Burr Going Up With First Ad
Updated, 12:02 p.m.
Sen. Richard Burr (R) is going up with the first ad of the North Carolina Senate race on Monday. The ad, which was provided to Hotline On Call is a positive spot and shows that the Burr campaign believes it is in the driver's seat in the against Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D).
The ad has a down-home feel. "He's from down home North Carolina," the narrator says. "Home every weekend, listening, working for us."
It also focuses on government spending. "You see, Richard Burr is willing to cut spending, while others spend more," the narrator says, "He's tight with our tax dollars. Heck, that's just common sense."
It is worth noting that Burr is emphasizing the amount of time he spends in NC, inoculating himself to the charge is is always in DC. That line of attack seriously wounded Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) in '08 when she lost to Sen. Kay Hagan (D). Burr is also highlighting his NC schedule on his website.
Marshall's campaign rebutted the ad by playing up Burr's DC ties. "After 16 years in Washington, and support for measures like the bank bailout, Sen. Burr needs to shore up support with his disenchanted base," said Marshall spokesman Sam Swartz.
Earlier in cycle, Burr was considered vulnerable. Marshall has yet to gain traction in the race, though, and most consider this seat safely in the GOP column.
So far, Burr has purchased ad time for Aug. 30 through Sept. 12. He dished out $578K on the buy, according to a source that monitors ad buys. That breaks down to almost $213K in Charlotte, $66K in the Winston, $54K in New Bern, $70K in Asheville, $128K in Raleigh-Durham and $40K in Wilmington.
Marshall went up with an ad in the primary that touted her "guts to clean up the mess in Washington." She has yet to go up in the general election.
You can see Burr's ad after the jump.