ANNAPOLIS, Md. —
Gov. Wes Moore’s campaign has issued a cease-and-desist letter to a political action committee, claiming it has misused the governor’s name and likeness in a political ad.
“They’re trying to make the case (that) you can support Wes Moore, which in a weird way, this is a free advertising campaign for Wes Moore’s reelection. It is telling you vote for Wes Moore. But at the same time, it’s okay to vote against question three,” said Todd Eberly, professor of political science and public policy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
According to a letter from the Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock law firm, Truth for Maryland PAC, is accused of attempting to trick people into believing that Gov. Moore is opposing Question 3, while he actually supports it.
| FULL DOCUMENT: Read the cease-and-desist letter sent to Truth for Maryland
The letter also accuses the PAC of violating Maryland law on election misinformation and said it has referred them to the State Board of Elections. Gov.
State Board of Elections filings show Truth for Maryland PAC was formed last week. Its chairman, Andrew Brightwell, has ties to Republican Ed Hale’s campaign earlier this year and previously served as a spokesperson for former Gov. Larry Hogan. Maryland State Ethics Commission filings also reveal Brightwell’s association with the conservative PAC Change Maryland Action Fund.
Moore addressed the ad during an interview on WBAL News Radio.
“These are these MAGA dirty tricks of our politics and it’s the kind of disinformation that people are so disgusted by in our politics and this is exactly why I want people to vote ‘Yes,'” Moore said.
Eberly explained that while the ad includes the required legal tagline identifying who paid for it and clarifying it is not endorsed by any candidate, it does not explicitly claim to be a Wes Moore ad.
“At the end of the ad, it has the required legal tagline that makes clear who paid for it, that it hasn’t been endorsed by, any candidate. At no point does it actually say that it’s a Wes Moore ad, but I understand why the folks who want question three to pass are worried about the ad,” Eberly said.
Andrew Brightwell, chairman of Truth for Maryland, called the letter a threat from the governor’s legal representation.
“Nevertheless, we remain steadfast in our support of our great governor and our commitment to end extreme partisan gerrymandering. We will neither cease nor desist – we will persist,” Brightwell said.
The cease-and-desist letter also demands that Truth for Maryland PAC stop using Moore’s name, likeness, and image.
The cease-and-desist letter claims the political ad, that can be seen here, copies the Moore campaign branding and used the Governor’s likeness without his permission. The letter also states the PAC’s website also copies the campaign’s branding and coloring.
“You can use the likeness of, political candidates in an ad any time. You don’t need their permission. This would be like, Donald Trump sending a cease and desist letter to Democrats running for reelection using his image in their ads,” Eberly said.
Truth for Maryland’s website features the same slogan used in the ad, along with colors, logos, and formatting that closely resemble Moore’s official campaign website. Moore’s lawyer has called for the website to be taken down.
“I think it would be hard to make an argument that you can’t use these colors, or you can’t use a slogan as common as leave no one behind. That certainly predates, Wes Moore’s campaign by a long time,” Eberly said.