Michele Bachmann Is Asked to Stop Using Minnesota State Fair Logo

Officials with the Minnesota State Fair aren't happy with a new campaign ad being run by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) which references the annual gathering and features its logo.

In the ad, Jim "The Election Guy" accuses Bachmann's opponent, state Sen. Tarryl Clark, of voting to raise taxes on the munchies and drinks enjoyed by fair-goers.

"I know, I know, it's State Fair time and you don't want to hear about politics," says The Election Guy. "But while you're at the fair, you should know Tarryl Clark here wanted to raise taxes on your corn dog. And your deep-fried bacon. And your beer."

The Star-Tribune in Minneapolis vetted the ad's claims and concluded that some of them are a stretch:

Clark did vote 'yes' on a bill that would increase the tax on liquor sales. The corn dog and bacon taxes are a bit misleading, however. Bachmann's campaign points to Clark's votes to raise the sales tax, which would affect corn dogs and bacon, but is not specifically targeted toward those things.

A state fair logo appears twice in the ad. On Tuesday, fair officials asked the Bachmann camp to stop using the trademarked image, which they said was appropriated without permission.

"The state fair does not endorse any candidate running for political office," Brienna Schuette, a spokeswoman for the fair, told the Star-Tribune.

Bachmann campaign spokesman Sergio Gor wrote in an e-mail to the newspaper that they are "currently looking into this matter."