Gilley won’t pull George Jones ads

Associated Press
Published: July 10, 2008

MONTGOMERY — Developer Ronnie Gilley says he has no plans to withdraw a radio ad featuring country legend George Jones calling Republican congressional candidate Jay Love “a plain old liar,” despite decisions by the two candidates to stop running negative ads.

Love, a state representative, and his opponent, state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, are locked in a contentious runoff for the Republican nomination for the 2nd Congressional District on July 15. Republican Gov. Bob Riley and U.S. Sen. Terry Everett, R-Rehobeth, whose seat Smith and Love are vying to fill, called on the candidates Tuesday to tone down their attack ads.

Smith said her campaign started pulling negative ads Tuesday morning to shift the focus to the issues people in the district want to hear about. A spokesman for Love, Michael Lowry, said he would also pull negative ads from the air.

Gilley said he will spend $15,000 to $20,000 of his money to run the Jones ad, which started running Tuesday morning.

“My wife, Nancy, and I are very proud to soon call the 2nd District our new home. What Nancy and I are not proud of are the outright nasty lies being aired by state Rep. Jay Love about our good friend Ronnie Gilley and Sen. Harri Anne Smith,” Jones says in the ad. “Jay Love is just a plain old liar.”

“I think Possum stopped loving Jay today,” Lowry told the Montgomery Advertiser, referring to Jones’ nickname and his hit “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Jones is the official spokesman for Ronnie Gilley Properties, which is building the Country Crossings entertainment complex in Houston County. “

I would rather not be running the ads. Radio time is very expensive, but he has attacked me,” Gilley said of Love. “I’m not running for Congress. I was not supporting his opponent. There was no reason to attack me and my project.”

Ads run by Love try to link Smith to gambling money from Gilley, whose new project will have an electronic bingo pavilion. Gilley co-hosted a fundraiser for Smith but told the paper she has never asked him for money and he never gave her any. Gilley said Love did come to Enterprise to ask for his support.

He said Love didn’t express any concern about Country Crossings or its electronic bingo “when he was in here asking me for money.” Lowry said Monday that Love never asked Gilley for money and did express concerns about gambling at the complex. The winner of the Republican runoff will face the Democratic nominee, Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright, in the general election Nov. 4.