Mississippi Dem talks up independence in first ad (updated)

Mississippi Rep. Travis Childers (D) is up with his first TV ad, which seeks to put as much distance as possible between him and his party.

The 60-second spot, which is airing district-wide, mentions how Childers is one of the "most independent" House members and claims he's kept all his 2008 campaign promises. "I'm Travis Childers, I've done what I said I would do," the freshman says in the ad. 

Childers won the seat in 2008 after the GOP became entangled in an intraparty feud. It's going to be difficult for him to hang onto the conservative-leaning district in what is a tough environment for Democrats this cycle.

Perhaps with that in mind, Childers voted against such Democratic legislative priorities as healthcare reform and the cap-and-trade bill. He did, however, vote for the stimulus bill, but makes no mention of that in the ad.

The ad also repeats three times that he's "pro-life and pro-gun" and mentions his endorsements from National Right To Life and the National Rifle Association.

Republicans demanded Childers apologize for the ad.

"Travis Childers' ad insults struggling Mississippians and distorts the truth," Andy Seré, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. "The fact is that Childers broke his promise to create jobs, and his vote for Obama’s trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ only made things worse."

Childers faces state Sen. Alan Nunnelee (R) in November. 

--Updated at 3:26 p.m.