Crossroads GPS Announces First Post-Election Ad Buy

Original Link: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/crossroads-gps-announces-first-post-election-ad-buy/

By ASHLEY PARKER

Crossroads GPS, a Republican-friendly advocacy group with ties to Karl Rove, announced its first major post-election expenditure Tuesday — a $400,000 radio ad campaign in 12 districts across the country, urging the House Democrats to call for a vote on the tax-cut package.

“These are members of Congress who are specifically vulnerable on the tax issue,” said Jonathan Collegio, the communications director for the group. “They’ve either taken questionable votes of tax issues in previous years, they’ve just gotten by in a nail-biting election, or we believe their constituents support extending the tax relief to an even greater degree than voters in the general population.”

Though Mr. Collegio said that the new buy “is not a political exercise,” many of the 12 Democrats singled out just barely eked out a midterm victory. The group includes Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Jim Costa of California, Sanford D. Bishop Jr. of Georgia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Ben Chandler of Kentucky, Gary Peters of Michigan, Heath Shuler of North Carolina, Timothy H. Bishop of New York, Maurice D. Hinchey of New York, Bill Owens of New York, Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania and Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia.

The advocacy group’s top issue is “guaranteeing low tax rates that encourage economic growth,” and the goal with this radio blitz, Mr. Collegio said, “is an effort to make sure that the tax cuts are extended before everyone’s taxes go up on Jan. 1.”

The 60-second radio spots all follow a similar script, which in some ways seems to hark back to the midterms and opens with a reference to Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “She’s baaaccckkk. Nancy Pelosi’s at it again, trying to raise taxes while our economy struggles.”

The buy, which is supposed to run for a week, will be scaled back if there is a vote in the next few days.

George Burke, the communications director to Mr. Connolly, said he doesn’t think his boss is an obvious mark for the advocacy group.

“It is ironic that American Crossroads is targeting Rep. Gerry Connolly on the tax cut issue,” he wrote, in an email. “Connolly has been calling for a temporary extension of all of the tax cuts since last January.”