Afternoon Read: Super PAC Ad Slams George Allen's Economic Record

The deadlocked U.S. Senate race between two former Virginia governors is drawing national attention, and the attacks between the two main candidates are quickly escalating.

In response to an ad funded by Karl Rove's Super PAC Crossroads GPS, a Democrat-affiliated Super PAC issued an attack ad against Republican George Allen’s economic record.

Major PAC, the Democrat Super PAC, slams Allen for increasing state spending by 40 percent while he was governor of Virginia and then lauds former Gov. Tim Kaine’s economic record.

Kaine is running against Allen for the Senate seat.

According to The Hill, this is the third ad the Super PAC has aired across the country in recent weeks, also running ads in support of Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

Allen’s campaign issued a response to the ad Friday:

“George Allen worked across the aisle as Governor to implement policies that added more than 300,000 net new private-sector jobs, reduced taxes by more than $600 million, budgeted hundreds of millions for the Rainy Day Fund and froze tuition, making college more affordable for families and students. And as Senator, he voted for tax cuts that helped get our economy moving and was one of only 15 Senators to vote against the Bridge to Nowhere.

“Tim Kaine’s allies can try to reframe George Allen’s record, but Virginians are looking for a leader with a record of proven pro-job-growth solutions, not the same tax and spend policies Tim Kaine has championed as Governor and as President Obama’s hand-picked Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. This negative Washington ad is just more evidence that Tim Kaine wants to be a Senator for President Obama, but George Allen will be a Senator for Virginia.” 

* Gov. Martin O’Malley officially announced Friday that he would call state lawmakers back to Annapolis on May 14 to pass a tax package and overturn the “doomsday” budget.

The legislature failed to pass a complete budget before session adjourned, and instead passed a budget with more than $500 million in spending cuts.

The budget will go into effect on July 1, and O’Malley is hoping it will be a spending plan passed in the special session rather than the “Doomsday” budget.

Via Washington Post:

“There is too much at stake not to move forward,” O’Malley said. “I’m confident that we can come together with the Senate President and House Speaker to complete this most important work for the people of our State.”

* The Washington Informer argues that the D.C. Council dropped the ball when it rejected Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposal to repay city workers for four furlough days at a cost of $22 million.

“The failure of the Council to approve the Brown and Gray deal shows they are not interested in what District government employees need. They are only interested in scoring political points and in making the city's top political leaders look bad.

The District is unique among American cities and even states -- it is looking good financially. Some cities and states are near bankruptcy or are in no shape to give their employees even cost-of-living adjustments.

Brown showed fine leadership when he said he would not take his pay, and he covertly encouraged his colleagues on the Council to do the same. Unfortunately, District residents won't be able to fully appreciate that because of the short-sightedness of the majority of Council members. The city's employees and residents deserve better.”

* Although President Obama’s reelection campaign officially kicks off in Virginia Saturday, the president spoke at a Virginia high school Friday urging Congress to keep interest rates on subsidized student loans at 3.4 percent for another year.

Republicans want to pay for the freeze on interest rates with a health care spending cut, according to the AP, but Obama says they are targeting coverage for women.
 

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