Attack ads claimed to be '100% true' roll in for US Senate race
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Attack ads have hit the air in the Lee-McMullin race for U.S. Senate, and an ad executive---not working for either campaign---called both "100% true."
An ad from a PAC supporting Mike Lee asserted "Evan McMullin's under a mountain of debt" from his 2016 presidential race, "owed to workers and contractors he stiffed six years ago."
Meantime, a spot now playing from the McMullin campaign said Lee has received nearly $4 million from corporate and special interests, presumably---though the piece did not state it specifically---since Lee's first race in 2010.
"See all these powerful interest groups," said McMullin about the ad. "The list keeps going and going."
"There are all sorts of reasons to attack a candidate," said Kelly Casaday, owner of Letter 23 ad agency. "I think they're (the ads) both 100 true. I've looked at the FEC reports; I've seen who's given money to both candidates. I see who they owe money to."
The McMullin campaign called the debt spots "ugly" and a distraction. Still, a financial summary from McMullin's 2016 presidential campaign, filed with the Federal Election Commission, showed a debt of almost $645,000.
2News asked McMullin's campaign about plans to pay the presidential campaign debt.
"Evan is committed to paying it down as he is able," a spokesperson responded.
As for Senator Lee, recent FEC filings from his campaign showed donations from PACs connected by name to Microsoft, Usana, Walmart, Amazon, Burger King and others.
In terms of McMullin's assertion of millions in special interest donations for Lee, the FEC noted "other committee contributions" for the senator stretching back to 2010 in the range of $3.6 million---but filings also indicated Lee has received far more money in individual contributions.
The Lee campaign accused McMullin of "mischaracterizing donors" to try to score "cheap political points."
Kelly Casaday said he eschews the term 'negative ads,' preferring to call them "comparison ads"---and he thinks more are coming in the U.S. Senate race---along the lines of 'look how evil my opponent is, and look how heavenly I am.'