Herrity airs his first ad in 11th District contest

Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity took to the Northern Virginia airwaves Tuesday, airing his first ad in his campaign against Oakton businessman Keith Fimian for the 11th Congressional District Republican nomination.

Herrity and Fimian are locked in what appears to be a tight contest for the right to take on freshman Rep. Gerald Connolly (D) in November. Fimian went on the air last month, and now Herrity is up on local cable stations with a spot -- "Proven Record" -- that will run through the June 8 primary:

The simply-staged ad, featuring Herrity talking directly to the camera, shows the candidate vowing to "stop Washington's reckless spending" and calling himself "the only candidate that's cut spending and cut taxes."

Fimian has attacked Herrity relentlessly for his votes on tax matters during his service on the Fairfax County Board. Calling himself an outsider, Fimian has sought to lump Herrity and Connolly together as conventional politicians at a time of strong anti-incumbent sentiment. But in his ad, Herrity seeks to turn that charge around by saying that he has a real record of fiscal conservatism, implying that Fimian -- who has never held elected office -- does not.

Herrity's campaign declined to say how much it was spending on the ad. Fimian got a strong financial head start on Herrity, who didn't enter the race until January