Updated June 13, 12:40 p.m. ET
The Karl Rove-founded American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS have rolled out another new round of attack ads, totaling $4.6 million across six key Senate races.
The ads target two incumbent Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill in Missouri, and Sherrod Brown in Ohio; three candidates for open Democratic-held seats in Nebraska, North Dakota and Virginia; plus one Democratic challenger for a Republican-held seat, Rep. Shelley Berkley in Nevada.
The ad in Missouri: “Sen. Claire McCaskill was a key Obama adviser in passing his failed $1.18 trillion stimulus. Claire’s vote sent nearly $2 million to California, to collect ants — in Africa. Twenty-five million for new chairlifts and snow-making in Vermont. Almost $300,000 in Texas to study weather — on Venus. While in Missouri, 16,000 have lost their jobs.”
In Ohio: “It’s no surprise Sherrod Brown voted for Obamacare — he supports Obama’s agenda 95 percent of the time.”
The ad in Nebraska attacks former Sen. Bob Kerrey on two fronts: First, for having voted against a Balanced Budget Amendment in the 1990s; and second, for having lived in New York City for the last 10 years.
The ad shows video of Kerrey in 2009: “It isn’t just ’cause I live in Greenwich Village now — the longer I’ve been here, the further to the left I get on health care.”
The ad in North Dakota, going after former state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp, revives a familiar slur against health care reform — declaring that “‘Obamacare’ will give ‘unelected bureaucrats the power to restrict seniors’ care.”
In Virginia, former Gov. Tim Kaine is attacked for his time as Democratic National Committee chairman under President Obama — the announcer accuses Kaine of “selling policies he knows hurt Virginians” in order to serve Obama. “What about Virginia?” it asks.
And in Nevada, the ad attacks Berkley on a set of ethics allegations.
“Charged with using her office to enrich her family — Berkley twisted arms to get federal arms for her husband’s business, a blatant conflict of interest,” the announcer says, later concluding: “Shelley Berkley makes the system work — for herself.”
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fired back.
“The special interest agenda Karl Rove is pushing puts private insurance companies, Big Oil, and millionaires ahead of seniors, small businesses, and the middle-class,” said DSCC spokesman Matt Canter.
