Ad attacks McConnell on gun control
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has come out fiercely against President Obama's efforts at passing new gun control measures, but now a progressive grassroots group is hitting back against the Republican leader.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) launched an ad in McConnell's home state of Kentucky today, slamming him for taking political donations from gun manufacturers and opposing "common sense reforms."
"I was born and raised right here in Kentucky. I served my country as a marksman and we were trained to use guns safely," Kentucky resident Rodney Kendrick says in the ad, with his grandson Mason seated on his lap. "It's unthinkable that guns meant for war could be used on civilians and children. As a gun owner and a veteran, I support the plan to ban assault weapons and keep guns out of the wrong hands, because I know these guns. I know what they can do."
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The ad is running on broadcast and cable in Louisville and Lexington, as well as on cable in Washington, D.C., and should run for at least one week. PCCC is fundraising to air more ads featuring Kentucky gun owners.
Mr. Obama yesterday took his campaign for reducing gun violence to Minnesota to garner public support, but it's unclear what measures can pass in Congress. McConnell's re-election campaign last month sent supporters an email charging that Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats are "coming for your guns."
McConnell's campaign manager Jesse Benton dismissed the PCCC ad in a statement today.
"Sen. McConnell fully anticipated that protecting Kentucky from President Obama's gun control agenda would result in a flurry of attack ads from left-wing groups," he said. "It's not a secret to Kentuckians that Sen. McConnell is a stalwart supporter of their Second Amendment rights, and George Soros funded commercials aren't going to change that."
The senator is up for re-election next year, and could face a challenge in the deeply red state from actress Ashley Judd, who is considering running as a Democrat.
