In a surprise move, the Democratic Governors Association has decided to up the ante in Texas, with plans to launch an attack ad against Gov. Rick Perry (R ) that assails him as a career politician who has lost touch with the people of the Lone Star State.
Game on.
The Washington Post has the story first, showing the DGA is putting Perry in a full court press. The DGA has made an initial commitment to spend $650,000 to $700,000 per week and they are starting in Dallas.
This isn't enough to fully saturate the state, that takes about $1.5 - $1.7 million, but this should alleviate concerns on the left that Bill White won't have enough to respond to Perry's late attacks-- a staple campaign tactic for the Perry team. It also shows there is a national mood that this thing is winnable.
Perry became governor in December 2000 after then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become president. He has been reelected twice to four-year terms and is now the longest-serving governor in the state's history.
In a year in which incumbents of both parties have found themselves on the defensive, Democrats hope to turn Perry's long tenure against him. The ad concludes by saying, "Twenty-five years as a politician has changed Rick Perry alright - for the worse."
The ad also cover other highlights we have seen from Back to Basics.
The ad attacks Perry on several fronts. Among them are ordering 11- and 12-year-old girls to be vaccinated against a virus that causes cervical cancer and proposing a mammoth Trans-Texas highway corridor that would have taken land from many private property owners.
This is the first national independent expenditure we have heard of and will be a nice echo of the Back to Basics work going on.
We will have the video as soon as it is available.
UPDATE: We have received the ad. It is as hard hitting as the Washington Post alluded.
Disclosure: Matt is a principal of GNI Strategies. Back to Basics is a client of GNI Strategies.
