A central Ohio family who died in a fiery car crash is front and center in a political ad to boost U.S. Sen. Jon Husted − and their relatives want it taken down.
The spot from the National Senate Republican Committee highlights the deaths of Lynnea, Luke and 1-year-old Logan Soposki in an April multi-vehicle crash in Delaware County. Authorities said Modou F. Ngom, of Columbus, was driving a tractor trailer and rear ended the Soposkis' vehicle, pushing it into other cars and across multiple lanes.
The ad contends former Sen. Sherrod Brown's stance on immigration allowed "dangerous illegals" to enter the country and cuts to Ngom and footage of the accident. Ngom immigrated to the United States 20 years ago from Mauritania and is now a U.S. citizen,
his attorney told a Delaware County court in April.
Brown is running against Husted in a nationally watched U.S. Senate race that's attracting millions of dollars in outside spending.
The NRSC ad also includes a photo of the Soposkis taken by a family friend, according to a statement from the family. And they never agreed for it to be used.
"This is not a statement about immigration policy, and we are not making one for any party or candidate," the family said. "It is a statement about our family. Lynnea and Luke were not political symbols. ... Our grief is not raw material for a campaign, and their images are not public property to repurpose for anyone's advantage."
The ad featuring the Soposki family ran its full cycle and was replaced by new content, according to a source familiar with the ad traffic. But it's still posted on the group's YouTube page.
"For 32 years, radical leftist Sherrod Brown backed open border policies that cost Ohioans their lives, without ever apologizing," said Nick Puglia, a spokesperson for the NRSC. "Our ad campaigns will continue to hold Sherrod Brown accountable."
Relatives remembered Lynnea Soposki as a beloved veterinarian in Dublin and Luke Soposki as an avid brewer. The couple maintained an aviary and sold honey at markets. The family said they did not intend to go public but received no response from the Husted campaign about their concerns.
A Husted spokesperson said the campaign forwarded the family's letter to the NRSC.
"We are asking that the advertisement be taken down, and that our family's images and this tragedy not be used in political messaging by any campaign, going forward," the family said. "We would ask the same of any candidate, of any party, who did this."
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Our grief is not raw material' for Husted Senate ad, family says in call for removal
