Outside television advertising was the focus of congressional election campaigning on Wednesday with Carl DeMaio criticizing Democratic attack ads, and Rep. Scott Peters gaining TV support from Planned Parenthood.
DeMaio said ads placed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that accuse him of wanting to cut student loan funding are “deeply personal and offensive” because he used loans to attend college.
“A college education saved my life,” said DeMaio, who was raised as an orphan. “I know the power of the student loan in changing lives.”
DeMaio said his campaign had asked local television stations to refuse the ads. “The stations should have a higher standard,” he said.
Last week the Peters campaign demanded removal of an attack ad placed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, a Washington-based political action committee that is seeking to increase the Republican majority in Congress.
Many, perhaps most political ads on television are placed not by candidates, but by national political action committees working independently. Television remains the focus of campaign spending, even though the audience is aging.
The latest ad for Peters was placed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest and began airing on Wednesday.
“We want to be clear that there are differences between Congressman Scott Peters, who has been vigilant and active in safeguarding a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, and his challenger,” said Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, president and CEO of the fund.
The 52nd District covers much of central San Diego County including Poway, Coronado and large portions of the City of San Diego.
