Pro-Jack Conway super PAC ad sharpens focus on Matt Bevin's refusal to release tax returns

cn|2 Pure Politics ^ | 8/25/2015 | Nick Storm

[Republican Wildcat]

Democratic super PAC Kentucky Family Values is sharpening their messaging in their latest TV with a focus on Republican gubernatorial nominee Matt Bevin’s refusal to release his tax returns.

The 30-second ad released on Tuesday by the pro-Jack Conway PAC focuses on the “tradition” of gubernatorial candidates releasing their tax-returns for public inspection as a candidate.

The ad also turns to the previous tax delinquency claims made by the campaign of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in the 2014 GOP primary against Bevin, and numerous Democratic attacks in the gubernatorial campaign this year.

“It’s a tradition in Kentucky,” A male narrator says in the ad. “Candidates for Governor release their taxes, but not Matt Bevin.”

Bevin first told Pure Politics that the issue of tax filings was a distraction in the Election.

“I think people who want to be titillated by and distracted by things that have nothing whatsoever to do with building a better economy, they’re going to always want to talk about chickens or other peoples’ tax returns or whatever they want to talk about. It’s nonsense,” Bevin told Pure Politics in June.

While Bevin has flatly refused to issue returns when asked by reporter, he has said he will regularly release his income tax filings if elected.

...

The super PAC ad also goes back to the now stale attack over delinquent taxes against Connecticut-based Bevin Brothers Manufacturing Co. and Bevin’s $1.25 million Maine vacation home — claims refuted by independent fact checkers in 2013.

[SomeCallMeTim]

Bevin is making the same mistake he did against Mitch.... He’s allowing these attacks to go unanswered. Is he broke? Or, does he just have no answer?

He needs a response, ASAP....or, he’s toast.

[Republican Wildcat]

I guess he thinks the RGA ads attacking Conway will be a sufficient off set. They are not - they are attacking Conway, but not defending himself. He has money to write himself a check and get a response ad on. The RGA can’t do everything for him and will stop doing what they are doing now if he allows himself to lose footing.

Another of many mistakes he made in the race against McConnell was appearing in the ads personally and attacking McConnell vs. use of a narrator - a mistake I certainly hope he doesn’t repeat this time around...he hasn’t repeated a lot of the other mistakes he made in that race so maybe he won’t repeat that one.

He should run two ads - one with a narrator highlighting the false attacks by Jack Conway and “his liberal allies” and highlighting that he made these attacks “even after independent fact checkers confirmed they were false - he just repeats what he knows to be untrue. Jack Conway...too liberal and too dishonest for Kentucky.” And a second ad to run concurrently with a completely a soft one of his family - biographical / entirely positive - both in heavy rotation statewide for two weeks then follow-ups through election day.