Sittenfeld to air first Senate TV ad

WASHINGTON — P.G. Sittenfeld will launch a mini-advertising blitz Tuesday, airing the first TV spots of Ohio’s 2016 Senate race in five key media markets during the Democratic presidential debate.

The three ads — an effort to boost Sittenfeld’s low name recognition among Ohio’s Democratic primary voters — do not detail Sittenfeld’s biography or his record as a Cincinnati city councilman. Instead, they tout Sittenfeld as a "new voice" with a progressive agenda and cast both of his opponents as part of the status quo.

Sittenfeld is competing with former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland in the Democratic primary. The winner is expected to face Republican Sen. Rob Portman in next year’s general election.

Sittenfeld's first ad opens with images of three Democratic presidents, including John F. Kennedy, before cutting to Sittenfeld. Looking into the camera, the 31-year-old Sittenfeld says he’s running for the Senate to offer a “new agenda. … One that works to reduce inequality, cut student loan debt, expand retirement security and protect our environment.”

In the most pointed spot, Sittenfeld calls for a series of debates with Strickland. "It’s time to debate reducing income inequality, cutting the cost of college, stopping gun violence and fighting climate change," he says. "I’ve called on Ted Strickland to step up and join me in a series of debates. Unfortunately, he’s refused."

A spokeswoman for Strickland did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dale Butland, a spokesman for Sittenfeld, declined to say how much the campaign is spending on the one-day ad campaign. But he said the ad will air on stations in the Democratic strongholds of Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, and Youngstown during a break in the first debate of the Democratic candidates for president on CNN.

A Quinnipiac Poll released last week showed that an overwhelming majority of Ohioans — 86 percent — don’t know enough about Sittenfeld to have an opinion about him. That survey showed a tight race between Portman and Strickland.

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“He isn’t as well-known as either of his opponents," said Butland, and the ads "will allow many voters to meet P.G. for the first time.”

The ads come at a time when most of the focus in the Senate race is on fundraising, with the three contenders scrambling to post big quarterly totals to prove their viability.

Portman’s campaign announced last week that the GOP incumbent had raised more than $2 million in the third quarter and ended the quarter with more than $11 million in the bank.

Strickland's campaign said Monday the former governor had raised $970,741 in the third quarter and had more than $1.5 million cash on hand at the end of September.

Sittenfeld raised $229,000 in the same period, according to his campaign, and he closed September with $784,000 in cash. Butland acknowledged in a statement that those numbers were lower than his previous fundraising reports, but dismissed suggestions that Sittenfeld was losing steam.

Butland pointed to a second campaign account — a pro-Sittenfeld super PAC called New Leadership for Ohio — that he said raised an additional $370,000 in the third quarter. Candidates are barred from coordinating with such independent committees, which, unlike traditional election accounts, can raise unlimited sums from well-heeled donors.

Ohio’s Senate match-up is already one of the most closely watched contests in the country, with the outcome expected to help determine which party controls the Senate in 2017.