Democrats: Chamber Altered Ohio Senator's Photo

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Democrats are accusing a leading national business federation of altering a photo of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and misrepresenting one of his votes in TV ads airing statewide.

Brown is a Democrat facing re-election next year. Democrats say the U.S. Chamber of Commerce made him look haggard and unshaven in an Associated Press photo that was used in the ad. The AP says it authorized use of the photo but not alterations.

Chamber spokesman J.P. Fielder said the organization didn't doctor the photo. He says Democrats are distracting from the message of the $1 million-plus ad buy, which casts Brown's vote to end $4 billion in government subsidies for five large oil companies as an energy tax hike.

Brown calls the ad cynical, with "outright lies."