Gloves Off: Larry Hogan Throws 1st Punch In Campaign For Governor
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Just 48 hours since the primary, and the race for governor is already heating up. In campaign 2014, Larry Hogan already has a controversial ad that goes after his opponent, Anthony Brown.
Derek Valcourt has more on the commercial creating all the buzz.
If the campaign for governor is a messy battle, consider this the first shot fired in the lead-up to November's general election.
"He's happy to talk about accomplishments--he just doesn't have any," the ad said.
Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown takes a verbal beating in a new attack ad released by his Republican opponent, Larry Hogan, just one day after their primary victories.
"He is the most incompetent man in Maryland," the ad said.
"The lieutenant governor is asking us to give him a promotion. We've got to look at the job he's done over the past eight years, and quite frankly, I think it's been a record of failure. I don't think he's earned a promotion," said Hogan.
Political science professor Matthew Crenson says the ad is effective, even if it is over the top.
"It's an attempt, I think, to fix an image of the lieutenant governor in the voters' minds right off the bat," he said. "Mr. Hogan didn't waste any time at all trying to do that."
"Certainly, seeing the attack ad on day one, it was deeply disappointing, but not surprising," said Brown running mate Ken Ulman,
Ulman is among those calling the ad despicable--not just for its characterization of Brown, but for use of a photo of the candidates flexing. It was a tribute to cancer victim Zach Lederer, whose flexing in a hospital caught the Internet by storm.
"Negative attack ads on day one frankly show that you have nothing positive to run on but the failed policies of Bob Ehrlich and Larry Hogan," said Ulman.
One thing is for certain--with millions of dollars expected to be spent on these campaigns in the coming months, this is far from the last attack ad we will see.
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