Widow of Houston Police Officer Featured in New Gov. Perry Ad

Photo courtesy office of Governor Rick Perry

I was getting phone calls before I  had a chance to see the new Rick Perry campaign  ad featuring Houston police sergeant and widow  Joslyn Johnson. 

Her husband, officer Rodney Johnson, was killed in the line of duty four years ago by an illegal immigrant who had been arrested and deported several times before the tragic incident. 

On caller described the ad as  “powerful” and another called the ad “a problem for Bill White.” 

The political ad  starts  with the officer’s widow stating  that White, the former Houston Mayor and Democratic candidate for governor, “supported sanctuary city policies that made it difficult for officers to safely do their jobs.”

The ad ends with Johnson saying, “I trust Governor Perry to secure our safety. Bill White had his opportunity as Mayor of  Houston and he failed.”

 White and his supporters maintain that Houston was never a sanctuary city during the six years that White served  as Mayor of  Houston.

 A sanctuary city is defined as a city that does not allow officers to ask about a suspect’s citizenship.  Critics say that protects illegal immigrants.

White says that during his final term in office, he did instruct the city jail to check the immigration status of those suspects who were arrested and many were turned over to ICE.

In a year when border violence is in the headlines and the immigration issue is dividing voters from Texas to Arizona  and the rest of the country, this ad will standout in the final days of the race for Governor of  Texas.