Alaska Radio Station Rejects Mitch McConnell Ad as ‘Over the Line in Terms of Decency’

An Alaskan radio station has denied a vicious ad paid for by Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) Super PAC against Donald Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka because it was “over the line in terms of decency,” Must Read Alaska reported Thursday.

McConnell has supported pro-impeachment and 21-year incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Alaskan Senate race with huge money from the Senate Leadership Fund, which he controls. The PAC has spent heavily to protect his establishment ally from losing to Tshibaka, who is gaining momentum and tied with the incumbent in the polls.

The McConnell-backed ad mentions an audit involving Tshibaka’s time in the world of inspectors general in the federal government. An internal investigation absolved Tshibaka of any wrongdoing.

She was thereafter named the Acting Inspector General for the Federal Trade Commission.

The ad was rejected by the radio station because it was indecent. The radio station “sacrificed several thousands of dollars by turning down the ad,” Must Read Alaska characterized the decision.

Advisor to the Tshibaka campaign, Mary Ann Pruitt, said in a statement the ad is “full of lies and it’s good that people are recognizing that by refusing to air it.”

“Remember that McConnell said he wasn’t going to spend money on this race because he didn’t think it was competitive. But now there are two polls showing a dead heat and so he’s gone on the attack with this nonsense,” she added. “Kelly Tshibaka has been going after government insiders for most of her career, so it’s no wonder that the insiders fight back sometimes.”

The Senate Leadership Fund had previously withdrawn funds from the Alaskan senate race likely becuase it did not anticipate Tshibaka’s momentum surge. The fund redirected those funds to other races that feature Republicans challenging Democrats. But after two polls showed Tshibaka and Murkowski virtually tied, the attack ads have returned in the state.

Tshibaka has launched her own ads against Murkowski. The ads slam Murkowski for her gun control vote and her alliance with the Washington, DC, establishment uniparty.

“Insiders don’t like me because I spent my career exposing taxpayer fraud and abuse,” Tshibaka says in one ad. “That’s okay. I’m not running for them. I’m running for you.”

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.