Wisconsin's Senate race is heating up fast: Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) is out with a positive spot on his record, while the SEIU and Majority PAC, a Democratic super-PAC, are out with an ad attacking his time in Washington.
"We've accomplished a lot together. We've created thousands of manufacturing jobs, we've cut taxes and we've reformed welfare," Thompson says in the ad. "Today, Washington is in desperate need of reform. They're killing jobs and putting future generations in debt."
The SEIU/Majority PAC ad goes after Thompson on the same issue that Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ads have attacked him on in recent days: his time spent advising a number of corporations in Washington after he left office.
"If Wisconsin families were all big corporations we could pay Tommy Thompson to cut our taxes, just like he's promised to do for all those companies who've paid him over $13 million as their D.C. insider," the ad's narrator says. "But we're not corporations — we're Wisconsin families — and Thompson is sticking us with the bill. While we're cutting coupons around the dinner table Thompson's cutting deals around boardroom tables."
Thompson starts off with a slight edge in the race over Baldwin because of his high name recognition in the state, and it's clear both sides believe defining him is crucial for the race. If independents on Election Day mostly remember him for his time as governor, he's likely in good shape, but if they think of his time as a lobbyist he could be in trouble.
