This article has been updated.
Lt. Gov. and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Diane Denish said recently that she and her office have “not been part of” any corruption scandals plaguing state government. Now the state GOP is trying to link the Democrat to pay to play in a new TV ad that is airing beginning today — about 16 months before the general election.
In an ad that uses a slot machine as its prop, the narrator says this:
“The Richardson Denish game. Big money donor needs a favor. Gives campaign cash. Pay-to-play jackpot. Now Diane Denish claims she doesn’t play.
“Really? Let’s take that for a spin. Denish used to say gambling was bad for the economy. Then casino owners gave big. Diane Denish cast the tiebreaking vote to expand gambling twice.
“Another pay to play jackpot. No matter how Diane Denish spins it, isn’t it still the same game?”
The ad claims casino owners gave “$200,000+” to Richardson and Denish.
The ad was first reported on by KRQE-TV in Albuquerque. State Democratic Party Chairman Brian Colón said this in a statement to KRQE: “The Republican Party of New Mexico is already desperately beginning the negative attacks that often come from a party running scared.”
You can watch the ad right here:
Update, 10:55 a.m.
Josh Geise, executive director of the state Democratic Party, claimed in an e-mail that the GOP hasn’t purchased any ad time on network television and has bought only $4,000 of ad time on cable television. Geise said the attack on Denish is “a video press release at best,” not a television advertisement.
I’ve e-mailed the state GOP spokeswoman for comment but not yet received a response.
Update, 12:35 p.m.
This from state GOP spokeswoman Janel Causey:
“The info that the Dems are relying on is old. As we initially planned, we will be adding to this buy throughout the week — including network.
“It is noteworthy that the Democrats want to spin this issue by talking about the buy rather than addressing the substance of the commercial. The pertinent issue at hand is did Denish benefit from campaign contributions from the gambling casino industry (yes) and Denish cast these votes (yes).”
Other than that, Causey released no information about the media buy other than to say in a news release that the ad is running statewide.
Update, 1:10 p.m.
In an e-mail from her campaign, Denish didn’t respond to the substance of the GOP attack ad, but she did have this to say:
“I’m not surprised that rather than trying to rebuild their devastated party around new ideas, or plans to help get us out of the ditch that President Bush put us in, Republicans have gone negative and personal on me — first in the press, now on TV.
“I can understand why Republicans wouldn’t want to talk about how I’ve actually been an advocate for greater transparency in government throughout my own career. Or why they’d ignore my plan for an open, honest state government that would help make New Mexico’s government more responsive to average citizens. Or why they’d fail to notice that I’m leading the way by personally disclosing my campaign finances way more than the law allows.
“And I can understand why they don’t want to talk about why I’ve got a plan to help New Mexico be ready to compete in the 21st Century economy, with a real commitment to education and real opportunity in every corner of the state.
“What surprises me is that they’ve started the desperation tactics so early. It’s clear that they want to make every last minute of the sixteen months between now and election day 2010 a mudfight.”
A prior version of this posting incorrectly identified Geise as the party’s chairman.