Behind the Ad: The DCCC attacks Mark Sanford in South Carolina

By Richard K. Barry

(Another installment in our extensive "Behind the Ad" series.)  

Who: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Where: Special election in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.

What's going on: The DCCC goes after Mark Sanford for alleged ethics violations when he was governor, just a day after the RNCC abandoned his campaign after charges that he trespassed on his ex-wife's property.

It's a clever little ad that makes no mention of Sanford's admitted extramarital affairs, though it shows a man walking through the woods, a reference to the alibi his gave to cover up his trip to Argentina to meet his mistress. Sanford told his aides he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

The DCCC is spending about $205,000 on the ad, which will run on broadcast television stations in the Charleston and Savannah, Ga., markets April 19-28, according to a committee source.

Sanford goes up against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of Stephen Colbert, in a May 7 special House election to fill the seat vacated when former Rep. Tim Scott (R) was appointed to the Senate.

There is no doubt Sanford could still win in this very red district, but it will likely be close either way.

(Cross-posted at Phantom Public.)