UPDATE: The Specter campaign hit back at the ad later Thursday, saying Sestak should be ashamed for using a picture of a bald Specter shortly after undergoing chemotherapy, the second time the congressman has done so. Sestak’s campaign also depicted a bald Specter at the end of its ad linking him to President Bush.
“Has he no shame?” wrote Specter campaign manager Chris Nicholas.
The release also quoted former Allegheny County coroner, and very prominent Democrat, Cyril Wecht.
“The depiction of Senator Specter during the time he was clearly exhibiting the adverse effects of chemotherapy is truly reprehensible,” Wecht said in a statement. “Political differences and aggressive campaigning should always be pursued with in the bounds of personal sensitivity and basic decency.”
While they were at it, Specter’s campaign officials also said Sestak’s Bush ad took a quote from Specter, when he said he switched parties to get re-elected, out of context, pointing to a fact-check report from a local TV News station.
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The campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate contender Joe Sestak unveiled a new ad Thursday that seeks to give the challenger one final push over the top in his battle against incumbent Arlen Specter.
The 30-second spot starts by telling viewers the race is in a “dead heat” before asking them to compare the two candidates’ records.
It then puts Specter’s and Sestak’s record on seniors, civil rights, the environment and women side-by-side like a scoreboard, with the congressman coming out on top in each.
“The best Democrat for Pennsylvania’s future: Joe Sestak,” a narrator says.
The comparison between the two candidates appears similar to a piece of mail the Sestak campaign has sent to voters, which it calls the “Willy Wonka Golden Ticket.”
A spokesman for Sestak said the ad is being aired “widely,” but couldn’t confirm it would be shown in every media market. Since late last week, the Sestak campaign has gone up on air heavily with an ad linking Specter to President Bush and his 29 years in the Republican Party.
As the challenger’s ad indicated, the race between he and the incumbent senator is in a dead heat, according to a plethora of polls.
