Democratic Senate candidate's ad harps on Burr

WASHINGTON — The first ad from Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Deborah Ross hit the airwaves Monday night.

The six-figure ad buy looks to introduce Ross to voters and portray her opponent, incumbent Sen. Richard Burr, as someone who went to Congress to serve himself and special interests.

"People are dissatisfied with the representation they have and they are learning they have a choice and they can have a change," Ross said.

The most recent polls show the race is neck and neck. In an exclusive interview with Channel 9, Ross discussed her priorities, which include making sure North Carolinians get the wages they deserve.

"I won't be like Sen. Burr and cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires while refusing to cut taxes for lower-income people," Ross said.

Burr’s campaign office responded to the attack ad.

"The fact that Deborah Ross' first TV ad is an attack on Sen. Burr comes as no surprise given her indefensible record with the (American Civil Liberties Union) where she fought against the creation of the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry, defended the burning of the American flag and referred to American intelligence agencies as ‘dangerous’ after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks," Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the Burr campaign, said.

"Richard Burr clearly does not want to run on his own record in Washington," Ross said in response to the Burr campaign's statement. "Most of the things he accuses me of are just plain wrong."
 
She also discussed North Carolina's controversial House Bill 2, saying the law isn't necessary and has hurt the state. But she refused to say if she agreed with what the law is trying to prevent.
 
"I think everyone should be safe and have privacy in the bathroom and that has been happening for years," she said. "This is a simple thing to figure out. We shouldn't have to compromise our economy with it."
 
Ross is also breaking with Hillary Clinton on assault weapons.
 
She calls herself a strong supporter of the Second Amendment but said she is in favor of expanding background checks and keeping people on the terrorism watch list from having guns.
 
"Let's make sure we know who has the guns before we talk about which guns we are going to control," she said. "I support closing background check loopholes for gun shows and on the internet. We need to make sure people who have mental illness, who are on the terrorist watch list, who have domestic violence orders against them, do not get guns."
 
Her former employer, the American Civil Liberties Union, disagrees with her stance on keeping guns from people on the terrorism watch list. In a statement released earlier this summer, the ACLU called watchlists error-prone and unfair.
 
"The ACLU is wrong on the issue of people on the terrorist watch list getting guns," she said. "If you are on the list, you shouldn't get the gun."
 
Burr's campaign said ads for the incumbent will start airing Tuesday.

Cox Media Group