Michigan Republicans are aiming a 30-second 'Sharknado'-themed ad at Democratic Senate candidate Gary Peters that ties him to a loan shark who donated to his campaign.
In the ad, a photograph of Peters' head sits atop a cartoon body clad in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals. As the image of Peters stands on the beach, a tornado comes ashore spewing sharks and cash.
"Dark clouds are gathering, and Gary Peters is in the eye of the storm," a narrator says.
"Funded by a convicted felon, connected to a loan shark ring, run by an international gangster who also contributed to Peters' campaign. Gary Peters: Loan Sharknado. Coming soon to a voting booth near you."
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The convicted felon referenced in the ad is Xhafer Laho, who donated $6,100 to Peters between the years of 2010 and 2014,
CNN.com reports. A spokeswoman for Peters told CNN that Peters has either given all the money back or donated it.
Peters spokeswoman Haley Morris told CNN the ad shows the desperation of Republican challenger Terri Lynn Land. The ad is paid for by the Michigan Republican Party.
"Down in all recent polls and relying on D-list cultural references, Terri Lynn Land's Senate campaign has officially jumped the shark," Morris told CNN.
Land is struggling in swing-state Michigan in a year where Republicans are generally outpolling Democrats in the sixth year of President Barack Obama's administration.
The most recent
Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Land trailing Peters 46 percent to 37 percent.
HuffPost Pollster's average of ads has the two closer, with Peters at 46 percent and Land at 43 percent.
The ad is not the first "Sharknado"-related ad produced by a GOP-linked group. In 2013, Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS produced
"ObamaCareNado."
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