Fisher goes negative with first TV ad

Ohio Senate candidate Lee Fisher (D) waited until after Labor Day to release his first TV ad of the campaign, and it's not a gentle biographical introduction.

The lieutenant governor goes straight after Republican rival Rob Portman's Washington resume, using his first ad since the May primary to link the former congressman to George W. Bush and China.

"Congressman Rob Portman knows how to grow the economy … in China," the announcer says in the spot. "On his watch as Bush's trade czar our deficit with China exploded, sending a 100,000 Ohio jobs overseas."

The ad, which starts airing Thursday, was produced by AKPD Message and Media, according to a Fisher spokeswoman. 

It is "a significant statewide buy … that encompasses more than cable," Lynne Bowman, Fisher's campaign manager, said on a conference call with reporters. 

She defended the decision to wait until September to go up on the air.

"We wanted to save our resources and our time on TV until after Labor Day, when we think it will be most effective for the campaign," Bowman said.

Portman has owned the airwaves since the primary, having released four TV ads without a response from Fisher. This is the Democrat’s first attempt at changing the conversation.

Recent polls show he needs to respond: A survey for the Columbus Dispatch had him trailing Portman by 13 points.