The Tom Petty Estate has released a statement in response to Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake using “I Won’t Back Down” during her campaign.
The statement begins, “The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign.”
It continues, “This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem.”
The statement concludes, “Thank you to all of the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”
The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song “I Won’t Back Down” was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign. pic.twitter.com/DoT71whO43
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) November 18, 2022
Lake, who lost to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs, is refusing to concede in the race. The Associated Press reports Lake is “assembling lawyers and collecting evidence of voters having trouble casting ballots on Election Day.”
In November 2020, Petty’s family issued the following statement about then President-elect Joe Biden using “I Won’t Back Down” during his victory speech in the 2020 Presidential election:
“We were all so touched to see Tom included on such an important night in America. Congratulations Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
We were all so touched to see Tom included on such an important night in America. Congratulations @joebiden and @kamalaharris 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2nbCM1ROlG
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) November 8, 2020
