Waukesha Mayor Condemns Political Ad Linking Baldwin to Tragedy

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly has condemned a campaign ad by a Republican super PAC that links Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin to the 2021 Christmas parade massacre, which resulted in six deaths. The ad, paid for by One Nation, criticized Baldwin's vote against increased funding for pretrial detention of violent criminals, suggesting it allowed perpetrators like Darrell Brooks, who committed the attack, to act with impunity. Reilly described the ad as a 'pitiful political tool' that exacerbates community pain and is detrimental to those affected by the tragedy. Baldwin's campaign also denounced the ad, calling the use of the incident for political gain 'deeply hurtful' to the community still healing from the event. The Senate race between Baldwin and Republican Eric Hovde is deemed critical for Democratic control of the Senate. Reilly expressed hope that politicians would refrain from exploiting such tragedies for electoral advantage.