Ohio Dems: Chamber Of Commerce Doctored A Photo Of Sherrod Brown

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Apparently Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) usual tousled hair just wasn’t scruffy-looking enough for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who recently launched an attack ad against him.

Ohio Democrats are crying foul over the ad, which includes a grainy photo of a disheveled Brown, with a growth of stubbly beard.

There’s just one problem: While Brown’s messy hair is certainly recognizable, he is not known to go out in public unshaven. The state Dems have tracked down what they believe to be the original source photo from the Associated Press — to which the Chamber ad’s producers would have photoshopped in the beard.

The Chamber is brushing off any criticism over the apparent alteration of the photo, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

J.P. Fielder, a Chamber spokesman, said “I don’t have an answer to where the photo was changed, or if it was.” But he argued that the Democrats’ focus on the photo meant they didn’t want to talk about the substance.

“He is running away from his record,” Fielder said, echoing the main theme of the ad, which also includes imagines of a man running and trying to find a place to hide. “That’s what we do with these ads is educate voters on where candidates stand.”

Here is the ad:

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