New Democratic Ad Attacks Cuccinelli's "War on Abortion" - Patch.com

By Patch Editor William Callahan 

Get ready to surrender your commercial breaks: 'tis the season for political attack ads and Virginia's gubernatorial candidates have launched two already this week.

The Democratic Party of Virginia launched a new ad Tuesday going after Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his desire to "make all abortions illegal" in the commonwealth.

"Ken Cuccinelli is on a mission," a female voice says at the start of the ad. "He wants to overturn Roe v. Wade in Virginia to make all abortions illegal."

At the close of the 30-second spot, the ad posits: "He's focused on his own agenda, not us."

The ad joins a growing pool of spots on behalf of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe that attack Cuccinelli, particularly on social issues.

Democrats have increasingly been hitting Cuccinelli for his stances on abortion and gay rights, while the GOP has criticized McAuliffe for launching personal attacks instead of focusing on the economy.

"While Terry McAuliffe and his allies have shown great interest in discussing divisive issues, they refuse to tell voters in the Commonwealth that McAuliffe supports extreme policies including taxpayer-funded abortion in the third trimester," said Anna Nix, press secretary for the Cuccinelli campaign. "At the end of the day, this race will be about which candidate the voters can trust.  Virginians will not stand with a candidate whose word has no worth and who refuses to address important issues."

During last weekend's debate, Cuccinelli did not specifically say whether he would sign an anti-abortion bill were he elected, saying only that he wanted to "respect life."

The Democratic ad was launched on the same day as a GOP ad criticizing McAuliffe for his business dealings with electric car company GreenTech. The ad chides McAuliffe for locating plants outside the Commonwealth.