Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is up on the air with a new ad. Watch the video:

Mark Begich has pledged to be an open and honest leader for Alaska. He’ll disclose all his meetings, release all his financial records, and he won’t accept any special treatment. Read his Ethics Pledge, and get more information on the Begich Ethics Plan on his website.

We’ve known for a while that Mitch McConnell’s priority in the U.S. Senate is protecting George Bush from political fallout. McConnell has shattered all records for Senate obstructionism, using filibusters more than any previous Senate minority leader. What’s more, the Roadblock Republicans admit that they’re doing it all for the sake of partisan politics.

Remember what Trent Lott, the former number-two Republican in the Senate had to say about McConnell’s strategy of obstructionism? “The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail ... so far it’s working for us.” And make no mistake… the “us” Lott was referring to is Mitch McConnell’s Republican caucus.

So it comes as no surprise that in his re-election campaign, McConnell is willing to put partisan politics above everything else… including facts and honesty. Now two of his home state’s most important newspapers are calling him out for a dishonest campaign ad that blames his opponent – Democratic businessman Bruce Lunsford – for the disastrous economic policies of George Bush and the Republican Party.

The Courier Journal has this to say:

Mitch McConnell's first ad in this year's Senate campaign in Kentucky is so silly and pointless that it seems like a spoof from a political satirist.

If only it were. Then maybe there would be hope that the minority leader of the United States Senate was going to talk about real issues, instead of probing the political depths to determine how many voters can be fooled one more time.

McConnell’s hometown paper, the Herald Leader, not only takes him to the woodshed for the content of his dishonest ad, but makes a great point about what Kentuckians should expect from their elected leaders:

He's confusing an already perplexing picture at a time when the country desperately needs to hear the truth. We need campaigns that illuminate the nation's challenges, and energy is at the top of that list. Until we understand where we are and how we got here, we can't build a more secure future.

McConnell, who was congressional chair of the first Bush inaugural and has risen to his party's highest rank in the Senate, should have a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to share with Kentuckians.

And yet he feeds us distortions.

The fact is, Mitch McConnell can’t stand on his own record, and knows that he’ll have to rely on distortion and misdirection if he’s to have any hope of winning this election.

For more on the Kentucky Senate race, see our race profile page, or visit Bruce Lunsford’s website.

Longtime Republican obstructionist Pat Roberts recently launched his re-election campaign with a standard-issue, more-of-the-same partisan attack. We know why Roberts is so nervous about keeping his Senate seat: it’s because Kansans are getting more and more familiar with his legacy of obstruction, and at the same time, they’re learning more and more about Democrat Jim Slattery.

Slattery’s first TV ads focus on the new challenges facing our country, and the need for fresh leadership in Washington. Here’s the first one:

Slattery’s other ad, “Apollo,” makes a striking point about exactly how long Pat Roberts has been a Washington fixture:

For more on the Kansas Senate race, check out our race profile page, or visit Jim Slattery’s website.

was fighting for Oregonians long before he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives. As executive director of Portland’s Habitat for Humanity Merkley committed himself to putting the needs of Oregon’s working families first. And as Speaker of the Oregon House, he led the charge against predatory lenders, and helped drive shady payday lenders out of business.

The son of a sawmill worker, Jeff Merkley spent his early years in Roseburg, where he learned the value of honest work, good schools, and strong families. Jeff worked hard, earned scholarships and became the first in his family to go to college. He has served as a national security analyst, first for the Pentagon and then for Congress. After returning to Oregon with his wife Mary, Jeff led Habitat for Humanity and worked with low-income families to rebuild neighborhoods and purchase their first home. He was elected to Oregon’s House of Representatives in 1998, and became Speaker of the House when he led the Democratic takeover in 2006.

Merkley has been gaining ground on Republican Gordon Smith in recent weeks. A new poll shows Merkley beginning to pull even:

The new survey, by Rasmussen Reports, pegs Merkley at 43 percent with 41 percent for Smith. When voters who lean toward one of the candidates are included, the two are tied at 46 percent. This is the first time an independent poll has not shown Smith in the lead this year.

For more on the Oregon Senate race, check out our race profile page, or visit Jeff Merkley’s website.

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu has launched a new campaign ad, talking about some of her accomplishments for Louisiana. Check it out:

In addition to her crusade for Gulf Coast reconstruction, Landrieu has been a Senate leader on issues ranging from education to providing equipment for our troops in Iraq. Time and again, she’s proven herself to be a hard worker who gets results for the working families in her state.

For more on Louisiana’s U.S. Senate race, see our race profile page, or visit Mary Landrieu’s website.