Democratic congressional candidate Randy Bryce's brother, James Bryce, slams his brother for comparing police officers to "terrorists" and endorses his Republican opponent in a new ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund.
The ad, titled "James Bryce," notes Randy Bryce's nine arrests since 1991, and it highlights how the candidate compared police officers to "terrorists" on Twitter.
Bryce's arrest record, which includes pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated, marijuana possession, theft, and property damage, has been a major issue raised in Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District race. Bryce has apologized for drunken driving, adding that he was " immature and made a horrible, thoughtless decision."
Bryce, who works as an ironworker, also used his arrest record to pivot to prison reform, an issue he has discussed on the campaign trail. "I know from my own life experiences and mistakes that our criminal justice system needs to be reformed," Bryce said.
James Bryce, a police office, spoke about his own experience and how his perspective differs from that of his brother.
"My name is James Bryce. I’ve been a cop for over 23 years. FBI statistics show that assaults against law enforcement have gone up in the last few years," he said. "From my perspective, this has been motivated in part by cop-hating rhetoric. I’ve been to three cops’ funerals in the last two years. Two were shot while trying to protect people from violent criminals."
James Bryce goes on say that when people refer to police as "terrorists," it hits close to home. The ad, meanwhile, shows Randy Brice's September 2012 tweet.
"I don’t think people want to be represented by someone who’s shown contempt for those in law enforcement. That’s one of the many reasons why I’m voting for Bryan Steil for Congress," the ad concludes.
Corry Bliss, the CLF executive director, said the ad shows Bryce is unfit to serve the 1st Congressional District.
"This ad summarizes everything you need to know about this race," said Bliss. "Randy Bryce is unfit to serve and will not win this race."
Bryce is running to serve the district currently represented by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) and has been elevated by national Democrats. Bryce will face Republican candidate Bryan Steil, who annoucened his candidacy after Ryan's decision to retire at the end of his current term, on the ballot in November.