Republican congressional candidate Martha Rainville has taped a radio advertisement. She just hasn't aired it yet. First, she's appealing to supporters to help her pay for the ad.
Rainville is taking advantage of last week's indication that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee expects to spend $600,000 on advertising for her Demoractic opponent, Peter Welch, and is asking supporters to help her counter such efforts.
The ad starts with a fictitious banter between men that is meant to mimic Washington politicians at odds. "Aren't you tired of the poisonous bickering in Washington?" Rainville says in the ad. "Both parties attack each other instead of fixing problems important to you. I want to stop that."
Rainville continued to hammer at Welch for not signing her "Clean Campaign Pledge," a promise to foresake negative campaigning and stick to a $1 million limit, "no ifs, ands or excuses."
Welch campaign spokesman Andrew Savage responded this way: "She calls her ad 'No Ifs Ands or Excuses,' but her campaign has been based on excuses. Excuses for not speaking out on issues. Excuses for Donald Rumsfeld. Excuses for being the only candidate to refuse to debate."
Monday afternoon, within an hour of posting the drive on her Web site, the Rainville campaign received its first $25 donation toward the radio ads, campaign spokesman Brendan McKenna said. The campaign has no set amount that must be raised before the ad will appear, he said. It will cost $70 per airing to run the ad, he said.
- Terri Hallenbeck
