Thursday’s Chicago mayoral forum may not have had Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in attendance, but she was the target of plenty of criticism over her newest campaign ad.
The ad says that Preckwinkle led the way in exposing what happened to Laquan McDonald when he was shot and killed by former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke, but activists and opponents alike are questioning whether the ad was appropriate, or true.
“I have never seen a politician do more harm with a single television ad than Toni Preckwinkle has (by) taking credit over the young people and activists in this case,” candidate Lori Lightfoot said.
Preckwinkle disputed those criticisms Thursday, defending herself and the ad.
McDonald’s great-uncle did say that the Preckwinkle campaign reached out to the family before the campaign ad aired.
While some activists who say they were the ones that exposed what happened to McDonald, and want the ad taken down, the campaign says that there are no plans to do so.