The National Rifle Association and the Club for Growth, two of the country’s most influential conservative groups, launched TV and radio ads Monday opposing Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., and supporting his primary opponent, Indiana state Treasurer Richard Mourdock.
Indiana's primary takes place May 8, and early voting began Monday. The ads portray Lugar as an out-of-touch Washington insider and Mourdock as a principled tea partyer,
The Hill reports.
A recent poll from Howey Politics Indiana and DePauw University shows Lugar leading Mourdock 42 percent to 35 percent. The survey has a 4.5 percentage point margin of error.
The Club for Growth and other fiscally conservative groups have been hounding Lugar for some time. But the NRA, which rarely gets involved in Republican primaries, could be a game changer.
“Over 36 years in Washington, Dick Lugar has changed. He's become the only Republican candidate in Indiana with an 'F' rating from the NRA," says the NRA's ad, showing a picture of Lugar standing next to President Barack Obama.
As for the Club for Growth ad, it says, "This time, Indiana Republicans have a choice for Senate. Dick Lugar: 35 years in Washington. Voted for bailouts, tax hikes, and Obama's Supreme Court justices. Or Richard Mourdock, a leader in the fight against bailouts and Obamacare, a fighter for a balanced budget and less debt."
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