Alumni of Morehouse College are bashing a new campaign advertisement from Rick McCormick, a staunch Republican running in Georgia's 7th Congressional District race who is cringingly referring to himself a "Morehouse Man."

McCormick got his medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine, an institution that is independent and separated from Morehouse College in 1981.

As Student Body President at Morehouse School of Medicine, I was able to serve a diverse group of people with the same goal of success. As your Congressman, I will always lead by example – I will be ALL IN for ALL Americans. Vote Rich McCormick on Nov. 3 for a fighter in DC. #ga7
pic.twitter.com/F9WFPnRrBa

— Dr. Rich McCormick for Congress (@RichforGA) October 24, 2020

The advertisement features two of McCormick's Black supporters, Dr. Lattisha Bilbrew and Alvin Hicks, touting his connection to the medical school and their friendship with him, with Bilbrew calling him a "Morehouse Man."

The advertisement caused significant backlash, with dozens of Morehouse College graduates criticizing McCormick. The graduates say he's intentionally misusing the medical school's name as a tacit way to promote his connections to the Black community.

McCormick is in a hotly contested race that is upending past projections. In just four years, the district has transformed from a majority white area to one with a significant number of Black and immigrant residents, slowly turning it from red to blue.

Between 2010 and 2016, the district was solidly red and Congressman Rob Woodall easily won reelection for years. But in 2018, Woodall won by just 433 votes against Carolyn Bourdeaux and last year announced that he would not be seeking reelection, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The rapidly diversifying district is now seen as a toss-up, with some polls saying it is leaning democratic in favor of Bourdeaux, who is running again.

McCormick's latest ad is part of a larger effort to bolster his credentials with Black voters in the district, but the effort may have backfired considering the responses to the ad.

Morehouse-Man

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week