GOP Super PAC Ad Criticizing Democrat Is Undermined by Messenger's 2017 DUI Record

Reporting that a Dallas Center council member in the ad pleaded guilty to child endangerment, including an OWI in 2017, raises questions about the spot's credibility.

Overview

The Congressional Leadership Fund paid for a televised ad that labels Democratic congressional hopeful Sarah Trone Garriott “dangerous” to children by criticizing her votes on transgender-related school policy.
The Washington Post's reporting highlighted that the woman featured in the ad, Shellie Flockhart, pleaded guilty in 2017 to two misdemeanors including child endangerment and operating while intoxicated and received fines and probation.
Court records cited in coverage show an arrest affidavit describing very slurred speech and breath tests that registered .254 on the roadside and .192 at the jail.
After reporting surfaced Saturday, Flockhart posted on X acknowledging the 2017 incident, saying she has been sober for years and accusing Trone Garriott of 'spiritual abuse' for raising the record.
The ad has drawn local backlash on social media and from Trone Garriott’s campaign, and ad trackers report the super PAC has spent at least $1 million on the spot, making the messenger controversy likely to reverberate in the Des Moines-area race.