Colorado Senate Ad Contrasts Family Backgrounds

DENVER (AP/CBS4) - Republican Senate candidate Rep. Cory Gardner released a new ad Wednesday contrasting his father, a tractor salesman, with that of Democrat Mark Udall, a member of a prominent Western political dynasty, triggering criticism that he was making an inappropriately personal attack in a heated race that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

Gardner's ad opens with him calling Udall "a nice guy." But, Gardner adds, "he's a nice guy who will never change the Senate. He is the Senate."

He notes that Udall's father, Arizona Rep. Mo Udall, ran for president and that two of Udall's cousins are sitting senators -- though the ad doesn't note one, Mike Lee of Utah, is a Republican. (Tom Udall is a Democrat who represents New Mexico.)

Gardner notes that his father, like his grandfather, sells tractors and signs off with his slogan calling for voters to "shake up the Senate."

The ad highlights a central theme in the campaign of Gardner, a rising star in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives who recently turned 40: That Udall, 64, is too much part of the Washington establishment. But it triggered outrage from Democrats for mentioning the senator's family.

In a statement, Udall said: "To see Congressman Gardner decide to go after my late father and members of my family in a negative ad. That's just low." The Democrats' organization that helps senate campaigns called on the Gardner campaign to take the spot off the air.

Colorado's senate race is one of the most expensive and competitive in the nation. Republicans need to net six senate seats to win control of the chamber.

Colorado's U.S. Senate race is the fourth most expensive in the country. The Center for Public Integrity says $16 million has been spent on TV ads in the race. Democrats have outspent Republicans by $2 million.

Udall has run about 6,600 ads and spent nearly $4 million. Gardner has run half as many ads and has spent $1.5 million. Outside groups have spent about the same on both campaigns.

LINK: Money Spent On Colorado's Senate Race

More Campaign 2014 Stories

- By Nicholas Riccardi, AP Writer

CBS4 staff contributed to this report.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.