Michigan ad hits Peters on Keystone opposition

A new advertisement from Grossroads GPS accuses Rep. Gary Peters (D), a candidate for Michigan’s Senate seat, of siding with billionaire Tom Steyer over potential jobs.

It is the first ad in the Michigan race for Crossroads, an affiliate of American Crossroads, founded by Republican strategist Karl Rove.

{mosads}It specifically criticizes Peters for opposing the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which it said could provide jobs for Michigan.

“Gary Peters voted against Keystone and those jobs,” the voiceover in the television ad said.

“Peters sided with a California billionaire who could profit if the pipeline is blocked,” it said. “Now, that billionaire is spending big bucks to help Peters’ campaign.”

Peters has come out against Keystone and has not voted for House bills that would force President Obama to approve it. The ad did not say how Steyer could profit if Keystone is not built.

Previous ads, including from Peters’ Republican opponent Terri Lynn Land, have also hit him for his Keystone opposition. 

Haley Morris, a spokeswoman for Peters, told the Associated Press that the ad is bogus. She said it is evidence that big business special interests from outside of Michigan are propping up Land so she can support their tax breaks.

By linking Peters to out-of-state interests, the ad flips the script on the Democrat, who has accused the billionaire Koch brothers of throwing money into the election on Land’s behalf.

Ads by Steyer’s NextGen Climate have criticized Land for accepting help from the Kochs, who NextGen said owned petroleum coke that contaminated a Michigan town.

Crossroads spokesman Paul Lindsay said the ad will run for a week at a cost of $800,000.