GARY SOUTH

Democratic political consultant Gary South and his 1978 Illinois U.S. candidate, Gary Seith, nearly pulled off an upset of incumbent Republican Charles Percy with what is considered one of the most racially-polarizing ad campaigns in history.
The Seith campaign aired a commercial on black radio stations that accused Percy of being an apologist for former Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz, who had resigned after news accounts of his use of a racial slur.
“Do you think Senator Percy is a friend of black people?” the ad asks. “Well, remember Earl Butz? He was the Secretary of Acriculture who made a racist and sexually obscene joke about blacks. We can’t repeat his words on the air, of course, but they were so offensive that he had to resign. Maybe you were wondering what that’s got to do with Senator Percy. Just this: Senator Percy said of Earl Butz, ‘I wish he was Secretary of Agriculture still today.’ Still today, Senator Percy? Percy wants the black vote, and with friends like this, you don’t need enemies. Because Charles Percy tolerates the Earl Butz insult to blacks, more and more people are getting behind Alex Seith for U.S. Senate.”
The Democrats’ campaign never noted that Senator Percy actually called for Butz’s resignation following the slur incident.
South’s and Seith’s guilt-by-association attack backfired, according to many observers, and the Republican handily won re-election.