Attention PR and campaign experts: Do not attempt to replicate this gimmick when gas prices are at $4.00 a gallon.

An attention-grabbing stunt by a top Democratic recruit intended to highlight the high price of gasoline instead turned into a public relations embarrassment for the campaign.
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Business consultant Dan Seals, the Democrat challenging Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), held an event last week at a suburban Chicago service station where his campaign subsidized the price of gas to the same $1.85 level as it was before Kirk was elected in 2000.
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What the campaign didn’t fully anticipate was the nearly two-mile long stretch of traffic created by the stunt, which hamstrung the local police force.

What’s even worse for the Seals campaign – they had to cut off the gimmick at 50 cars, leaving plenty of pissed off drivers in miles of traffic with empty tanks.

And if that’s not bad enough, the local police station slapped the campaign with an additional $2,200 tab for their services rendered during the entire debacle.

Finally, the Politico points out that this isn’t the first time a candidate for Congress has attempted one of these pump stunts. Last cycle, when the Democrats were in the minority, these gimmicks were used all around the country- so it’s refreshing to know that they’re still able to use them now that they’re in charge.