As a father of three, SD-37 candidate Democrat Matt Smith says he knows the importance of education. His second TV ad shows students in a variety of different learning environments, as Smith focuses on bringing Pennsylvania’s education system to the forefront in Harrisburg.

Starting with a panoramic shot of a middle-class neighborhood, Smith’s latest TV spot appeals to those with children of all ages.

“Some say the future can’t be built here, but I know it can. So I fought to increase funding for full-day kindergarten, and innovative pre-K initiatives,” he says.

“For investing in high school math, science and engineering so our students can compete with anyone.”

The ad also devotes time to job creation.

“Encourage new manufacturing and green building to create jobs,” Smith says as he continues the trend of this campaign season: employment.

At this point the ad briefly switches from the classroom to the boardroom, but the smile of a student quickly overtakes the shot as education once again becomes Smith’s argument.

“Some say the future can’t be built here, but this is where we’re raising our three kids…because I know it can.”

Jennifer Hass, campaign spokesperson for Smith’s opponent, D. Raja, said the Smith ads may paint a rosy picture, but that Smith’s record says otherwise.

“While Raja created over 100 jobs right here in our region, Rep Matt Smith has supported policies that have killed jobs right here.His support for $2.4 billion in higher taxes when PA already has one of the worst climates for small business in the country is a ringing indictment against Rep Smith.”

Those close to the Smith campaign have a message of their own, though. They said that while the Dem candidate has launched positive TV ads introducing himself to voters without taking shots at his opponent, Republican Raja has fought to portray a negative image of Smith through his own TV ads instead of the GOP candidate selling his own ideas.

The Raja campaign has provided PoliticsPA with copies of the three ads.

Thefirst ad opens with the line, “Welcome to Harrisburg. For years a den of reckless spending and job killing taxes. And meet Matt Smith, one of Harrisburg’s worst tax-and-spend offenders.”

The ad says Smith has voted for tax increases so often, that it amounts to $1 million for every day he’s been in office – to the detriment of families and job-seekers.

The second and third ads are a variation of the same theme. Both open with the line, “Liberal Harrisburg politician Matt Smith,” and accuse him in turn of either thinking “it’s raining money” or that “money grows on trees.”

The second ad is 14 seconds long, and focuses on a $5 billion spending increase that would result in a $2 billion burden of debt on the next generation.

The third ad is 16 seconds, and deals with Smith raising taxes on small businesses, even though “we already have the highest business taxes in the country.”

The third ad, going off its “money grows on trees” theme, calls on voters to “do some pruning” on Election Day.

“We are disappointed that our opponent has again decided not to participate in a positive discussion about the challenges facing the Commonwealth and the residents of the 37th Senate District, just as he did in last year’s County Executive race,” said Smith Campaign Manager Jake Pawlak.

“This decision by a candidate who is down by double digits in the polls is an act of desperation aimed at turning attention away from his own record of outsourcing jobs, mistreating workers, and shipping our future overseas. We are focused on engaging voters in a conversation about Matt’s vision for building the future in western Pennsylvania by investing in education and creating jobs.”

According to an internal polling memo issued two weeks ago by the Smith campaign, the Dem candidate is ahead in the traditionally Republican district.

Raja’s campaign disputes the numbers of this poll, saying their own stats have Raja in the lead.

The seat is one of four seen by Dems as serious pickup possibility. The district also handily won PoliticsPA’s reader poll asking which state Senate race was going to be the most competitive.