The April 3 face-off between county Judge Annette Ziegler and attorney Linda Clifford for a seat on the state’s highest court has spawned a springtime blizzard of negative ads in the milk-fed Midwest.
Stories by FactCheck.org
Facts Of The Union
We found some puffery in President Bush’s State of the Union address.
Bush’s Iraq Speech
While President Bush was right on the facts he cited in his Iraq speech, there were some notable omissions.
Campaign Distortions in Texas Runoff
Henry Bonilla tries to link his opponent to “Islamic radicals.”
Our 2006 Awards
As we wait for the ballots to be counted, we look back on some of that ads that caught our attention for other reasons. We offer these FactCheck.org awards just for fun.
Foley Fallout: Scandal Spawns Ads On Child Predators
Candidates from both parties, as well as the parties themselves, have been releasing ads meant to convince voters that the other guy won’t be tough on child predators and sex offenders.
Sweeney No Sweet-Talker In Kitchen-Sink Attack
GOP Rep. John Sweeney’s ad goes after his opponent, first-time House candidate Kirsten Gillibrand, with a half-dozen accusations layered over a soundtrack that’s somehow both scary and sad. The ad tars Gillibrand with everything from taking illegal contributions to hiring a consultant tied to the Abramoff lobbying scandal to making children cry at a Sweeney rally, and more.
When Democrats Attack
Gauging by the attack ads flowing from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s House contenders are running against Exxon, Pfizer and Bush. The ads tie Republican House candidates to unpopular industries and an unpopular President. Some of these ads are exaggerations.
Republican Mudslinging On An Industrial Scale
Both political parties are functioning in the 2006 House races as factories for attack ads, but the National Republican Campaign Committee’s work stands out this year for the sheer volume of assaults on the personal character of Democratic House challengers.
‘Daisy’ Redux
The Republican National Committee’s latest ad – a 2006 version of President Johnson’s famous 1964 “Daisy” commercial against Barry Goldwater – invokes the threat of a nuclear attack by al Qaeda.