LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Democrats are replaying the high-profile scuffle involving Rand Paul supporters and a liberal activist in a TV ad released Thursday that claims the Republican Senate hopeful is "stomping on Kentucky."
The 60-second ad, called "The Rand Paul Stomp," contains video of a MoveOn.org activist being pulled to the ground and then stepped on by a Paul supporter before a debate Monday night between the Republican and Jack Conway, his Democratic opponent.
The release of the TV ad comes as Conway tries to make inroads with female voters.
Paul "hasn't even offered a half-hearted apology" to the woman, Conway said Thursday evening at a Louisville union hall. The Democrat called the Paul supporter, Tim Profitt, "cowardly."
At a campaign stop earlier Thursday, Conway called fallout from the skirmish a potential "game changer" in the vitriolic race.
Paul's campaign, which denounced the attack and disassociated itself from Profitt earlier this week, said the ad was a sign of desperation by Democrats not eager to discuss the bad economy.
The Republican is wrapping up his TV advertising campaign on a positive note with smiling images of the Bowling Green eye surgeon interacting with his family and patients. In the ad, Paul's wife Kelley talks about his "boundless energy" in raising their sons and in caring for his patients.
Paul, a tea party favorite, and Conway, the state's attorney general and a former Louisville attorney, are vying for the seat held by U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, who is retiring. Paul is the son of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2008.
The Kentucky Democratic Party is spending $4,000 to air the ad in the Lexington and Bowling Green markets starting Friday night, but it might be run in other markets, too, said party spokesman Matt Erwin.
The ad won't be shown before 10 p.m. because of its content, Erwin said. The state party decided to restrict air time to limit its exposure to children, he said.
"It is a frightening ad," Erwin said. "It's the sights and sounds of a physical assault."
The only sound in the ad is the commotion that occurred when the MoveOn.org activist, 23-year-old Lauren Valle, is wrestled to the ground and her face pinned to the concrete. A Paul supporter later identified as Profitt then stepped on her head and upper back.
Following the incident, the Paul campaign dropped Profitt as campaign coordinator in Bourbon County in central Kentucky and banned him from future events.
Paul's campaign, however, has refused to return $1,900 in campaign contributions from Profitt.
The ad intersperses scenes of the skirmish with government programs that Democrats claim Paul would "stomp on" — including student loans, mine safety and protections for the disabled and minorities.
Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton said the ad continues "one of the most shameful campaigns in recent memory."
"A desperate Jack Conway and his liberal allies are continuing their downward spiral," Benton said in an e-mailed response. "With our country facing trillion dollar deficits, a government takeover of health care and rampant unemployment, it is a real shame that Conway won't talk about the issues."
Conway on Thursday lashed out at the Paul campaign's response to the incident, saying it would become a "game changer if the Paul campaign continues to mishandle it."
"That campaign has not done an adequate enough job condemning that individual, returning his contributions," Conway told reporters during a campaign stop in Shelbyville.
Conway's focus on the incident comes as he touts himself as a defender of women's issues. He spoke in favor of equal pay for equal work and federal legislation to require health coverage of mammograms for those age 40 or older without copays.
Benton has said the Paul campaign condemned the altercation before Conway's camp ever brought it up.
The scuffle broke out while scores of vocal supporters for both candidates rallied outside the studios of Kentucky Educational Television in Lexington, where Paul and Conway held their final debate.
Lexington police have said officers would deliver a summons to Profitt to appear in court. A judge will determine whether to proceed with an assault case.
Sherelle Roberts, spokeswoman for the Lexington Division of Police, said Thursday the investigation was continuing and no additional charges had been filed.
(source:afp)
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