Savvy 'Law And Order' Political Ad Or Racist 'Dog Whistle?'

ST. LOUIS, MO — A new ad campaign by Missouri senate candidate Mike Cierpiot, a Kansas City Republican, is drawing statewide attention. "The St. Louis riots have made Missouri a national disgrace," he says in a voiceover, as video plays of protesters flipping a police car in Ferguson in 2014. "Our community can prosper, but not until we're safe."

Critics have pointed out that recent protests throughout the city over the acquittal of Jason Stockley for murder in the shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, a black motorist, have been largely peaceful. Though, some cases of broken windows and other property damage have distracted from the protesters' message.

Activists, journalists and legal advocates have also accused the police of aggressive tactics, including unlawful arrests and disproportionate use of force, that led to unnecessary escalations with protesters.

"The dog whistle isn't a good look," said activist Sarah Felts on Twitter.

Watch the ad below and decide for yourself.

Cierpoit is expected to spend more than $130,000 on political ads in the race for Missouri's eight district. In addition, the Kansas City Star reported last month that dark money is flowing into the special election at an unprecedented rate.

The ads are attacking Democrat Hillary Shields, a 33-year-old paralegal and co-founder of the grassroots group Indivisible Kansas City. She is running to fill the state senate seat in eastern Jackson County left vacant when Republican Sen. Will Kraus resigned to take a job on the state tax commission.

The flood of money into the campaign — which is coming from a tangled web of mega donors, PACs and secretive nonprofits — is yet another sign that Republicans are in a panic that they could lose a senate seat they’ve held an iron grip on for nearly 40 years.

Democrats have called many of these ads false and urged Cierpoit and independent candidate Jacob Turk to disavow them. The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. Read more about the candidates and where they stand on the issues, and find your polling place here.