Democrats Will Change Sopranos-Themed Rossi Ad
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Democratic Party says it will change a video ad that pictures Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi accompanied by the theme song from “The Sopranos,” after a Seattle group said the ad was offensive to Italian-Americans.
The Italian Club of Seattle sent a letter Wednesday to Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, calling for removal of the video and asking for state Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz to step down.
The video played the theme song from the hit series about Italian-American mobsters, while criticizing Rossi’s ties to the Building Industry Association of Washington, a lobby group in the state. A black-and-white photo of Rossi is on-screen the entire time. Rossi is of Italian descent.
Democratic Party spokesman Kelly Steele says the video was not meant to imply a tie to the mafia or organized crime.
