McCain Ads Feature Praise From Crist, Warner -- And Obama

John McCain is largely absent from three of his latest ads, which instead star two popular members of his own party -- as well as his opponent, Barack Obama. "Crist" (subscription), released Thursday, features Florida Gov. Charlie Crist touting his...

Sierra Club Links Clean Energy To Ohio Jobs

Ohio is the place to be this week. Barack Obama, John McCain and Sarah Palin have all been making the political rounds there the past few days. The Sierra Club, capitalizing on all the attention this battleground state is receiving,...

Biden Gaffe Triggers Trio Of Ads

Oops. Joe Biden declared recently that the Democratic ticket was against clean coal when Barack Obama's energy plan explicitly shows the Illinois senator's support for it. This gaffe, which Biden made at a campaign rally in Ohio, has prompted three...

Al Gore's Alliance Strikes Back

Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection began flooding the cable news networks Thursday with a TV spot (subscription) that attacks the oil industry for lobbying against renewable energy legislation. “Why are we still stuck on dirty and expensive energy?” the...

Obama Seeks To Capitalize On Fiscal Fears

All eyes are on Wall Street this week, and Barack Obama has a slew of economy-related ads out in battleground states. He is also using the opportunity to appeal to a group that has shown signs of straying from his...

MoveOn Criticizes McCain Camp's Lobbying Ties

According to a new attack ad out today from MoveOn.org, the John McCain campaign has several advisers with "friends" in the wrong places: oil companies. The first ad (subscription) of the progressive group's $7 million fall campaign highlights the staple...

Pro-Drilling Ad Doesn't Dig Very Deep

The American Future Fund, a conservative free-market advocacy group, began airing a TV spot (subscription) Wednesday encouraging viewers to lobby Congress to pass the Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008 and open parts of the continental shelf for offshore drilling....

From Colorado To Minnesota To Michigan

While most lawmakers, insiders and journalists have been focused on Colorado and Minnesota the last two weeks, it won’t be long until other key states are back in the spotlight. With two short months to go before the election, the...

Israel Project Targets Conventions

With thousands of reporters and political bigwigs in Denver and the Twin Cities for the next two weeks, the Israel Project is hoping to seize the moment for a message underscoring the importance of a nuclear-free Iran. The nonpartisan advocacy...

Stealing The Democrats' Thunder

Conservative group American Future Fund and the Republican National Committee didn’t waste any time attacking Democrats prior to the party's convention. Both groups released radio ads on Friday specifically to get a jump on the events in Denver. In "What...

Meet 'Skip' Udall & 'Big-Oil' Bob

As Democrats prepare to descend on Denver, third-party groups from both the left and right have their eyes on the Colorado Senate race, where Rep. Mark Udall (D) leads former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R) by a slim 6 percentage points...

MoveOn.org Berates N.C.'s Dole In First '08 Senate Ad

MoveOn.org unveiled its first Senate ad of this election cycle on Tuesday, targeting Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., as well as John McCain, for their ties to Big Oil. The half-million dollar buy begins airing throughout North Carolina today. In "Pocket"...

N.M. GOP Tries To Take Air Out Of Obama's Tires

Recent polls show Barack Obama with a slim lead over John McCain in the battleground state of New Mexico, but the state's Republican Party is doing its part to fight the rising tide of Obamania. In a new radio ad,...

DCCC Returns Fire On Freedom's Watch Attacks

After conservative group Freedom's Watch launched a slew of ads last Wednesday attacking Democrats across the country for going on "vacation" instead of considering energy legislation, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee didn't waste much time before responding. The DCCC's radio...

Gore's Plan Gets Another Push During Olympics

Al Gore came to Washington in July to issue a challenge to the country: create a new energy economy that will generate 100 percent of America's electricity from clean sources within 10 years. Now the former vice president’s advocacy group,...

Obama's Olympics Appeal

The Obama campaign released a new ad this morning that it will run during the Olympics on the NBC Universal channels broadcasting the Games. "Hands" (subscription) encourages Americans to build a green economy and presents Obama as a leader with...

No Recess From Energy Attack Ads

The quieter the halls of the Capitol get, the louder the howls are on the airwaves. This week, Congress embarked on a more than monthlong hiatus without acting on legislation aimed to curb high oil prices. Outraged by this, two...

McCain Keeps Pushing, 'Family'-Style

After casting Barack Obama as a celebrity incapable of leading the country, the John McCain camp is up with a new ad saying the Democrat is unable to help America’s families. The opening of "Family" (subscription) is reminiscent of McCain’s...

Pickens' Return Could Sway Voters

In his recent ad promoting alternative energy, petromagnate T. Boone Pickens promised, "I have a plan. In the coming weeks, I'm going to share the details of that plan." Viewers who've spent the past few weeks on the edge of...

McCain In The 'Pocket' Of Big Oil?

