After a primary race that was heavily influenced by negative ads by rival candidates and outside groups, the runoff in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District between Paul DeMarco and Gary Palmer has been relatively quiet. It looks like that may be about to change.
On Monday evening, DeMarco released an ad titled “Alabama Conservative” that accuses Palmer of being anything but.
The ad uses a partial quote from a 2003 Tuscaloosa News article in which Palmer appears to voice his support for Gov. Bob Riley’s Amendment 1, commonly referred to as the largest proposed tax hike in Alabama history.
“I am of the opinion that the state needs more revenue and I would be willing to support a tax increase…” Palmer is quoted as saying in support of the Amendment.
But although Palmer would no doubt like to take that line back, the full quote makes it clear that he opposed Amendment 1.
I am of the opinion that the state needs more revenue and I would be willing to support a tax increase, but only on the condition that we first set in place some meaningful accountability measures. Unfortunately, the proposal currently before the people of Alabama falls well short of the mark.
“He hasn’t gone to Washington yet, but he already speaks the language,” the ad’s narrator says of Palmer.
About 20 seconds into the 30-second spot, the ad transitions into focusing on DeMarco, who the narrator hails as an “Alabama conservative.”
“Paul stood up to his own Party against a tax increase,” the narrator says. “He’ll do the same in Congress.”
Both of the candidates have an extensive record after being engaged in Alabama politics for a long time — DeMarco as a state representative and Palmer as the head of the state’s most prominent conservative think tank.
DeMarco’s claim of standing up to his own Party against a tax increase is presumably talking about his opposition to a Jefferson County occupational tax that al.com said sparked a “GOP civil war.” Critics of DeMarco are quick to point out, though, that he voted for several tax and fee increases while serving in the Alabama Legislature.
The Palmer campaign shot back that DeMarco’s ad is a sign that his campaign feels like it’s heading in the wrong direction in the polls.
“Paul Demarco’s internal numbers are probably the same as ours, showing that he is falling behind,” said Palmer’s campaign manager Jon Jones. ” With yesterday’s announcement of Scott Beason’s endorsement and numerous other conservatives lining up behind Gary, Paul has become desperate and decided to go negative. His attacks are taken out of context and refer to a time when Gary was fighting to defeat the largest tax increase in the history of the state of Alabama.”
DeMarco and Palmer will meet in the Republican primary runoff for Alabama’s 6th Congressional District seat on July 15th.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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