Skip to main content
Tags: washington | democrat | candidate | shotgun | ad

Candidate Scraps Shotgun-Blast Ad Against Congress

Candidate Scraps Shotgun-Blast Ad Against Congress
(Screen grab)

Saturday, 12 July 2014 07:28 PM EDT

A Democrat running for Congress in conservative central Washington on Saturday removed an online campaign video that showed him blasting an elephant-shaped piñata with a shotgun.

The Tri-City Herald reported that the advertisement for Estakio Beltran generated a lot of criticism after it was posted last week, including from a group founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who survived a gunshot wound to the head in 2011.

"Mr. Beltran's ad showing him shooting a stuffed elephant — the longtime symbol of the Republican Party — is irresponsible and offensive," said the statement from Americans for Responsible Solutions. "This kind of misguided imagery and rhetoric on both sides of the political spectrum just furthers the lack of balance in our nation's debate about guns."

Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, started Americans for Responsible Solutions in 2013 after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Connecticut.

The video opened with Beltran posing in a high-desert landscape.

"They call me a long shot. They say I can't win in this district," his voice-over says. "But what happens to an elephant when it stands around, doing nothing, for too long?"

The camera panned to an elephant piñata, and then back to Beltran, who blasted it in the backside with a pump-action shotgun.

"My name is Estakio Beltran," he said. "And I approved this message."

Beltran then rode off on a donkey toward a sign pointing toward the U.S. Capitol.

Some conservative websites argued Democrats would object if a GOP candidate fired a gun at a donkey, the symbol of the Democratic Party.

Beltran's campaign removed the video from YouTube on Saturday.

"The purpose of the video was to call attention to a do-nothing Congress in need of a kick in the butt," campaign spokesman Grady O'Brien said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "Now it's time to move forward and focus on the issues that are important to the people of this district: jobs through innovation, education, and accountability in Washington, D.C. Estakio's message of bringing a fearless new energy to Congress remains the same."

Beltran, 30, is one of a dozen candidates running to replace retiring Republican Rep. Doc Hastings in the 4th District, which covers much of central Washington. The primary will be held Aug. 5, with the top two vote-getters advancing. The district hasn't elected a Democrat since 1992.

© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Politics
A Democrat running for Congress in conservative central Washington on Saturday removed an online campaign video that showed him blasting an elephant-shaped piñata with a shotgun. The Tri-City Herald reported that the advertisement for Estakio Beltran generated a lot of...
washington, democrat, candidate, shotgun, ad
394
2014-28-12
Saturday, 12 July 2014 07:28 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved