Stephen DeMaura

GOP Operative Behind 'Despicable' Anti-Halter Ad

Zachary Roth | May 10, 2010, 10:23AM

Arkansas Lt. Governor Bill Halter (D)

A hard-hitting TV ad that has been widely denounced as offensive could have an impact in next week's hard-fought Democratic primary election in Arkansas. The group behind the ad is run by an up-and-coming GOP operative, but won't say who's funding it.

The GOP-tied conservative advocacy group Americans for Job Security has said it's spending $900,000 -- a hefty sum in the state's relatively inexpensive media market -- to run a TV ad that accuses Lt. Gov. Bill Halter of shipping jobs to India when he helped run a tech company. On top of stereotypical "Indian" images and music, actors playing Indians thank Halter. The candidate has called the ads "despicable," and even his opponent, Sen. Blanche Lincoln, has labeled them "offensive."

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