Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is expected to win the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate over his two lesser known rivals. But footage from a primary debate in front of the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board is giving Republicans early ammunition for the general election.
But the NRSC leverages Strickland's admission to attack him on several fronts beyond guns, using the clip three times in 30 seconds. The ad blames Strickland for "over 350,000 jobs last as governor" (he was governor during the 2008 market crash) and for then "working for a lobbying arm of a liberal Washington special interest group (referring to his work heading the Center for American Progress' "Action Fund" which focused on "domestic issues such as the economy, climate change and health care.")
The NRSC plans to spend $22,000 to air the ad before the primary, a meager buy. And the rhetoric does not seem targeted at liberal Democratic primary voters. That suggests Republicans are not trying to stop him from winning the primary, but establishing an unfavorable narrative at the beginning of the general election contest.
Republicans Remind That Ted Strickland Is Old
The National Republican Senatorial Committee released "Man-Child," which begins with a livid Kelli Prather, one of his two primary opponents admonishing: "Please, please! You're both acting like children!" A narrator, looking to make both Strickland's age and his temperament an issue, says "What's worse than being 74, and told you're acting like a child? Admitting to your record."Ted Strickland's Own Words Used Against Him
We then see Strickland concede in the debate, "My record is mixed and spotty." He said this in reference to his record on guns, as he used to be an advocate of individual gun rights, but now claims to have shifted since the Sandy Hook massacre. (His other opponent, P.G. Sittenfeld, highlighted the debate exchange in his own video.)But the NRSC leverages Strickland's admission to attack him on several fronts beyond guns, using the clip three times in 30 seconds. The ad blames Strickland for "over 350,000 jobs last as governor" (he was governor during the 2008 market crash) and for then "working for a lobbying arm of a liberal Washington special interest group (referring to his work heading the Center for American Progress' "Action Fund" which focused on "domestic issues such as the economy, climate change and health care.")
The NRSC plans to spend $22,000 to air the ad before the primary, a meager buy. And the rhetoric does not seem targeted at liberal Democratic primary voters. That suggests Republicans are not trying to stop him from winning the primary, but establishing an unfavorable narrative at the beginning of the general election contest.