Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) is out with a new ad touting his support of two proposals usually backed by Republicans in an appeal to Indiana's GOP-leaning electorate: extension of the Bush tax cuts for all income levels and a balanced-budget amendment.
"Out in Washington there are politicians on the far left and on the Tea Party right who just fight. I’m in the Hoosier common-sense middle. So I joined Republicans for a balanced-budget amendment, to extend the Bush tax cuts. And let's work together to stop China's unfair trade policies. Richard Mourdock fights for tax breaks for companies that drive jobs to China," Donnelly says before a man playing Mourdock drives by and yells, "Hey, Donnelly, it's my way or the highway!"
The ad is running statewide on broadcast and cable.
The ad is the latest in a series from Donnelly that portrays him as a centrist deal-maker and Mourdock as a hard-line conservative, and the message seems to be working: Polls have shown the two candidates neck and neck, and national groups on both sides are pouring money into the state. The Hill rates the race a "toss-up."
