[Ed. note: Below is republished with permission from PCD’s media partner, WECT; see original report and newscast here.]
WILMINGTON — A candidate running for district attorney is calling on his opponent to take down campaign advertisements he said are “misleading.”
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The two candidates running for district attorney in New Hanover and Pender counties are Assistant District Attorney Jason Smith and District Attorney Rebecca Zimmer Donaldson. Both work in the DA’s office.
Smith claimed Zimmer Donaldson’s recent campaign ad paints the entire DA’s office in a negative light. He said his opponent has launched a deceiving attack, and 15 other attorneys, out of 21 in the DA’s office, have called on Zimmer Donaldson to remove the ad.
Those 15 attorneys signed a petition saying: “In the best interest of this office, please discontinue these attack ads.”
But Zimmer Donaldson said the ad highlights the differences between herself and Smith.
Smith called a press conference Tuesday night to address the advertisement.
“I’m here today to say these advertisements are grossly misleading, inappropriate and, frankly, not in keeping with the standard of integrity demanded of an individual charged to hold the office of the district attorney,” Smith said.
Smith added that Zimmer Donaldson “cherrypicked” one case out of thousands he has tried, misleading voters to understand him as a prosecutor.
“When you start picking and cherrypicking and not giving the full context to your community that you’re entrusted to represent and you’re entrusted to be transparent with, I have an issue with that, and that’s why we’re standing here today,” Smith said. “What we’re talking about are negative ads cherrypicked to do nothing more than try to gain votes by running negative ads.”
The advertisement calls Smith “soft” on crime.
It claims he cut a plea deal that allowed an undocumented immigrant to be back out on the streets before the 13-year-old girl he raped graduated from high school.
“I think that my record of being tough on crime speaks for itself. I think that Jason Smith’s record speaks for itself,” Zimmer Donaldson said. “It is important for me as a candidate, to highlight the differences between myself and my opponent, to educate voters.”
Smith admitted he cut a plea deal, but only after consulting with the victim and her family.
He said the ad undermines not just his work, but the entire DA’s office as it’s not uncommon to cut a plea deal depending on the circumstances.
“By going after a specific DA for a specific case for political gain, it makes this whole office look bad, and it creates distrust in this community that we have we’ve tried for the last 20 years of building up,” said Smith. “I stand on my record. I stand on the record of this office, and Ms. Donaldson should do the same.”
Zimmer Donaldson said Smith had “complete autonomy” over his cases.
“As a prosecutor, Jason Smith has made choices on charging, sentencing, and plea deals that have lasting consequences. Voters deserve to know whether those decisions align with the values that the candidate now claims to champion,” Zimmer Donaldson said.
She added she was looking to educate voters about their choice at the ballot box.
“When a candidate runs for public office, it is essential for voters to understand the full scope of a candidate’s record, particularly when the record includes decisions that have shaped people’s lives,” Zimmer Donaldson said.
Smith said exposing the case not only puts the accused in the spotlight but the victim as well, which he said has no place in a campaign ad.
“This victim who has, undoubtedly, been reminded of her trauma every time this ad is played should be thought of,” Smith said.
WECT asked Zimmer Donaldson if she intended to stop running the ad, to which she had no comment.
Smith said prior to the election, attorneys in the DA’s office talked about both campaigns running on the candidates’ personal abilities, which Smith said he is doing.
There were a couple of assistant district attorneys present at Smith’s presser Tuesday. They did not speak but were there to offer support.
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