Conservative super-PAC Crossroads GPS's nonprofit arm launched another ad on Thursday in North Dakota's Senate race, this time attacking Democratic nominee Heidi Heitkamp for receiving contributions from a law firm she hired.
The ad showcases Heitkamp's hiring of an out-of-state trial lawyer while attorney general, which resulted in millions of dollars in business for the firm, and, the ad says, tens of thousands in campaign contributions to Heitkamp.
"That's not the North Dakota way," a voiceover says. The buy totals $162,000 and will run statewide for a week.
It's the second ad in as many weeks released by the PAC attacking Heitkamp in the protracted battle for North Dakota's Senate seat. Heitkamp requested Crossroads remove last week's ad due to what her campaign said were misleading accusations, and the super-PAC complied, to an extent, taking down the original and re-releasing a revised ad — to which the Heitkamp campaign released an ad in response yesterday.
The Heitkamp campaign called Thursday's ad was evidence Karl Rove is "desperate to distract" from challenger Rep. Rick Berg's (R-N.D.) record.
"If smearing Heidi for taking on drug dealers and big tobacco sounds desperate, that's because it is," said campaign spokesperson Brandon Lorenz.
Though Berg has posted a lead in most polls thus far, Heitkamp is running what many consider to be a smart, competitive campaign, indicating this is one that will be fought to the finish.
--This post was published at 9:39 a.m. and updated at 12:25 p.m.
