Local woman infuriated by Davis campaign tactic

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard

WARD

A local woman is lashing out against congressional hopeful Lincoln Davis for what she calls disgraceful campaign tactics.

The woman, McMinnville resident Grace Ward, was stunned to learn a letter mailed by the Davis campaign to several of her neighbors was represented as one she wrote.

The type-written letter endorses Davis, a Democrat running in the 4th District for the U.S. House of Representatives, calling him a “proven leader” and a “good person.” It says the letter was written by Grace Ward and her husband, James.

The problem is neither of the Wards wrote the letter and say they didn’t give the Davis campaign permission to use their names in such a way.

“I did not write the letter and had nothing to do with it,” said Mrs. Ward. “I did not say those things. This letter was written by someone else and it had our names signed to it.”

The letter, which contained the Wards’ return address in the upper left-hand corner, gave the appearance it was mailed by the Wards from their home. The Davis campaign admits the Wards did not write the letter but contends they did have permission to use their names.

“If they are upset in any way, shape or form, we will make it right,” said Davis campaign manager Beecher Frasier, who added phone records indicate the Wards were contacted July 9 at 11:54 a.m. and asked to use their names in such a manner.

Frasier said the letter is one of around 1,900 “neighbor to neighbor” letters the Davis campaign mailed and estimated only “about five or six” of the letters were mailed with the Wards name.

The letter states, “Lincoln is a good person who shares our values. He is a proven leader with years of valuable experience serving Tennesseans. He will do good things for Warren County.”

Mrs. Ward admits she talked to a Davis representative on the phone but said she would never give permission to have her name signed to a letter she didn’t write.

“This is embarrassing for people to think we wrote this,” said Mrs. Ward. “We didn’t have anything to do with it.”

She isn’t the only person upset by the Davis campaign tactic. Coffee County District Attorney C. Michael Layne said he has looked into similar charges brought to the attention of his office and has found “no evidence that Lincoln Davis has committed any illegal acts.”

Coffee County residents, and Davis’ primary opponent, Fran Marcum, had complained to Layne that the letters constituted criminal wrongdoing.