INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana has quickly become a major battleground in the
race for control of the U.S. Senate, with national Republicans and Democrats
forking over more cash this week to tea party favorite Richard Mourdock and
Democrat Joe Donnelly.
Republicans, who must gain four seats to take control of the Senate,
extended a run of attack ads for Mourdock this week. The Democratic
Senatorial Campaign Committee, meanwhile, is spending $439,000 in coming
days on Donnelly’s behalf.
A Democratic source who tracks ad spending confirmed the new buys on
background because campaigns will not openly talk about how much they are
spending. The Mourdock campaign has spent another $300,000 on Indiana’s
airwaves, bringing the total spent so far to more than $8 million.
Polls have shown Mourdock and Donnelly statistically tied since the general
election began in May, after Mourdock defeated longtime U.S. Sen. Richard
Lugar.
While Democratic groups went on the air early in Indiana, Republicans have
only recently made it to the state’s airwaves as they look to defend what
would have been a safe seat had Lugar won the primary.
Mourdock and Donnelly have recently used car analogies to trade jabs.
Mourdock’s latest spot features a car veering to the left, off the road, and
plowing through mud.
“Donnelly follows Obama and Pelosi, going the wrong way,” the narrator says.
The Donnelly camp spent $223,000 on a similar spot which began airing last
week. In it, Donnelly stands in the middle of a two-lane country road while
an actor portraying Mourdock drives up and yells “Hey, Donnelly! It’s my way
or the highway!”
In both cases, the campaigns stick by their strategies of trying to paint
their opponent as too extreme. Democrats have pushed that angle longer, but
Mourdock’s campaign recently settled on a fairly consistent message.
Custom Search