A second Republican-allied group has unleashed an attack ad targeting Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington.
The new ad criticizes Murray’s 18 years in the U.S. Senate and was bought by American Action Network, one of four major conservative groups that recently pledged to spend a combined $50 million in the final weeks before the Nov. 2 election. One of American Action Network’s partners in the late October spending spree against Democratic candidates is Crossroads GPS, which paid for an earlier ad criticizing Murray for contributing to the national debt.
The new ad against Murray features a man, woman, and boy lying on their stomachs. As the words “Patty Murray: 18 Years On Our Backs” appear on the screen, a pair of female legs begins walking on the backs of the prostrate family, each grimacing in pain. The spot claims that Murray “voted for the largest tax increase in history and repeatedly against tax relief,” while ignoring the needs of small businesses.
“Tell Sen. Murray, ‘Ouch, we can’t afford more tax hikes!’” the 30 second ad concludes.
The Murray campaign said the ad’s claim that she voted for the largest tax increase was “totally false” and noted that the campaign manager for her Republican opponent, Dino Rossi, was previously a top political advisor for Norm Coleman, the head of American Action Network. “Karl Rove and Norm Coleman are spending millions of dollars to attack Patty Murray on behalf of Dino Rossi. Their false charges are disrespectful to Washington voters,” said Julie Edwards, a spokeswoman for Murray.
American Action Network did not respond to a request for comment by publication.
Ad Title: Ouch
Paid for By: American Action Network
Disclaimer: Paid for by American Action Network. Americanactionetwork.org and not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. American Action Network is responsible for the content of this advertising.