Democratic Rep. Joe Donnelly has a new ad in the Indiana Senate race, attacking Republican state Treasurer Richard Mourdock and laying out Donnelly’s own pitch as someone willing to reach across the aisle.
The Indiana Democratic Party is spending $250,000 for the ad, according to a Democratic source. The money came from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee transferring money to the state party, in order to make a play for the race.
Mourdock won the Republican primary in early May, defeating six-term incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar by challenging him from the right. Donnelly’s ad seeks to marginalize Mourdock as extreme, while pitching Donnelly as a moderate alternative to the voters in this Republican-leaning state.
Donnelly downplays his own party affiliation in the ad — he doesn’t mention the Democratic Party, and says he has worked with Republicans — signaling that Donnelly’s strategy could be to have his own local brand in Indiana, distinct from the national Democrats.
“Think tea partier Richard Mourdock will work with both parties to get things done? Hardly,” the announcer says, followed by video of Mourdock during a TV appearance.
“To me, the highlight of politics, frankly, is to inflict my opinion on someone else,” Mourdock says.
“Here’s what Mourdock wants to ‘inflict’ on us,” the announcer says. “He thinks that Social Security is unconstitutional; wants to cut Medicare by $200 billion; and would give more tax breaks to Wall Street.
“Had enough? Joe Donnelly joined Republicans for a balanced budget amendment, and will work across party lines to lower debt and create jobs.”
