Rep. Hare launches first campaign ad since '06

In yet another sign that the midterm playing field is rapidly expanding, Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.) is launching an ad hitting his Republican opponent, businessman Bobby Schilling.  

Hare was first elected in 2006 and didn't run a single campaign ad during the 2008 cycle when he ran unopposed for reelection. 

Republicans have been touting Schilling's chances, releasing an internal poll in late August that claimed Schilling was just two points behind the incumbent. 

Hare's ad hits Schilling over a proposed trade deal with South Korea, which Schilling backs. "First, Washington sent our jobs to Mexico," Hare says in the ad. "Then, they gave most favored nation status to China and good American jobs like these disappeared."  

Schilling’s campaign manager told the Quad-City Times the ad is a sign that Schilling is closing in on Hare in the Democratic-leaning district. 

-Updated at 12:45 p.m.