Democratic Candidates for State Legislature Caught Using Stock Image of Veteran for Campaign Materials

On Saturday, multiple Democratic candidates for the Georgia state legislature were exposed for using a stock photo of a veteran in their campaign mailers.

According to the Daily Caller, the photo was exposed as a generic stock image after the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) issued a press release that revealed the stock photo’s true source: A website called istockphoto.com. The image in question depicts a man in a brown jacket with a baseball cap that says “Desert Storm Veteran.”

The fraudulent campaign material was first used by Tangie Herring (D-Ga.), the Democratic nominee for the 145th district Georgia’s State House, who is running against Republican nominee Noah Harbuck (R-Ga.).

“Nothing screams brazen and desperation quite like Tangie Herring using a Desert Storm veteran stock photo and a manufactured quote to score political points,” said RSLC spokeswoman Stephanie Rivera in a written statement. “Any candidate who has to fake veteran support to win a seat has no respect for the selfless men and women who have given their lives to protect our country and does not deserve to win on November 5.”

However, it was also revealed that the exact same image was used by multiple other Democratic candidates’ campaign mailers throughout the state, all of them depicting the “veteran” giving a quote about their opposition to each of the Republican opponents in the Democrats’ respective races. Other Republicans who were attacked using this false image include Ken Vance, Sharon Cooper, and Clay Griner.

After the revelations, Harbuck issued a statement demanded that Herring issue an apology to veterans for her campaign’s stunt.

“I’m stunned by the misuse of a stock image to imply veteran’s support of Tangie Herring,” said Harbuck. “As the grandson of veterans, and the brother of a veteran who succumbed to his battle with PTSD, I’m appalled that my opponent would stoop to using the image and likeness of a veteran to try to establish credibility in her false attack ads.”

Several local veterans released their own statements alongside Harbuck’s remarks, with retired U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Thomas Sadler calling Herring’s use of false imagery “awful,” and vowing to oppose her in the general election.