American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-backed group that is spending heavily on ads for this year’s Senate races, has been rolling out a whole bunch of ads in some top races.
An ad against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) reprises a theme from an earlier Crossroads ad, hammering Reid for his past remarks on the Senate floor about how “only” 36,000 jobs had been lost in a previous month, which was “really good.”
Then the announcer uses a clever turn of phrase: “Harry Reid. Extremely out of touch with Nevada.” Look at that as a clear effort to counter Reid’s ads, which have derided Republican nominee Sharron Angle as being “extreme.”
The TPM Poll Average puts Reid ahead by 47.2%-44.0%.
An ad in the Kentucky Senate race attacks the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Jack Conway, for having received financial support from “left-wing activists and politicians” like Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). “Take a closer look, and follow the money,” the announcer warns.
The TPM Poll Average gives Republican nominee Rand Paul a lead of 47.2%-41.5%.
An ad in the Ohio Senate race attacks the Democratic nominee, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, and depicts a driver looking at road-signs discussing Fisher’s record on job creation. And the image of Fisher himself is in the rear-view mirror, with the text: “Ohio can’t afford Lee Fisher.”
Funny thing: As Aaron Blake points out, this ad is an almost-complete copy of an Obama ad from 2008, which put McCain’s face on the roadsigns ahead, and the image of President George W. Bush in the rear-view mirror.
The TPM Poll Average gives Republican nominee Rob Portman a lead of 48.6%-39.1%.
And this very colorful ad for the Illinois Senate race depicts the Democratic nominee, state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, falling asleep behind the wheel of an SUV as he “drives” his family business into the ground, and then the state’s finances. “It’s clear,” the announcer says, “friends don’t let friends vote Alexi.”
That one is particularly interesting, considering that Rove’s most famous past client was once arrested for drunk driving.
The TPM Poll Average gives Republican nominee Mark Kirk an edge of 41.3%-40.0%.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
Facebook Conversations
Questions about commenting with non-Facebook accounts like Yahoo, or other concerns? Click here to read the TPM Commenting FAQ.