The creator of “America’s Most Wanted” TV show is urging voters in the Syracuse region to back the re-election of first-term Republican Rep. Brandon Williams in a new TV ad.
“Tonight, America’s most dangerous criminals are back out on our streets, thanks to Democrats Kathy Hochul and John Mannion, ” says John Walsh, 79, whose 6-year-old son, Adam, was abducted from a department store in Florida and killed in 1981.
“Democrats support cashless bail and defunding the police, releasing violent criminals into our communities, putting our families at risk …Brandon Williams will keep America’s Most Wanted behind bars where they belong,” Walsh says in the 30-second TV spot.
Walsh was born and raised in Auburn in the 22nd congressional district and owns a farm upstate.
He became a prominent crime victims’ advocate following his son Adam’s murder.
Walsh is co-founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and spoke to The Post before visiting one of its offices in Austin, Texas.
He now co-hosts the popular Fox “America’s Most Wanted” show with his son, Callahan.
It’s been on the air for 36 seasons.
During an interview Wednesday, Walsh said he came out of retirement and revived his show because he’s disgusted by crime, particularly in small upstate cities where he grew up.
“New York State has this no bail bull***t,” he fumed.
“The cities in upstate NY are riddled with crime.”
Walsh fumed about the migrants who beat up cops in Times Square and got away with it.
“No one should get out of jail for beating up a cop,” he said.
Walsh’s backing could be a boost for Williams, 57, a former Navy nuclear submarine and strategic missile officer, who is running against Democratic opponent John Mannion.
The businessman previously ran his own software company and he and his wife, Stephanie, owned a truffle farm in the Finger Lakes region.
They moved to the area in 2010.
Walsh said he knows Wililams as a fellow farmer.
“I came out of retirement. Brandon came out of retirement to serve his country. He’s a good man,” Walsh said when asked about why he got involved in the race.
“He’s a law and order guy who served in the Navy. We need 50 more Brandons in Congress.”
The Williams-Mannion race is considered one of the most contested congressional campaigns in New York and the country that could determine whether Republicans maintain the House majority or Democrats reclaim it.
Mannion, a state senator and former high school science teacher, has the backing of some three dozen labor unions — including the powerful teachers’ unions and the New York State Troopers PBA.
The Mannion campaign and Hochul had no immediate comment.
Walsh, a registered independent, also said he’s backing two other upstate Republican candidates running for state legislative seats — former police chief Jim VanBrederode in the Rochester region’s 56th state Senate District and Assemblyman John Lemondes, a retired Army colonel seeking re-election in the 126th Assembly District near Syracuse.