An allegedly regretful Trump voter in Pennsylvania, highlighted in videos by a Democratic political action committee and by The New York Times, never actually voted in 2016.
News organization JET 24, an ABC affiliate, found after checking county voting records that Mark Graham of Erie County, Pennsylvania, did not vote in the presidential election three years ago.
Mr. Graham is featured in videos funded by America Bridge, a Democratic PAC, as part of a $5 million advertising campaign in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In an ad, Mr. Graham states, “I voted for Donald Trump in 2016 because I thought he would make a change.” But he laments the change was “not for the good,” and complains that the president “plays favorites for people like himself … he doesn’t understand life around here.”
He was also featured in two New York Times articles about dissatisfied Trump voters and swing voters. The Times has since issued corrections and verified that Mr. Graham did not vote in 2016.
After it was learned that he didn’t vote in 2016, Mr. Graham told Erie News Now that he’s a registered Republican and that the ad nevertheless represents his views about the president. He said he participated in a focus group involving Republicans who supported Democrat Ron DiNicola in his failed bid for a U.S. House seat in 2018.
But the Trump campaign noted Friday that American Bridge has yet to take down its ad or apologize.
“Well, well,” tweeted Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh. “Guy who says he voted for Trump and now regrets it … didn’t actually vote for Trump. In fact, didn’t vote at all in 2016. It’s cool, though. Democrats at American Bridge (liberal PAC) still put him in an ad and won’t take it down.”
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania also has called for the PAC to take down the ad and apologize.
“The ad is false, its premise is false and it’s messenger has been discredited,” said state Republican Chairman Lawrence Tabas in a statement. “The organization could easily have determined that Graham had not voted in 2016 by checking the publicly available records at the Erie County elections office.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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