The Republican Governors Association had vowed that its first ad barrage against Democrat Jason Carter wouldn't be its last. This morning, the group followed through with a second wave of ads that paint the Atlanta state senator as a "liberal trial lawyer."
The 30-second spot shows black-and-white images of Carter as a narrator tells viewers the Democrat led the legal fight against Georgia's voter ID laws and invokes his vote against a proposal banning state-sponsored insurance plans from paying for abortions.
The RGA won't comment on how much it's shelling out, but we're told it's more than $500,000. The ad will air in Macon, Columbus, Albany, Augusta and Savannah television markets. Atlanta viewers, meanwhile, will continue to see the first ad that debuted last month.
Gov. Nathan Deal, the beneficiary of the ad blitz, is locked in tight polls with Carter and these attack ads aim to drive down the Democrat's numbers long before the November showdown.
It's worth pointing out that Deal, a former judge and prosecutor, has shied away from harping on the "liberal trial lawyer" line against his opponent. That may be because he's so far enjoyed the lion's share of support from the trial bar.
Carter last week answered the first barrage, which focused on his willingness to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, with a pair of minute-long introductory ads around the state. But the campaign, which has raised nearly $2 million to Deal's $8 million, likely can't afford to answer each RGA wave now if it wants to counter Deal later.
Carter spokesman Bryan Thomas in a statement Tuesday afternoon deemed the ad blitz "pathetic" and said it amounted to a Washington bailout for the campaign.
"The ad tells you everything you need to know about what DC Republicans think about Gov. Deal’s chances and how they are going to run his campaign," said Thomas.
Here's the ad's script:
Right to life? Carter supports taxpayer funding for abortions.
Voter ID laws? While our voter ID laws prevent illegal immigrants from voting, Jason Carter sued to have them overturned.
And Obamacare? Carter believes expanding Obamacare should be "on the table."
Here's a better idea. This election, let's take Jason Carter's liberal ideas off the table.
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