Freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) is at the center of a political advertising battle well in advance of the 2014 elections – and what’s even more amazing is that the battle is even farther away from her first defense of her seat, which isn’t scheduled until 2016.
Ayotte’s across-the-aisle delegation colleague Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is the one going before the state’s voters in the 2014 cycle.
But Ayotte voted against the Manchin-Toomey firearm background check bill and immediately attracted negative advertising from pro-gun control political action committees tied to New York Mayor Michael Bloomburg and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) criticizing her vote and claiming it ran counter to the wishes of the citizens of the state.
According to The Washington Post’s Post Politics feature, Bloomburg has spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $650K in ads aimed at Ayotte, and Giffords has spent $350K on radio.
But the NRA has come to Ayotte’s aid, and so has a PAC called American Future Fund, which is now said to have spent over $1M in broadcast advertising placed within the confines of New Hampshire and in Boston, which is the DMA for many of New Hampshire’s citizens.
RBR-TVBR observation: Broadcasters are of one mind on this issue. Not the issue of gun control – we’re sure the range of opinion on that one is a reflection of the range of opinion that exists within the population at large.
Broadcasters are of one mind in their blanket approval of any issue that causes interest groups to open their wallets and spend money with broadcasters.
How about “Truth in Advertising” taking a look at PAC money. Senator Ayotte should not be used for target practice.
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