Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren’s campaign took an odd turn yesterday when it launched a radio ad campaign that attacked Republican Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin for his recent gaffe.
In the ad, Warren fails to mention Scott Brown, the incumbent Massachusetts Senator she is running against.
As Noah Bierman at the Boston Globe reported:
The narrator then catalogues a list of potential fallout: “Already this year, Republicans in Congress blocked legislation to ensure women get equal pay for equal work. Republicans pushed for a law that could allow employers to deny women birth control coverage. Mitt Romney said he wants to get rid of Planned Parenthood. His running mate, Paul Ryan, cosponsored legislation that could outlaw birth control pills. And if Republicans control the Senate, they decide who sits on the Supreme Court and whether we could lose Roe v. Wade.”
The spot is part of a concerted effort by Warren to tie Brown to conservatives in the Republican Party. Earlier this week, Warren attacked Brown by name. But Brown remains personally popular in Massachusetts, according to polls, so attacking him by name in an ad may be risky. The attempt to draw a larger nexus between Brown and the Republican Party, and ultimate control of the Senate, is expected to be a major feature in the closing months of the campaign.
Warren’s attack on Missouri’s Akin is yet another sign of an increasingly confused and desperate campaign. Brown himself was the first Republican to call for Akin’s withdrawal from the Missouri race. The avalanche of Republicans echoing Brown’s call seemed to highlight Brown’s moral leadership within the party, and undermined Warren’s attempts to tag him to Akin’s gaffe.
A PPP Poll released on Tuesday showed Warren trailing Brown by five points.
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