RGA Launches New TV Ad Linking Ross To Obama, Pelosi (UPDATED)

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) released its first TV ad in the Arkansas governor’s race.

Yesterday, Talk Business blogger Michael Cook reported that the RGA would be launching attack ads on Ross.

The ad ties Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Congressman Mike Ross to President Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The 30-second spot highlights several Ross votes from Congress tied to raising the national debt, the cash for clunkers program, and the federal stimulus package.

“Liberals like President Obama and Nancy Pelosi wrote the book on out-of-control spending, and during his time in Congress, Mike Ross followed every word,” said RGA Communications Director Gail Gitcho. “Big spending liberals like Mike Ross may feel right at home wasting taxpayer dollars in Washington, but they don’t belong in the Arkansas statehouse.”

Another spokesman for the RGA, John Thompson, described the media buy as “very significant” and said it would be airing in all of Arkansas’ major media markets on cable, broadcast, radio and online. The ad started its run today.

You can view the ad below.

UPDATE: Ross spokesman Brad Howard issued the following statement:

This out-of-state ad by Congressman Hutchinson’s special interest friends is both predictable and sad. Now that Congressman Hutchinson is falling behind in the polls, his campaign is trying to smear Mike Ross and his positive vision for the future of Arkansas.

Mike Ross is a proven fiscal conservative who voted against every single pay raise for members of Congress and helped introduce and fought for a balanced budget amendment while in Congress. Mike Ross has always represented Arkansas values – even standing up to his own party when needed – which is why Mike was consistently rated by National Journal as one of the most independent members of Congress.

Congressman Hutchinson was a D.C. lobbyist and big-spending bureaucrat who has been running for statewide office for 28 years and there’s a reason why he’s lost every single time: Arkansans are sick and tired of his Washington-style political attacks.