Jim Hannan, one of two lesser-known Democrats attempting to unseat U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici next year, has begun running newspaper advertisements.
It’s a little unusual to be running ads 18 months before the November 2008 election, especially since Hannan didn’t file a report with the Federal Election Commission for the first quarter of 2007 because he hadn’t yet reached the $5,000 fundraising threshold.
“I think it’s a good time to start telling the Pete Domenici story, particularly covering his votes this year,” Hannan said.
The current ad is running in the Santa Fe Reporter and the Alibi in
He said he plans to begin advertising in the Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican later this summer.
Hannan’s current advertisement is one of 10 he plans to run. It announces his candidacy and his Web site, then attacks the New Mexico Republican for voting against a bill that would implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
“It’s disturbing that Pete Domenici would vote against a measure to make us safer,” the ad states. “Pete is wrong on the war and weak on security. Some combination.”
It will be interesting to see if, in the absence of a top-tier Democrat to take on Domenici, Hannan’s early ads help his campaign gain traction.
The other lesser-known candidate taking on Domenici is Leland Lehrman.