Wisconsin GOPer dons boxing gloves in campaign against attack victim

Politics can be bruising, metaphorically speaking, but the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin may have taken the imagery a bit far in a new ad: Donning boxing gloves, he vows to “go the distance” — against a Democratic candidate who was “viciously” beaten with a metal object at the Wisconsin State Fair last year, according to the AP.

The ad, dubbed “Fighter,” began running across Wisconsin Sunday and features the GOP’s Scott Walker saying Milwaukee mayor and Democrat Tom Barrett is “throwing punches at me” and concludes with him vowing to “go the distance as your next governor.” That last line is delivered as Walker hits a pair of red boxing gloves together.

The AP:

Scott Walker’s campaign said Tuesday that it didn’t intend to make reference to the August 2009 attack outside the Wisconsin State Fair that left Tom Barrett, Milwaukee’s mayor, with injuries to his head, mouth, face and hand. Barrett tried to help a screaming woman struggling to protect her 1-year-old granddaughter from being taken by her drunk, belligerent father.

The attacker, who was sentenced in July to 12 years in prison, beat Barrett with a metal object. The mayor has had three surgeries on his hand, which doctors say may never fully recover.