Beginning in the summer and continuing through late-October, Democratic interest groups have run a series of television spots lampooning Marty Ozinga, the GOP candidate for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District
Source: CP staff
Beginning in the summer and continuing through late October, Democratic interest groups have run a series of television spots lampooning Marty Ozinga, the GOP candidate for IllinoisÌ 11th Congressional District. Challenging his platform on everything from the economy to health care, while labeling him an out-of-touch “concrete millionaire,” the ads are at the forefront of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s (DCCC) “Red To Blue” program. It targets key races across the nation where the organization sees the potential for flipping a historically Republican district or state into a Democratic win.
Using images of a discharging mixer truck–although not one from the Ozinga Bros. fleet–and dubbing concrete “a dirty business,” a series of four negative ads claims Ozinga has a history of unpaid taxes and dodged rules to land government contracts. Citing Ozinga’s millionaire status, a tagline contends that he has a history of “dumping on the middle class.” The sources for the tax and contracting charges are stories from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, which have each endorsed Ozinga.
During a late-October stop at the Ozinga for Congress headquarters in Mokena, Ill., Republican National Congressional Campaign Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.-4th) acknowledged the candidate was up against the “overwhelming financial resources of the DCCC on Halvorson’s behalf. Cole praised Ozinga’s success as a businessman, philanthropist and independent thinker and affirmed, “We believe Marty has a good shot at winning this race.”
In terms of individual campaigns, the race for Illinois’ 11th District is definitely in the top 10 on DCCC’s most heavily financed, Ozinga added, “and perhaps even its number one expenditure nationally as a priority target.”