Rick Santorum, after losing 22,000 Republican votes in the primary has launched his first ad. As predicted, he has taken a local spat and tried to use it to smear his opponent.
The situation - In Penn Hills, a local husband and wife (who are Democratic operatives) have long been challenging Santorum's right to declare his two-bedroom house as his primary residence. Until recently, his niece and her husband were listed as the residents, but that's another story.
Just before the primary, the Vecchios declared their intention to challenge Santorum's right to vote in Pennsylvania. When they stated that the house was empty and described it, Mrs. Santorum contacted US Capitol Police who contacted local police and asked for additional police protection. Rick then had a small "tirade" on local tv. Video at http://kdka.com/....
As far as I can tell there was no KDKA investigative report in which "a Casy operative admitted trespassing". Vecchio is quoted as saying, "He doesn't live here. The house he's registered to vote out of, is vacant -- no curtains, furniture, nothing in there. It's abandoned for over a month. So, I feel it's my right to contest his vote." He later states that he got the information from a local reporter.
Santorum's first ad (Courtesy of http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal)
Announcer: Primary election night, in front of cheering supporters in Pittsburgh, Rick Santorum challenged Bobby Casey to ten debates, and Casey responded with a loud, "No," saying voters didn't care about issues and that campaigns are a contact sport. Now we know what Casey meant. According to a KDKA investigative report, a Casey operative admitted to trespassing at the Santorums' home in Penn Hills, peering into the windows, looking for campaign dirt. But we shouldn't be surprised. Casey has a long history of slinging mud. The Philadelphia Daily News has called Casey's tactics "slash and trash and little else." The chairman of the Democratic Party said Casey took negative campaigning to a new height. And one Philadelphia paper called Casey's campaign "dishonest and nasty." Apparently, that's what we can expect from Bobby Casey again. Santorum: I'm Rick Santorum, candidate for the U.S. Senate, and I approve this message. Announcer: Paid for and authorized by Santorum 2006.
So it goes.