Voters across California's first congressional district picked up the phone this weekend to hear a breathy woman intone that "Mike Thompson's been a bad boy."
With a seductive voice more suited to an escort service than political outreach, the woman suggestively urges listeners to "vote 'yesssss' for Zane," the Republican challenger to Thompson, a Democratic congressman.
In an interview, Zane Starkewolf, the 27-year old Republican nominee and a graduate of UC Davis, apologized for the message and said he "took full responsibility" for the calls, which he said went out to 100,000 phone numbers across the Northern California district.
Starkewolf said he provided the text and the idea (He wanted "something to be impactful," he said), but an unpaid staffer recorded the message and "she took a little liberty with how she interpreted the text."
Still, in the interview and in a statement on his Web site, Starkewolf defended the call.
"I believe it is good to get enthusiasm back into politics," he wrote on his site. "...And if a message needs to go out that is "appalling" in a sense in order to get the discussion going, then I believe it is a worthy cause."
So far, the responses on Starkewolf's own blog are mounting against the robo-call.
One commenter asked what he is supposed to do "when my daughter answers the phone and has to listen to your pornographic message."
Another wrote Starkewolf "should be ashamed of yourself for resorting to such unbelievable and dirty tactics."
After calling Thompson a "bad boy," the woman on the robo-call continues, "We all said no to the bailout, but Thompson backed Bush just like he did the with Patriot act" -- then she interrupts with a suggestive sigh before exhaling -- "vote yessss for Zane. Paid for by Zane Starkewolf for U.S. Congress."
Starkwolf said voters should be more appalled with Thompson's vote for the bailout than his call.
"They have to pay $3,000 (per person) for this bailout and they are more worried about this phone call," he said in frustration.
As for parents worried about children answering his robo-call, Starkewolf said they were "not looking at the financial costs their children will have to deal with" due to the bailout Congress passed.
Robo-calls are not allowed in California, according to the California Public Utilities Commission, unless a live person introduces the records. The ban is rarely enforced.
Thompson represents a heavily Democratic district that stretches along the coast from the Oregon border down toward Davis. Thompson is expected to easily win reelection next week and his office did not immediately return a call for comment.
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