Gov. Perry's First Campaign Ad Not Flying with Featured Shops [Politics]

With a summer full of posturing and rhetoric, the campaign season officially began after Labor Day. Six days in, on this past Sunday, Incumbent Governor Rick Perry released his first television ad, featuring South Congress businesses Farm to Market Grocery (seen at 0:04 of the ad) and Avenue Barber Shop (0:05).

That in and of itself is not unexpected (unlike say, a Perry vs. White debate). The ad plays up Texas's standing as the place to do business, with Perry touting the power of limited government as part of this success.

As true -- or not -- as that may be, some are taking issue not with the word but the images used. Namely the owners of both business, as political blog Burnt Orange Report posted yesterday.

Neither Peg McCoy (Farm to Market Grocery) nor the barbers of Avenue Barbershop gave permission to the Perry Campaign to have their stores used in the ad. They don't even support the governor in the race.

As Ms. McCoy told Burnt Orange Report, "I didn't know he was going to use our store in an ad. No, I don't support Governor Perry or his views."

Barber Jeremy Sheffield stated that he had been told the ad was for the governor's office, not for political use.

Perry's camp has yet to respond, even as this story has been picked up by national media.