Some densely packed beaches in New Jersey see more than 1.5 million visitors in a single day, which makes them an ideal spot for banner messages on airplanes. Yet over the holiday weekend, many of those beach-goers saw a different type of aerial advertisement — this one of a political nature.
Airplanes fly banners over beaches all the time, but rarely do they call out politicians on their social issues. According to The Huffington Post, a New Jersey congressman was the subject of the most recent aerial message over the Jersey Shore.
Republican congressman Scott Garrett has told his followers that his party will not support gay candidates. The Democratic group House Majority Political Action Committee’s rebuttal to the New Jersey congressman’s remarks was to fly a plane with a banner that read “SCOTT GARRETT: ANTI-GAY BIGOTRY WON’T FLY” over the state’s most popular beaches.
The banner also encouraged people to visit GarrettBigotry.com, a new anti-Garrett website.
Politico reports that Garrett told the rest of the Republican party that he will not pay his dues to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) because they support gay candidates.
“I’m not going to talk about who we’re going to support and who we’re not going to support,” said Greg Walde, chairman of the NRCC. “He’s [Garrett] been able to raise a lot of money, he’s got a lot of money in the bank, close to $3 million. My preference is we have members who pay their dues in full.”
Corporate donors and Wall Street have stopped donating to Garrett.
That’s pretty much the extent of Garrett’s own party taking shots at him, but the banner proves the Democratic party is more willing to push the envelope.
“I said I support anyone’s rights to run for public office and will support those people who support positions that’s in the Republican platform,” said Garrett.
Sarah Neibart, Garrett’s campaign manager, responded to the banner, saying, “Nancy Pelosi’s political hacks are spreading lies on lies in a mud-slinging attempt to paint Scott Garret as something that he’s simply not.”
The House Majority PAC is also sponsoring three billboards on Route 17 in Bergen County that will call attention to Garrett’s anti-LGBT views, and they are also running TV ads against him through the middle of July.