October 23, 2006
The Hotline's Hot Senate Race Updates
A daily update of ads, polls, trends and analyses from the hottest Senate races.
Updated Race Rankings: House **** Senate **** Governors
1. For Talent, Now It's Personal: In MO, Sen. Jim Talent's (R) no longer playing "Mr. Guy," as he tries to defeat Aud. Claire McCaskill (D). Instead, Talent's "trying to make McCaskill herself the issue," launching personal attacks on her finances and past professions, including her term as state aud. Talent: "I can see why my opponent would not want some of these things to be relevant. But they are"
Yet McCaskill "insists she won't attack Talent's character because she wants to change the tone of politics." McCaskill said Talent "has gone off on this unprecedented personal attack" because "the only way he thinks he can be elected is by disqualifying me instead of promoting him because he's part of the problem" (Kansas City Star). 2. RNC Gone Wild! At least in TN, the NRSC's targeting Rep. Harold Ford Jr (D) in two new attack ads. Among them is an ad called, "Who Hasn't?" Full script:
WOMAN 1: "Harold Ford looks nice. Isn't that enough?" WOMAN 2: "Terrorists need their privacy." MAN 1: "When I die, Harold Ford will let me pay taxes again." MAN 2: "Ford's right, I do have too many guns." WOMAN 3: "I met Harold at the Playboy party!" WOMAN 4: "I'd love to pay higher marriage taxes." MAN 2: "Canada can take care of North Korea. They're not busy." MAN 3: "So he took money from porn movie producers. I mean, who hasn't?" ANNCR: "The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising." WOMAN 3: "Harold, call me!"
While the NRSC believes the ad will help Ex-Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) in his race against Ford, Corker's demanding the RNC stop airing it. Corker chair Tom Ingram: "The new RNC ad ... is tacky, over the top and is not reflective of the kind of campaign we are running." The ad includes "a smiling, bare-shouldered, white blond woman" making reference to Ford's alleged attendance at a Playboy Super Bowl party and inviting him to call her. Yet despite Corker's complaints, RNC spokesperson Camille Anderson says: "the RNC stands by" the ad and she has "no reason to believe that it will not continue to air" (Chattanooga Times Free Press
3. Chafee Trips The Millionaire's Amendment: Meanwhile in RI, Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R) lent his camp $500K "from his personal fortune" last week, which will allow '02 GOV candidate/ex-AG Sheldon Whitehouse's (D) camp to "collect thousands more from" donors.
Although Chafee press sec. Steve Hourahan said Chafee donated "to buy media," Whitehouse donors who already reached the $2.1K donation limit "can now contribute another" $4.2K. Whitehouse spokesperson Alex Swartsel said Whitehouse's camp's consequently in "a very, very good position in terms of finances." Chafee's camp "dismissed" the news (Providence Journal
Posted at 01:24 PM
Comments
One good thing about early voting is that the
slime like ad against Harold Ford put out by the
Republican Part had no effect on my vote, which
went for Harold Ford on Friday, Oct. 20.
Bobby J. Williams | 10.23.06 03:34 PM
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