The Democratic outside group Majority PAC is out with three new ads this morning targeting Senate races in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Virginia.
The total buy is in the high six figures, according to the group. Each ad reflects the main line of attack Democrats have in these toss-up races in Democrat-held seats, which together will likely determine control of the Senate.
The Wisconsin ad, the group's first of the cycle, attacks both former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) and businessman Eric Hovde (R), the two front-runners in the state's crowded GOP primary, for their ties to Wall Street and K Street.
"If Eric Hovde becomes our senator he won't be representing Wilson Street, or Lombardi Avenue, or Main Street. As a D.C. fund manager who has invested millions in bailout-funded banks involved in fraudulent loans, he'll be representing just one street," the ad's narrator says as a series of Wisconsin street signs morph into "Wall Street" designations.
"And Tommy Thompson? He raked in millions on K Street working for a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that represents pharmaceuticals and insurance companies. So how could Hovde or Thompson ever represent us?"
The group's North Dakota spot responds to a recent ad from Rep. Rick Berg (R-N.D.) that featured his mother saying he would protect Social Security and Medicare. Both Berg and his opponent, former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp (D), have focused on Medicare and healthcare in their race.
"In North Dakota, candidate Rick Berg is using his mom to falsely claim he would never harm Medicare. But in Washington Congressman Berg voted not once but twice to drastically cut Medicare and to essentially end Medicare," the ad says. "Experts say Berg's plan more than doubles out-of-pocket expenses to seniors and raises the age of eligibility to 67. Rick Berg's changed — he's gone Washington."
The Virginia ad, the group's third of the cycle, hits former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) as a big spender while complimenting former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's (D) spending record — a theme Kaine's campaign has pushed hard.
"On government spending, Virginia voters should know the facts. Tim Kaine cut nearly $6 billion in state spending and balanced the budget as governor. But George Allen? Allen voted for $121 billion in earmarks. Earmarks for imported fire ants, Alaskan berry research and DNA study of bears in Montana. No wonder Allen turned America's largest surplus into a massive federal deficit."
Allen's campaign fired back.
"It's a telling act of desperation for Tim Kaine and his allies to pat him on the back for complying with the Virginia constitution requiring a balanced budget," said Allen spokeswoman Emily Davis in a statement. "Virginians know that Tim Kaine chose to spend his last year as governor traveling the country, giving speeches and raising money to champion Democrats' failed policies that have added $5 trillion to the national debt."
