The 11th Congressional race has taken a nasty turn, with Democrat Bill Foster claiming that four out of five Chicago TV stations initially refused to air an ad by the National Republican Congressional Committee, according to CapitolFax.com.
A former congressman, Foster is facing Republican Congresswoman Judy Biggert, who is seeking an eighth term.
The 21-second ad accuses Foster of personally profiting during his time in Congress, where he represented the 14th District from 2008-2010.
“Foster got the parachute, you got the crash,” a voiceover intones during the ad, which claims that Foster sold investments a day after “a closed-door briefing in Washington about the financial crisis.”
The Foster campaign called the ad “a clear attempt to outright lie to the public without any credible facts,” saying Foster did not attend the “closed-door briefing,” according to Capitol Fax.
Foster claimed only CBS2 continued to air the original ad, and that ABC has had a third version of the ad submitted by the NRCC.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the NRCC said major Chicago stations did run the ad with minor changes, saying, “We added language to our ad that reinforces the fact that Congressman Foster abused his power,” the publication reported.
On Thursday night, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that, with the exception of WGN, the ad continued to run on Chicago stations.
Earlier this week, each campaign accused the other of resorting to attacks, with Biggert calling negative campaigning “shameful,” according to CBS Chicago.
Foster also took aim at the Biggert campaign after the congresswoman dropped out of an AARP-hosted debate scheduled for Oct. 16.
Calling the organization “partisan,” Biggert’s campaign released a statement:
“We regret that we were compelled to withdraw from next week’s AARP debate as the organization has proven itself unable to act as a neutral arbiter. AARP was cited, and its logo used, by no less than three liberal organizations in mail and on television to attack Judy Biggert and impugn her record on issues vital to seniors. When contacted on this matter, AARP officials made it clear that they were unwilling to stop this use of their logo and imprimatur. As a result, we severely doubted the ability of the organization to act as a [sic] impartial and objective host in this forum."
The statement also slammed Foster’s team for a similar move, according to the Huffington Post, releasing the following statement:
"Just last week, Congressman Foster refused to participate in a candidate forum hosted by one of the 11th Congressional District’s largest retirement communities, where he might have faced tough questions on his vote to cut $816 billion from Medicare, or his support for cutting Social Security benefits."
The candidates did take part in a debate that was televised on ABC7 on Oct. 14. To view the debate, click here.
To view the NRCC ad at the center of the controversy, click here.