Illinois Gov: My Opponent Wants to Murder Doggies

Illinois' Democratic governor isn't doing much to change the state's reputation for bare-knuckle politics. An attack ad from Pat Quinn targets Republican rival Bill Brady for sponsoring a bill to "mass euthanize sheltered cats and dogs in gas chambers," with text appearing on screen over footage of whining puppies being dumped into a metal bin.

The ad continues with pet owners clutching their dogs and denouncing Brady, notes the Guardian, which labels it America's nastiest political ad. "I'm a pretty staunch Republican. I will not be voting for Bill Brady. That's sick and wrong," one dog owner in the ad says. PolitiFact gives the ad a "half-true" rating, noting that Brady backed off on the bill in question within days, and it has now been shelved.