A recent mailer has been making the rounds through some households in Johnson County regarding Republican state representative candidate Scotty Campbell. It claims to document who he may or may not have worked for, along with his political party allegiances. The mailer, which was sent without a disclaimer, says Campbell worked for and supported Democrats. He is portrayed as a Democratic donkey with a Republican elephant mask covering his face.

“This is illegal, immoral, unethical and false,” said Campbell, “Clearly this should have a disclaimer.” Although the source is not known, Campbell believes that this mailer could have come from any one of his opponents. “This is illegal if this is what took place,” continued Campbell, “They are not being honest with the people of Johnson County. They failed to follow Tennessee campaign laws.” According to laws pertaining to political advertising, any group using print media as a means of communicating a political message about a candidate must contain a disclaimer stating the name of the group and its treasurer. Even as few as two or three individuals constitute a group when resources are pooled for that purpose.

According to staff at the Mountain City post office, there were approximately 200 mailers sent out per route. There are ten routes within the city and Johnson County. It appears that the mailers were processed in Johnson City before arriving locally. More...