Tea Party puts out first radio ad for U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle

The Tea Party Express says in its first radio ad for Sharron Angle that voters "can't do any better" than the former Reno Assemblywoman in picking a Republican to defeat U.S. Sen. Harry Reid in the fall.

The radio spot by the national group touts Angle as the best candidate when it comes to "conservative constitutionalist principles" and it praises her for fighting tax hikes when she was a lawmaker.

"Sharron Angle served the people of Nevada for four terms in the state Assembly, emerging as a leader to lower taxes and reduce government spending," says the ad, which notes that conservative groups from the Gun Owners of America to the Tea Party Express itself have endorsed Angle's candidacy.

After last week's endorsement made national headlines, the Tea Party Express’ political action committee, Our Country Deserves Better, began raising money for the Angle ad campaign on radio and television. The effort is now halfway toward its initial $100,000 target, according to Bryan Shroyer, the political director for the national organization.

“Our fund-raising goal for the first wave was $100,000. That, plus cash we have on hand, will determine how high we’d go,” said Shroyer, suggesting the group will spend more money in the race.

The ads are set to air on more than 30 radio stations statewide starting next week.

Whether the ad campaign helps Angle is yet to be seen. Early polls show her able to beat Reid, the Democratic leader in the Senate, in the fall, but those same surveys show her running far behind her June 8 primary opponents, including GOP front-runner former state Sen. Sue Lowden as well as Las Vegas businessman Danny Tarkanian.

Listen to the radio ad here.