The latest attack ad from Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign targets the two GOP front-runners, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The pair are polling ahead of Perry in most of the early primary and caucus states. Notably left out of the ad spot is fellow Texan and Republican contender U.S. Rep. Ron Paul.
Perry's campaign announced Thursday that the 30-second ad will run on national cable and within Iowa on both cable and broadcast networks. In it, Romney and Gingrich are labeled as "political insiders." The former is singled out for raising business taxes during his tenure as governor of Massachusetts. Gingrich — who wrote a complimentary introduction to Perry's 2010 book, Fed Up! — is now criticized for "increasing the federal debt ceiling $1 trillion and billions in new earmarks."
"The two current front-runners for the Republican nomination support distinctly unconservative policies like government-mandated health insurance and federal bailouts. As someone who has never served in Washington or been an establishment favorite, Gov. Perry is the one candidate with the record and reform plans to truly change Washington, D.C.," said Ray Sullivan, the top spokesman for the Perry campaign.
Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.
Information about the authors
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.