Northup Advertising?

An entire ad of “Fletcher can’t win, Fletcher can’t win, Fletcher can’t win, Fletcher can’t win.” Ambitious!

From the Lexington Herald-Leader:

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Anne Northup will start her television advertising next week in her bid to unseat Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Northup’s campaign said Friday.

Northup’s first commercial is set to debut across Kentucky next Tuesday, beginning a sustained television ad campaign until the May 22 primary, said Ted Jackson, a senior campaign adviser. "For the first time in this campaign, many voters outside Anne’s district when she served in Congress are going to be introduced to Anne Northup," Jackson said in an interview.

Northup, who spent five terms in Congress from the 3rd District, was a fixture on Louisville television during her campaigns over the past decade. Jackson wouldn’t reveal the ad’s message, but said it will refer to Northup’s background. Northup served in the Kentucky House before winning election to Congress. The Northup ad comes as the advertising campaign begins to intensify in the crowded race for governor.

Paducah businessman Billy Harper, another Republican candidate, will start airing a whimsical ad next week that includes a Colonel Sanders impersonator, an Elvis look-alike and a whinnying horse, all saying "No." Then Harper appears, signing a pledge not to raise taxes. Harper has run a series of TV ads that began last fall. Fletcher, who is seeking a second term, launched his first ad last month that likened an investigation of his administration’s hiring practices to being confronted by schoolyard bullies.

Fletcher and several members of his administration were indicted on charges that they violated state hiring laws by appointing political supporters to protected state jobs. Fletcher issued pardons to everyone in his administration who was charged with crimes. The indictment against him was dismissed in a negotiated agreement with prosecutors. His ad said Fletcher focused on his job during the legal turmoil overshadowing much of his term, and boasted of a strong economy, a budget surplus, more roads and tax breaks during his tenure.

Both Harper and Northup have said that Fletcher has been too politically weakened to win in the November general election Ñ one of only three governor’s races to be held this year. In the Democratic primary, Louisville businessman Bruce Lunsford has been on the air consistently since last month, and State Treasurer Jonathan Miller recently launched his first television ad.