Begich ad: Sullivan let state ‘get ripped off’

Sen. Mark Begich’s (D-Alaska) campaign is keeping its focus on Republican challenger Dan Sullivan’s time as the state’s attorney general in its latest ad.

{mosads}Begich was forced to pull down an earlier ad accusing Sullivan of releasing a violent criminal, after the victim’s family protested the spot, but the latest spot shows Begich is refusing to walk away from the issue.

“First, it was letting violent criminals off with light sentences again and again, as little as 14 months for sexual assault. Now, Sullivan is claiming credit for saving pensions, but it was a pension fraud case, where he made a bad deal with a New York financial firm for only 20 cents on the dollar. He let Alaska get ripped off — Dan Sullivan didn’t stand up for Alaskans.”

The ad takes aim at a recent Sullivan ad touting a deal he struck on Alaska teacher pensions.

Sullivan’s campaign fired back.

“It’s clearly an act of desperation that Mark Begich would double down on the same false attacks that he had to pull off the air only days ago. Alaskans expect more from their elected officials, and this just goes to show that Begich is willing to say or do anything to get elected,” said Sullivan for Senate spokesperson Mike Anderson.

Both Begich and Sullivan have increasingly turned to Alaska-based issues rather than national ones, as they look to score points with voters.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is out with new ads attacking Begich’s time as Anchorage mayor, saying he “increased spending big time” and “gave away the farm” as mayor, before tying him to President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

— This post was updated at 11:20 a.m.