During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, a controversy started about Ayers' contact with then-Senator Barack Obama. This had been well known in Chicago for years. After being raised by the British press The ties between Ayers and Obama was written about by blogs and newspapers in the United States. The issue was also talked about in a debate by moderator George Stephanopoulos. It later became an issue for John McCain's campaign. "The New York Times", CNN, and several other news groups said that Obama does not have a close friendship with Ayers. After the election, Ayers said he did not have any close ties with Obama and condemned the Republicans for using "guilt by association" tactics. In a new afterword to his book, he added a note saying that he knew the Obamas "as neighbors and family friends." But in an interview with "Good Morning America", Ayers said the afterword was "describing there how the blogosphere characterized the relationship."