Barack Obama kicked off a week devoted to his energy plan with the release of a negative ad going after John McCain's relationship with Big Oil. As the American public continues to reel from $4 gasoline, both parties are trying...

Going After McCain's Oil 'Gimmick'

In a concerted effort, MoveOn.org and the Sierra Club unveiled ads today deriding John McCain's proposal for offshore drilling. The ads are part of a national campaign, also including Campaign Money Watch, focusing on energy and gasoline prices. MoveOn.org's "Gimmick"...

'Celeb' Ad Elicts Heated Reaction

There's nothing like the Hollywood notoriety of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to add some juicy gossip to the increasingly heated attacks between John McCain and Barack Obama. Reaction to McCain's new ad, "Celeb" (subscription), has been widespread, divisive and,...

Gas Wars Go National

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., became the latest Republican to fire an attack ad at his Democratic opponent over the much-discussed issue of gasoline prices late last week. His latest TV ad (subscription), and the first of the general...

Barrage On Barack

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Perhaps that’s the idea John McCain is borrowing as he joins virtually every segment of the media -- reporters, pundits and talk-show hosts galore -- in focusing on Barack Obama. Of course, McCain...

Warner's New Dominion

The race to replace retiring Virginia Sen. John Warner (R) is threatening to turn into a landslide for Mark Warner. Warner, who is not related to the current officeholder, boasts a vast cash advantage over Republican Jim Gilmore in a...

Corn, Mud Fuel GOP Battle

The mudslinging continues between Missouri gubernatorial hopefuls Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R) and state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) in a pair of new ads. Steelman's "Ethanol" (subscription), released Monday, underscores the candidate's changed position on the state's ethanol mandate, enacted in...

Udall's Speculator Scrutiny

New Mexico’s Senate candidates weighed in over the weekend on who’s to blame for soaring gasoline prices. Rep. Steve Pearce (R) argued the solution lies with domestic drilling. Democratic Rep. Tom Udall’s finger was pointed at oil speculators, a theme...

Obama Returns RNC's Fire

Barack Obama is striking back against a TV ad (subscription) from the Republican National Committee that accuses him of offering "no new solutions" to the nation's energy situation, launching his own spot today. "New Energy" (subscription), which details the "Obama...

Stepping On The Gas

The partisan squabbles that stonewalled congressional efforts to decrease gasoline prices recently have shifted to the airwaves. The conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch has joined the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in releasing ads in more than a dozen districts --...

Gas Gouging

Partisan fighting stymied efforts on the Hill aimed at addressing rising gas prices this month. Now, as lawmakers head home for July 4 recess with nothing to show constituents on the issue that tops most voters' priority lists, politicians are...

McCain's Moon Walk

In a new ad released today, "Purpose" (subscription), John McCain continues his theme of energy independence as a quest not unlike the mission to the moon in the 1960s. "American technology protected the world. We went to the moon, not...

Obamacans For Senate

How desperate is Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., to disassociate himself from the GOP brand this year? His latest ad features words of praise from none other than Barack Obama. In response to attack ads from an outside group, Smith released...

Bob's Big Oil Record

President Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain and a slew of other Republican lawmakers are calling to lift the ban on offshore drilling, but that's not the only place they're hoping to uncover oil. Some Rocky Mountain states, including Wyoming, Utah...

Super Tuesday

It may not be a Super Tuesday in the traditional sense, but it sure is one busy day for John McCain. He's touting his commitment to the global warming fight in a new ad (subscription) while calling for domestic drilling...

Udall's Head Start

With the bitter GOP primary battle finally over in the New Mexico Senate race, the general election campaign for the seat of retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R) between Reps. Steve Pearce (R) and Tom Udall (D) has commenced. Pearce will...

Granite State Gas Wars

Former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) and incumbent John Sununu (R) made their rematch for the New Hampshire Senate seat official over the last week. Sununu stressed in comments to reporters on Tuesday that he has broken from the Bush administration...

Attack Ads 101: The Bush Analogy

What's the most effective way to attack a Republican candidate this election year? Judging by recent ads from MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change and a slew of other liberal groups, Democrats think the answer to that question will be much...

Debut Ads Released In Colorado Senate Race

The battle for the open Senate seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Wayne Allard in Colorado has officially commenced on TV screens across the state, with both the major candidates releasing their first ads within the past week. Rep. Mark...

Fact Check On Fuel

A legitimate policy debate has arisen between the two Democratic presidential candidates this week: whether or not to support John McCain's plan for a gas tax holiday this summer. While Hillary Rodham Clinton has jumped on the Straight Talk Express...

Save The Attacks For Big Oil

So far, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have held off running negative ads against each other in North Carolina and Indiana. Apparently, they prefer to save their attacks for oil companies, which are taking a beating from both sides...

Obama's Second Rebuttal

Stepping up its response to attacks from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama's campaign released a radio ad defending his independence from lobbyists and commitment to alternative energy. The new spot (subscription), which began airing Thursday afternoon, accuses Clinton of playing...