The air war has begun in the Louisiana Senate race. Democratic candidate Rep. Charlie Melancon and Sen. David Vitter (R) each released harsh TV ads this week. Vitter's spot links "millionaires, illegals and Charlie Melancon," while the congressman goes straight for Vitter's "serious sin."
Florida Senate candidate Kendrick Meek (D) and his allies are moving aggressively to beat back rival Jeff Greene (D) ahead of the Aug. 24 primary. On Thursday, he announced the endorsement of the National Organization of Women and released a TV ad targeting Greene. Meek's also getting some help from a new Democratic independent expenditure (IE) group.
Terry O'Neill, NOW's president, called Meek "a real friend to women's rights."
"He's been an ally for us on extremely important issues," she said, citing his support for women's access to abortion and support for gay and lesbian rights. "He's been a real advocate for measures to end violence against women," she added.
O'Neil wouldn't say that Greene, by associating with former madam Heidi Fleiss or boxer Mike Tyson, was out-of-step with NOW's interests. "I don't think that anybody should be guilty by association,” she said on a conference call with reporters Thursday.
"We really need to get away from the good ol' boy mentality," she said. "Kendrick Meek is not of the good ol' boy mentality."
Meek, meanwhile, brushed aside suggestions that Democratic pollster Mark Penn hosting a fundraiser for his would-be general-election opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, was a sign the party was hedging its bets.
"It seems to make the news when the governor can get the wife of a Democratic pollster to do an event in D.C.," he said. "My relationships with Democrats — especially high-profile Democrats — far supercede dirt-grabbing efforts the governor is trying to put out to the public. … It's not even comparable."
The Miami-area congressman has the support of the White House and former President Clinton, who travels to Florida next week for three campaign events with Meek.
"For [Crist] to have a fundraiser or two, or a supporter or two, is not something that keeps me up at night. I have Republicans who have written checks to my campaign," Meek said.
He's also getting help from another Clinton Democrat, Ben Pollara, who was the Florida finance director for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential bid. He recently filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to establish a group called Florida Is Not for Sale. It intends to run an IE supporting Meek, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The TV ad Meek released Thursday hits Greene on his real estate investment strategy and uses a damning quote from a recent St. Petersburg Timesstory. "All I care about is that I get my money," Greene told the paper for a story it did about his property holdings in California.
The Greene camp was quick to respond.
"Kendrick Meek continues to launch false and vicious attacks against Jeff Greene because he doesn't have a record to run on — he's a failure," a Greene spokesman said in a statement.
Rep. Jerry Moran's (R-Kan.) latest ad in the Kansas GOP Senate primary couldn't be more emblematic of the environment members of Congress face.
While Moran has been in Congress for seven terms, the ad emphasizes that he comes home on the weekend rather than taking part in "lavish dinners with friendly lobbyists." It also notes that he didn't vote for any bailouts, stimuli or
Obama's healthcare plan.
The ad makes no mention of Moran's opponent, Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.),
who is an appropriator.
About the only thing missing is Scott Brown's truck; Moran is driving a car along the dirt roads of Kansas.
Nobody can say Alexi Giannoulias's Senate campaign wasn't ready for his family's bank to go under.
The Illinois Democrat's campaign on Monday launched its first general election ad, and the candidate asserts he is "very proud" to have worked for Broadway Bank.
"It's helped thousands of people achieve the American dream -- people who couldn't go to the big banks," Giannoulias says of the bank, adding that, "when I left over four years ago, it was in good shape."
Giannoulias closes by saying: "If a business like my father's that he started 30 years ago can fail, it's happening everywhere. People want someone who's going to fight for them."
Republicans are wading into the special election to replace the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), according to a source.
The source tells The Hill that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has placed an ad buy in the district, signaling it tends to go after the swing district in the May 18 primary. The committee has not confirmed the buy.
There had been some uncertainty as to whether the GOP would seriously go after the seat, given the built-in advantage the Democrats have by holding the special election on the same day as the primary. Most of the top races that day are being waged on the Democratic side.
The Democratic nominee is Murtha's former district director, Mark Critz. Republicans are running businessman Tim Burns.
There is no indication as to the size of the NRCC buy.
The GOP primary in Rep. Alan Mollohan's (D-W.Va.) district has hit the airwaves, with former state Del. David McKinley and businessman Mac Warner both launching ads.
McKinley's TV ad is a cable buy that focuses on his time as a small businessman and uses the slogan, "Had enough?"
Warner's radio ad, meanwhile, goes negative on McKinley, the national GOP favorite in the race. The ad hits McKinley for saying at a recent debate that he wouldn't read all legislation that he votes on.
Below are McKinley's ad and the script for Warner's.
Warner radio ad
Warner: I’m Mac Warner, and I approved this message.
Announcer: David McKinley wants to serve in Congress. But at a recent debate, McKinley was asked if he would promise to read bills before voting on them. His answer? No! The Wheeling newspaper reported that McKinley said you can’t always read the bills, and you have to, quote, trust your friends. Isn’t that what got us into this health care mess?
Warner: I’m Mac Warner. When I’m in Congress, I will never vote on a bill I haven’t read. That’s what you deserve, and that’s my pledge to you.
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) goes to bat for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and goes after McCain's primary opponent, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.), in a new 60-second radio ad.
In the ad, Flake says McCain deserves the "lion's share" of credit for putting Congress on the brink of banning earmarks. He also says Hayworth (whom Flake doesn't refer to by name, but rather as McCain's "opponent") lost his way on the issue when he was in Congress.
In a direct shot at Hayworth, Flake also suggests that the former congressman lost reelection in 2006 because of that issue.
"Republicans including Sen. McCain's opponent lost their bearings on
spending," Flake says. "They loaded up bills with pork barrel projects,
and the voters punished Republicans by putting Democrats in charge."
It's a notable attack, given that Flake and Hayworth were colleagues.
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