I think we need to lower the rhetoric on both sides. I would prefer not to see all these negative attack ads. I'd rather focus on issues," he said.

Reilly, a former Republican who now considers himself an independent, said he had hoped that Hovde specifically would "repudiate" the ad.

"The goal is to create fear. The goal is to create division," Reilly said, noting the disconnect between Baldwin's vote and the parade incident many months before. "The logic of it is ridiculous."

Jessie Opoien of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha mayor condemns political ad tied to Christmas parade tragedy