DeWine launches first negative ad

With 116 days before the Nov. 7 general election, Republican Sen. Mike DeWine today launched his first negative ad against opponent Sherrod Brown, a Democrat.

The ad, running on TV stations across Ohio, including in Cincinnati, features images of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and accuses Brown of voting against intelligence funding, strengthening criminal laws, giving law enforcement the tools to fight terrorism, and the death penalty for terrorists who kill passengers on trains and subways.

Brown Campaign Manager John Ryan said in a statement that the ad “reached a new, shameful low” by using images of the burning World Trade Center towers and mug shots of the 19 hijackers.

“He added insult to injury when he shrouded the images with distorted claims about Sherrod’s record,” Ryan said. “Sherrod has a strong record fighting for body armor for our troops and calling for full funding for homeland security programs to secure our borders and keep our communities safe.”

DeWine campaign spokesman Brian Seitchik defended the ad: “National security is a serious subject and an issue important to Ohioans, and Mike DeWine and Sherrod Brown have different records and perspectives on national security and intelligence funding.”

Read about Brown's votes and watch the ad for yourself here.

Read the Brown campaign's response to the ad here. Read a .pdf document that gives Brown's rebuttal to the ad and his votes on national security issues here.

Asked whether this ad will be followed by additional attack ads, Seitchik said: “This is chapter one.”

Also last week, DeWine reported raising $2.1 million over the last three months, including the money he brought in at his latest fundraiser with President Bush, leaving him with $6.6 million.

DeWine’s campaign declined to say how much this latest ad buy cost – or how much an ad he put out a week ago about first responders cost – but the total cost of those ads would come out of his bottom line of $6.6 million.

Brown, meanwhile, raised $1.6 million during the last three months and has $3.7 million in the bank, with no pending TV ad purchase, spokeswoman Joanna Kuebler said.