In his first TV ad of the long-ago GOP primary for U.S. Senate, David Perdue called himself "the outsider." Apparently, the word doesn't have the same charm in a hot summer runoff.
The campaign unleashed its first attack ad in the GOP Senate runoff this morning with a 30-second spot that proclaims the businessman as the "true conservative" in the race and questions Rep. Jack Kingston's spending on earmarks. The word "outsider" doesn't receive a mention.
It was only a matter of time until Perdue's campaign unloaded after a few quiet weeks. The candidate is sitting on a pile of cash as the July 22 runoff nears and the millionaire former Fortune 500 executive has enough resources to significantly boost his war chest.
The only question was how early Perdue would go on the offensive during a nine-week runoff that is the longest - and surely will be the costliest - in state history.
Perdue's opening runoff ad plays off the crying baby theme that served him so well in the primary campaign. It also invokes Kingston's role on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, dubbing his rival a "liberal" spender. There's no mention of recent stories that tied Kingston's campaign to potentially illegal campaign contributions.
There's no immediate word on how much the campaign set aside for the ads, but federal filings show the initial buy amounts to more than $100,000.
We're told to expect more ads from Kingston, who has benefited from a super PAC that's pounded Perdue on the airwaves as an "outsider who would raise our taxes." That's where the word "outsider" has disappeared to. Kingston allies have appropriated it.
Here's the full text of Perdue's opening runoff salvo:
"They arrive with good intentions. So what happened to Jack Kingston?
Jack voted to raise the debt ceiling repeatedly, adding trillions to the national debt. He spent our tax dollars on thousands of wasteful earmarks all while voting to raise his own pay seven times. Jack's twenty-two years of liberal spending has to stop.
David Perdue's the true conservative, who'll take on career politicians and the Washington establishment."
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