Dole Focuses On Illegal Immigratiion In First Campaign Ad

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) launched the first advertisement for her reelection bid, which features statewide sheriffs praising her work securing federal assistance for law enforcement officials to crack down on illegal immigration.

The federal program Dole touts in the ad trains local law enforcement officials to act as immigration enforcement deputies.

“Most of us didn’t have the tools to identify and apprehend illegal immigrants who were repeatedly committing crimes. ...So Sen. Dole works out a solution, a statewide partnership between federal officials and North Carolina sheriffs to give us access to the federal tools to identify and apprehend and deport these repeat criminals,” several statewide sheriffs say in the ad.

“She’s one tough lady with major league clout,” two other sheriffs go on to say. “I’m sure glad she’s from North Carolina.”

The one-minute ad is airing on broadcast television throughout the state, and will be airing for the next two weeks. It cost the campaign about $500,000 — a sizable chunk of the $3.2 million Dole reported in mid-April, in her latest filing report.

The campaign’s significant advertising buy early in the election year suggests that Dole realizes that she faces a competitive race against state senator Kay Hagan, who handily won the Democratic nomination earlier this month.

A series of polls conducted within the last month in North Carolina — including one from a statewide conservative think tank — show Dole polling below the 50 percentage point mark, and only leading Hagan by small margins, some within the margin of error.
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