Dem Candidate Shoots Elephant Pinata in Ad: 'See What Happens To Elephants Who Do Nothing'

Congressional candidate Estakio Beltran (D-Wash-4th Dist.) has come under fire for an ad in which he shoots a “stuffed elephant” after saying, “[See] what happens to an elephant who stands around doing nothing for too long.”

While the camera is focused on the elephant, Beltran takes a pump shotgun and shoots, striking it.

His commercial ends with him atop a donkey riding in the direction of Washington, D.C. 

According to The Seattle Times, the backlash over the imagery of the “Republican Party Symbol” has been heaviest among conservatives, who say the Democrats “would flip out if a GOP candidate blasted away at a symbol of the [Democrat] Party.”

Beltran pulled the ad on Saturday after Americans for Responsible Solutions, a pro-gun control group headed by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, stridently criticized it. 

“Mr. Beltran’s ad showing him shooting a stuffed elephant — the longtime symbol of the Republican Party — is irresponsible and offensive. This kind of misguided imagery and rhetoric on both sides of the political spectrum just furthers the lack of balance in our nation’s debate about guns,” a statement from Americans for Responsible Solutions read. 

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.