McCain Goes Negative, Again
John McCain saw the writing on the wall months ago, taking former Rep. J.D. Hayworth's primary challenge seriously from the get-go. Today, McCain's Senate campaign released a second TV ad going after Hayworth's record.
The first ad, released two weeks ago, labeled Hayworth an "avid earmarker" during his six terms in Congress. The new ad targets his post-congressional career and challenges Hayworth's depiction of himself as a Washington outsider.
"J.D. Hayworth says he's an outsider," the ad's announcer states. "But after he was voted out of Congress he became a registered lobbyist. Hayworth was paid thousands by a Florida corporation to lobby the very committee he used to serve on. Outsider? A lobbyist is as inside Washington as it gets."
The campaign also released a new radio ad that focuses on the same theme.
"J.D. Hayworth says he's an outsider. Hmmm," says the announcer. "Well, he was an insider as a member of Congress. Then, his big spending ways and taint of a lobbying scandal became too much for Arizonans. We voted Hayworth out of office. So what does Hayworth do? Remarkably, he decides to become a lobbyist himself."
The Hayworth campaign responded by bringing up the lobbying work of some of McCain's closest advisers on the campaign, as well as McCain's previous job as Senate liaison for the Navy.
"For 28 years, McCain has been the consummate Washington insider and this is just another effort on his part to remake himself during this campaign by spinning half-truths and flip-flopping on important issues," said Hayworth spokesman Mark Sanders.
Here is McCain's new TV ad, titled "Washington Lobbyist":