Handel features Palin in first TV ad

Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) is touting former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R) endorsement in her first Senate TV ad.

{mosads}”You know her background; you know her record — the conservative who has walked the walk, cutting budgets, not raising taxes,”  Palin says in the ad, featuring footage from her recent campaign event with Handel in Georgia.

“How often do you see that in government, where somebody actually gets in there and does what they tell the people they hire them that they’ll do, they actually fulfill promises? We don’t have to be surprised when Karen comes through doing what it is that she says she’ll do.”

Handel’s campaign said it is running statewide on broadcast and cable, though it didn’t disclose how much it is spending on the ad. Sources in the state say the initial ad buy is very small, though she might add more to the buy, before the ad starts running on Monday.

Handel has struggled in fundraising, but her campaign says her numbers have ticked up since Palin’s endorsement.

Handel has also been capitalizing on comments from one of her opponents, businessman David Perdue (R), who ridiculed her for not having a college degree. Perdue called privately to personally apologize on Thursday.

But Handel’s campaign followed up with yet another email fundraising off his remarks in which she says the apology “reeks of political expediency.”

Perdue’s campaign disagrees.

“David made a heartfelt personal call to Ms. Handel that was intended to remain private. He contacted her directly for no other reason than to let her know he was sorry for the comment.  There is certainly no expectation for her to change campaign tactics,” Perdue spokesman Derrick Dickey tells The Hill.

— This post was updated at 10:40 a.m.