During the course of most major political campaigns, it's almost guaranteed that outlandish claims about candidates will surface from various fringe groups.

Sometimes, unfortunately, these dirty smear tactics are launched by the candidates themselves.

In 2000, claims that John McCain's adopted daughter was actually an illegitimate black child from a secret affair tarnished his run for president in some circles. In 2004, John Kerry – thought by many to be a genuine war hero – was portrayed as a coward. In 2007, it was rumored that Barack Obama had links to terrorists.

And now, one political ad paid for by Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Richard Moore, just days before the May 6 primary, has essentially attempted to paint his rival Bev Perdue as a sympathizer for the Ku Klux Klan.

The ad, which directly questions Perdue's character, is technically not inaccurate. As a member of the N.C. House of Representatives in 1986, Perdue indeed was one of only two Democrats to vote against a bill that authorized the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate possible hate crimes without being called in by local law enforcement.

However, Moore's attempt to portray Perdue as a KKK sympathizer crosses the line. The bill's focus was on hate crimes in general, yet "KKK" appears three different times near images of Perdue in the Moore TV ad.

It's almost a slap in the face to black leaders, many of whom have supported Perdue for several years, for Moore to think they would be foolish enough to submit to this type of fear mongering.

Perdue told Telegram reporters Monday – admitting the vote she cast more than 20 years ago must have been a clerical mistake on her part – that she was outraged by the advertisement.

She should be outraged.

And so should the voters of North Carolina.