Hillary Targets Upstate NY

The CBS News Political Unit is tracking the latest campaign commercials. Francesca Gessner analyzes a new ad from Senate candidate Hillary Clinton's camp addressing the concerns of upstate New Yorkers.

The Ad: New York Democratic Senate candidate Hillary Clinton has released a new television ad highlighting her plan to improve New York's upstate economy. The thirty-second commercial, titled Economy is airing only in upstate New York.

Audio: Hillary: "How many of you have known somebody who has had to leave because they had to go somewhere else for work? How many of you have known people like that?"

Announcer: "She understands that families are struggling because she's listened...person to person...in all counties in New York. Now, Hillary's outlined a specific plan to bring new jobs to every corner of New York...so no one is left behind in the new economy...read it and you'll see...Hillary's fighting to make sure our children can build their futures here. She'll always put our families first."

Visual: The ad opens with Hillary Clinton at a podium giving a speech. Various shots of Hillary interacting with people are then shown while the announcer speaks. On the screen, the text "Hillary's Job Plan: Tax Cuts For New Jobs," "Ideas To Lower Airfare and Utility Rates," and finally "For a copy call 1-888-HILLARY or go to www.hillary2000.org" are shown across the screen.

Fact check: No inaccuracies.

The Strategy: "Economy" strikes a positive, substantive tone in contrast to Clinton's recent string of negative ads attacking her opponent Long Island GOP Congressman Rick Lazio's voting record. Upstate is a key battleground in the neck-and-neck New York Senate race and, unlike Manhattan, the region's troubled economy has yet to feel much effect from the booming economy. Economy seeks to capitalize on Clinton's "listening tour" which took her to all of New York's 62 counties. The ad reflects the campaign's hope that, having criss-crossed the state, Clinton can now speak with some authority about the concerns of upstate New Yorkers. Although the region tends to vote Republican, Clinton has already made surprising strides in the area and Economy reflects Clinton's intent to compete seriously for the region.