The Democrat attempting to unseat Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is set to launch his first ad in the race next week, which attempts to turn Ryan's budget plan — considered his greatest political asset by some — into a liability.
It frames the Ryan budget in moralistic terms, using clips from various news outlets that have called it "dangerous," "cruel" and "deeply wrong." And the ad focuses in on specific effects of the budget, saying that it "ends Medicare," cuts college loan funds and gives a "lavish" tax cut to the wealthy.
The ad functions on two levels, though — as it's Democrat Rob Zerban's first in the district, it also attempts to introduce the candidate to voters. He shares that he "started two successful businesses creating great-paying jobs," and promises to "never cut Medicare benefits, ever."
Zerban outraised Ryan in the last quarter by over $200,000, and though he hasn't received financial backing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee yet, prominent Democratic groups, including a handful of unions, MoveOn and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee -- the last of which has brought his campaign $110,000 from thousands of small donations -- have endorsed him.
His campaign also released a polling memo recently that put him within eight points of Ryan, but he remains a long-shot in the race.
--This post was published at 12:12 p.m. and updated at 4:13 p.m.
