Kerrey hit with attack ad on third day in campaign

The front-running Republican in the race to replace retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) didn't waste any time before going on the offense against former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), who jumped into the race on Wednesday.

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) launched a statewide television ad dubbing Kerrey a "New York liberal" and a big-government spender. Bruning's campaign said it would spend an initial $70,000 to air the ad on cable and broadcast outlets.

"On issues, Jon Bruning and Bob Kerrey are as far apart as Nebraska and New York City," the narrator says, contrasting Bruning's positions with Kerrey's votes for earmarks and against a balanced-budget amendment.

New York City is shaping up to play a prominent role in Nebraska's Senate race, as Republicans try to paint Kerrey as a carpetbagger whose politics are tainted by the liberal Northeast, where Kerrey has lived for the past decade as president of The New School in Manhattan.

On Wednesday, Kerrey announced he had reversed his initial decision not to run for his old seat and would enter the Democratic primary, boosting Democrats' prospects for holding the seat in a conservative-leaning state. When Kerrey was contemplating getting in the first time, Republicans in Washington signaled they would make his residence in New York a major issue as they worked to discourage him from running.

Bruning doesn't have the primary to himself Z— state Treasurer Don Stenberg (R) has the support of the Tea Party and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), and state Sen. Deb Fischer is also running.

Watch the ad:

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