McCaskill plays for veteran support with new ad

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is launching a new television advertisement touting her work on behalf of veterans.

McCaskill's reelection campaign wouldn't provide details of the ad buy, but a Republican source told The Hill that McCaskill's campaign has booked $352,000 worth of airtime in Missouri markets for a two-week period starting Monday.

The ad highlights McCaskill's work to investigate the mishandling of graves at Arlington National Cemetery and legislation she pushed to address the mismanagement.

"Waste, fraud, the ultimate abuse," says the narrator in the ad. "So Claire McCaskill passed new laws to toughen oversight and hold the bureaucrats accountable. Because when heroes are laid to rest, the least they deserve is a senator who never will."

The ad is part of a major push by McCaskill to boost her appeal among veterans and national security hawks as she seeks reelection in a state where voters are down on Democrats and President Obama.

McCaskill announced a "Veterans for Claire" initiative on Wednesday. And VoteVets, a veterans advocacy group, has already spent $200,000 on ads backing McCaskill.

Three Republicans are competing in the primary for the chance to take on McCaskill in November. Conservative super-PACs and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have already indicated they consider McCaskill a top target for 2012.

Watch the ad:

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