R.I. Senate: National GOP Blasts Laffey (Again)

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is up with its second ad this month attacking Cranston (R.I.) Mayor Steve Laffey, who is challenging Sen. Lincoln Chafee in next year's GOP primary.

The new ad, which takes the form of a cartoon, paints Laffey as a comic-book character starring in "Laffeyland Tales."

The narrator says Laffey used taxpayer dollars to soundproof his mayoral office and spent "thousands on spy cameras to spy on employees."

"Bizarre...but the joke's on us," the narrator says, adding that Cranston had the highest property taxes in the state under Laffey and that Laffey raised taxes twice. "Tax and Spend Steve Laffey ... Nobody's laughing now," the narrator intones at the ad's close.

The commercial, which hit the airwaves Sunday, was produced by OnMessage Inc. for the NRSC, according to spokesman Brian Nick.

The ad hits in the wake of the release of third-quarter fundraising numbers late last week that show Chafee continuing to struggle to raise money. From July 1 to Sept. 30, he brought in a meager $287,000 -- almost $100,000 less than what Laffey raised. Chafee still has a cash-on-hand edge over Laffey, however, with $1.3 million in the bank compared to $590,000 for the Cranston mayor.

Former state attorney general Sheldon Whitehouse (D) raised $600,000 in the period; Secretary of State Matt Brown (D) raised $400,000. Brown and Whitehouse are set to square off in the Democratic primary.

By Chris Cillizza  |  October 17, 2005; 11:28 AM ET
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