The National Rifle Association and the Club for Growth, two heavy-hitting conservative groups, are launching ads that paint Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) as a Washington insider and boost his Tea Party opponent, Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R).
Both are major statewide ad buys that will run on broadcast television as well as radio and cable and begin on the same day that early voting for the May 8 primary commences.
Lugar is in real danger of losing his race: A recent poll from Howey Politics Indiana and Depauw University showed him leading Mourdock by a narrow 42 percent to 35 percent in the primary, a dangerous mark for a six-term incumbent.
The Club for Growth and other fiscal-conservative groups including FreedomWorks have long made Lugar a target, but the NRA's decision to get involved in the GOP primary, a move the group rarely makes, could be a difference-maker in the race.
"Over 36 years in Washington, Dick Lugar has changed. He's become the only Republican candidate in Indiana with an 'F' rating from the NRA," says the NRA's ad, displaying a picture of Lugar standing alongside President Obama.
"This time, Indiana Republicans have a choice for Senate. Dick Lugar: 35 years in Washington. Voted for bailouts, tax hikes and Obama's Supreme Court justices — or Richard Mourdock, a leader in the fight against bailouts and ObamaCare, a fighter for a balanced budget and less debt," the Club for Growth's ad claims.
