TV Ad Attacking Rick Nolan Goes Back 32 Years To Mislead Voters

Democrat Rick Nolan is trying to make a Congressional comeback.  He voluntarily left a safe seat in the U.S. House in 1981 after four terms.  Now he's trying to get back to a place he left, telling the Washington Post on his way out that he became "more liberal and radicalized" while serving in Congress.  However, the ad doesn't tell you that quote was lifted from a very positive story about the Nolan, then 37, and another young House member who decided to quit on their own terms.  Here's our "Truth Test" of the ad paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

At the end of every "Truth Test," 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS and KSTP.COM assign the tested political ad a grade.  Here's the criteria we use to determine that grade.

• An "A" requires nearly complete accuracy with little exaggeration and little or no need for more context.
   
• A "B" requires mostly accurate information, but gets marked down for minor exaggerations and misleading information.

• A "C" can be the result of inaccurate information or exaggerated information that misleads and gives the viewer no context.

• A "D" is the result of at least half the information being false or misleading to the point of leaving a false impression.

• An "F" is the result of more than half the information being outright false as well as misleading and out of context.