Wisconsin Broadcasters Association chair-elect Nancy Douglass resigns amid criticism over attack ad targeting Randy Bryce as a 'deadbeat'
She called Randy Bryce a deadbeat in the latest attack ad targeting the Democratic congressional candidate.
Now Nancy Douglass — the head of a Lake Geneva radio station and chair-elect for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association — has resigned from the trade association's board amid criticism for appearing in the ad.
The WBA announced Douglass' resignation on Wednesday, the same day the Journal Sentinel reported on her role in the ad, which was released Monday by the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC endorsed by Speaker Paul Ryan and top House Republicans.
"The WBA Board thanks Nancy for her many years of service on the board," the group's brief statement read.
In the ad, Douglass talks about her experience raising children as a single mom, as well as her daughter's struggle to collect child support from the father of her child.
"Randy Bryce did the same thing to his own family. Refusing to pay child support," Douglass said. "Randy Bryce is a deadbeat. He's not fit to serve in Congress."
The liberal group One Wisconsin Now slammed Douglass, saying her participation in the ad damaged the credibility of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, a trade group that "supports, promotes and represents all radio and television broadcasters in Wisconsin."
"The hardworking reporters across Wisconsin doing phenomenal work deserve better," said Scot Ross, executive director for One Wisconsin Now. "Ms. Douglass is welcome to be as big of a right-wing, partisan Republican as she can be and she can cut as many attack ads for Paul Ryan’s super PAC as she wants. But she can’t also be a trusted representative of the trade group for the industry people rely on for unbiased information."
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The WBA is hosting debates in the races for U.S. Senate and governor.
Ross also noted that earlier this year the WBA proposed excluding most of the Democrats running for governor from a primary debate the group was sponsoring. In the face of criticism over the plan, the group called off the event.
The WBA initially defended Douglass on Tuesday, saying she participated in the ad as a private citizen, not as a representative of the WBA.
"In the case of this video, Nancy Douglass is not representing the WBA nor any positions taken by the WBA," the group said in a statement. "We cannot prevent our members from speaking on issues that are important to them outside of their roles within the WBA."
The WBA described itself as a nonpartisan organization, but said individual members hold "a variety of personal opinions."
"Our members are free to express their views," the group said. "While the WBA doesn’t get involved in partisan politics, we don’t stop our members from doing so."
But on Wednesday, the WBA said Douglass had sent an email resigning from the board.
Douglass defended her decision to appear in the ad in a Tuesday interview with the Journal Sentinel.
"I think that the reason I am in that ad has absolutely nothing to do with my job, my volunteer position," she said. "It was strictly a personal choice. It has absolutely zero to do with anything that has to do with my job."
Douglass noted that she didn't reference her work or volunteer activities in the ad.
"It has zero to do with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association or any of my efforts on behalf of any of the members of the organization," Douglass said. "The decision was based on my personal experience in my life. I have never compromised my objectivity."
She did not return requests for comment Wednesday after the WBA announced her resignation.
Douglass is a frequent contributor to the Republican Party of Walworth County and 1st Congressional District Republican Party of Wisconsin, and has given campaign cash to state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), online campaign finance reports show.
George Gillis, executive director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, called her involvement in the ad disappointing.
"Wisconsin is tired of Paul Ryan's burn-it-down brand of politics," Gillis said in an email. "It's clearly disappointing that the incoming chair of the Broadcasters Association didn't have the judgment to be impartial..."
The attack ad featuring Douglass was just the latest in a slew of political ads in the race between Bryce and Republican Bryan Steil, a former Ryan staffer.
Spending on broadcast TV ads has been fairly equal in the 1st District race since the August primaries, according to data provided to the Journal Sentinel by Kantar Media/CMAG, a nonpartisan firm that tracks political advertising.
Between Aug. 15 and Oct. 4, almost $1.2 million has been spent on broadcast television on the Democratic side, and roughly $930,000 has been spent on the Republican side.
Craig Gilbert of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.