17-month ad blitz begins

By: Josh Kraushaar Jun 18, 2007

An early primary season in several states may also fuel the advertising campaigns. (Screengrab from YouTube)

There may be about 17 months until Election Day, but voters wouldn't know it by watching television or listening to the radio.

Throughout the country, third-party groups have been swarming the airwaves with advertisements attacking vulnerable incumbents while raising awareness of their pet issues.

This week, an environmental group is airing radio ads targeting three ethically challenged Republican incumbents. The National Republican Congressional Committee recently launched an ad blitz against 12 vulnerable freshman Democrats by tying them to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And an anti-tax group labeled a Republican Kansas congressional candidate as a tax-and-spend liberal -- with more than a year before the primary.

"It's just another extension of the permanent campaign," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato. "The bottomless pit of political money encourages the trend. The interest groups have their usual big donors, and they are being supplemented by small donors culled from the Internet."

The Defenders of Wildlife Fund scored its biggest political success last year when it spent more than $1 million in ads attacking its chief nemesis, House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-Calif.), over allegations of ethical misconduct. Pombo lost to Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) in one of the election's bigger upsets.

The group is now seeking a sequel. Last week, it launched a series of radio ads against three GOP congressmen that highlighted their alleged ethical improprieties. The ads refer to Reps. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), John Doolittle (R-Calif.) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) as three of the "20 most corrupt members of Congress."

Renzi, Doolittle and Calvert each deny any wrongdoing.

"They have obvious ethical issues," said Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen. "They're way too close to the special interests."
In its radio blitz, the NRCC accused 12 Democratic freshmen of voting in lockstep with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. NRCC spokesman Ken Spain said the early advertising was "unprecedented" for the committee, representing a more sustained hit than in past cycles.

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