New Horsford ad targets Tark’s troubles

Democrat Steven Horsford is aiming to keep the legal and financial woes facing his Republican opponent Danny Tarkanian front and center through Election Day.

To that end Horsford, who is campaigning against Tarkanian for Nevada's new Congressional District 4 seat, has a new television ad highlighting the Republican's problems. It's a 30-second grab bag of Tarkanian's troubles.

The ad also seeks to divert viewers from Horsford's own baggage.

"What's the GOP hiding with their smokescreen of attack ads," the ad starts, a reference to Republicans' negative campaign highlighting of Horsford's previous problems with criticism that as state senate majority leader he sought to tie access to legislators to political donations and took a trip to the Bahamas at the behest of an Internet gambling company. "Maybe it's Danny Tarkanian's shady business dealings."

It goes on to reference Tarkanian's role as an attorney who filed legal papers for telemarketing companies that subsequently acted fraudulently, although Tarkanian was never charged with wrongdoing.

The ad segues into a hit on Tarkanian for facing a $17 million judgment from a real estate deal gone bad, the judgment is under appeal but if it's enforced it could wipe out the Tarkanian family finances. It also slams Tarkanian for running unsuccessfully for three other public offices.

"Tarkanian has been rejected by voters three times but he is still running, from the truth," the ad states in the closing seconds.

With the campaign in the closing stretch, Horsford's campaign can take heart in a double-digit Democratic registration advantage in the district. But polling suggests the race is closer than the voter demographics suggest.