Rothman ties Pascrell to Romney, Chris Christie in new ad

“Their decision to run a false, negative campaign attack ad can only mean their polls show people are responding to the fact that Bill Pascrell is the fighter for middle-class taxpayers against conservative, Tea Party, Republican policies,” said Pascrell spokesman Sean Darcy.

{mosads}Pascrell and Rothman also squared off on Monday in a testy debate in which Pascrell accused his opponent of being too afraid to run against Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.).

Rothman’s district was dismantled in redistricting and his home drawn into Garrett’s conservative district. Rothman opted to challenged Pascrell in a redrawn district comprising both of their former territories.

The race has also attracted the attention of former President Clinton, who backed Pascrell over Rothman last week. Pascrell endorsed then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the 2008 Democratic primary, while Rothman endorsed then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Watch the ad: