Mayoral candidate and former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou says his 2010 vote on funding for Sept. 11, 2001, first responders has been mischaracterized by Mayor Kirk Caldwell in a campaign ad now running on television.

The Caldwell ad says Djou voted “no” on a congressional bill providing health benefits to the first responders as well as survivors. “For years (the first responders) sought needed health care coverage from Congress but were denied,” a narrator says in a somber voice. By voting against the measure, “Djou chose party over principle, politics over people. We need a mayor who puts people first.”

All city elections are nonpartisan, but party affiliation — Djou is a Republican and Caldwell a Democrat — has come into play on several occasions in the mayor’s race. On Thursday two Democratic City Council members said they support Djou.

The Caldwell ad zooms in on a piece of paper showing the votes and Djou’s name followed by a prominent “no.”

Djou told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Thursday that the ad is “brutal … false and misleading.” He said he voted against House Resolution 1786, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act, because it called for the program to be financed through deficit spending rather than by way of the existing federal budget through spending cuts.

He joined bill co-sponsor Rep. Christopher Lee (R-N.Y.) in voting to have the bill recommitted to the committee so the funding could be altered, he said. The vote to recommit was rejected 244-185, with nearly all of the “yes” votes coming from Republicans, including Djou.

“There was nobody in Congress who didn’t support the first responders,” Djou said. “The question wasn’t whether or not to support the first responders, the question was how to finance it. That was the difference.”

But Caldwell campaign spokeswoman Glenna Wong stood by the ad and called Djou’s response “a complete falsehood.” Language in the final version of the measure provides funding for the program by closing a foreign investment tax loophole, thus making it revenue-neutral, Wong said.

The Djou campaign has begun running its own ads that address this vote on the Zadroga bill. It features Don Aweau, an Air Force veteran, scolding Caldwell for running materials that mislead the public, and points out that Djou joined the Army shortly after 9/11 and served in Afghanistan.

“As a veteran, I’m disgusted by these types of ads against a fellow vet,” says Aweau, who works on Council Chairman Ernie Martin’s administrative staff. Aweau also alludes to, although not by name, a series of negative ads that Pacific Resource Partnership, as a super PAC, ran against former Gov. Ben Cayetano during his unsuccessful mayoral bid four years ago.

“Shame on you, Kirk. It might have worked for you four years ago to get you elected, but not again,” Aweau says at the end of the ad.

Super PACs are political action committees that are allowed to spend unlimited amounts in support or opposition of a candidate, provided it does not coordinate with any of those seeking office.

After Cayetano sued PRP for defamation, it agreed to settle the lawsuit by publishing an apology to the former governor and donating $125,000 to two charities of his choice.

The pro-rail PRP, which represents unionized carpenters and private contractors, has been silent on the 2016 mayor’s race. Earlier this year, however, the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, PRP’s major financial backer through the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund, endorsed Caldwell for mayor.

Asked about tying Caldwell to PRP’s 2012 ad campaign, Djou said that while the mayor might not have been affiliated with them in 2012, “he learned from that four years ago and is trying to do it again.”

Wong said that the ad criticizing Djou’s vote on the first responders’ measure is one of several messages “focused on Charles Djou’s voting record during the last period he held office.” He added, “A candidate runs on his record, and it is legitimate to look at that record and determine why he voted and acted the way he did.”

The Zadroga program, and its continued funding, has been the subject of much debate over the years. Among those who have lobbied loudly for it has been comedian Jon Stewart.

In other election-related news, City Council Chairman Ernie Martin and Councilman Trevor Ozawa announced Thursday that they are joining Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi in backing Djou for mayor. Martin, Ozawa and Kobayashi, like Caldwell, are Democrats.

Martin said Djou has committed to working with all nine members while Caldwell chooses to work with only those he favors, and otherwise communicates through the media.

Council members Ikaika Anderson, Brandon Elefante and Kymberly Pine are publicly supporting Caldwell for mayor while the three remaining members — Carol Fukunaga, Joey Manahan and Ron Menor — have not endorsed either candidate.

Djou has also been endorsed by Cayetano while current Gov. David Ige as well as former Govs. George Ariyoshi and John Waihee have appeared in ads supporting Caldwell.