The spot was paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which supports Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee.

12:49 PM EDT on Tuesday, October 4, 2005

BY JOHN E. MULLIGAN and MARK ARSENAULT
Journal Staff Writers

WASHINGTON -- With more than 11 months to go before the primary election, the Rhode Island Republican Senate race went negative yesterday:

Video

Still from the NSRC campaign advertisement

National Republican Senatorial Committee ad against Stephen Laffey

Stephen Laffey ad against special gas interests

* The Senate GOP campaign organization televised an attack ad in Rhode Island that paints Cranston Mayor Stephen P. Laffey as a "slick" guy who criticizes oil companies today as a Senate candidate, but once "ran a company selling oil stocks" and "made a fortune." The spot features a cartoon-graphic of oil oozing over an image of Laffey.

* Laffey fired back at Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's vote this year for a Senate energy bill that would have given "billions in tax breaks to the oil companies" and at Chafee's acceptance of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the petroleum industry.

* Chafee accused Laffey of "hypocrisy" and said the mayor was warned in advance that national Republicans would "play hardball" if Laffey challenged his reelection to the Senate.

* Chafee, Laffey and their campaigns argued about the kind of gas mileage they get in the cars they drive.

The day's exchanges, brewing backstage for weeks, are a reminder that Chafee's reelection campaign carries national implications, high stakes and the strong possibility of record-high Rhode Island spending and advertising battles.

The launch of the negative ad also suggests how seriously Chafee's allies take the challenge from Laffey, a former investment banker who portrays himself as an outsider who ran for mayor to save his hometown from bankruptcy.

Yesterday's spray of charges and countercharges also illustrates a blend of campaigning -- fact, exaggeration, artful omission, indignation, humor and aggression -- that often marks big-time political races but has rarely hit the Rhode Island political scene this early in the game.

The first blow was struck by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, whose chairman, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, of North Carolina, bluntly warned Laffey that his candidacy would not be looked upon favorably, according to Chafee.

The Republican senatorial committee last week telegraphed its line of attack in a printed broadside that scored Laffey for criticizing the oil industry in an ad that he ran as he declared his candidacy last month. The national committee portrayed politician Laffey's line of criticism as being at odds with the actions of Laffey the businessman, including oil-stock transactions.

Laffey's spokeswoman, Robin Muksian-Schutt, said it's true that his company worked on stocks from the oil industry -- and many other industries as well.

But she said Laffey's company worked on transactions from many industries -- not just oil. "That was his job," she said. Muksian criticized Chafee's vote in June for an energy bill in the Senate that contained more than $2 billion in tax breaks for the energy industry.

Chafee's office acknowledged that vote. But Chafee added that he later voted against the final version of the energy bill. Chafee spokesman Stephen Hourahan said, moreover, that Chafee "felt comfortable" with the earlier, Senate version of the bill because the oil-industry tax breaks were balanced with high auto fuel efficiency standards and tax breaks for alternative energy sources. Those provisions were missing from the final bill, so Chafee opposed it, Hourahan said.

Yesterday the exchange escalated with the GOP committee's broadcast of the 30-second attack on Laffey. As an announcer asks, "Have you seen this guy Steve Laffey?" the ad shows an image from Laffey's own kickoff ad of last month. The voice says that the "same Steve Laffey" who criticized oil companies once "ran a company selling oil industry stocks on Wall Street. Profiting from offshore oil drilling. The oil companies made a fortune. Steve Laffey made a fortune."

As the spot returns to the clip of Laffey pledging to "stand up to special interests," a graphic technique drips "oil" over the screen, including Laffey's image. The announcer concludes, "Slick. Steve Laffey. Laughing all the way to the bank."

Chafee said in an interview yesterday that, although he had nothing to do with it, the ad aired by Dole's committee is a "legitimate" jab at Laffey's "hypocrisy."

Chafee also joined in criticism, offered last week by his campaign staff, of Laffey's use of "gas-guzzling cars." Chafee, who drives an energy-efficient car, said politicians must "lead by example" on issues such as energy.

Yesterday afternoon, Laffey gathered reporters on the sidewalk outside Chafee's Senate office on Westminster Street in downtown Providence. He criticized Chafee for his June vote on the energy bill and the campaign contributions he has accepted from oil companies.

"Now, you tell me what's worse, a guy whose family has an SUV because he has five kids, two dogs and a cat, or a guy like Lincoln Chafee who voted to give billions in tax breaks to the oil companies and pockets thousands in campaign contributions from them," he said.

The Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington group that monitors campaign contributions, has reported that Chafee's energy-industry contributions in recent years include a total of $6,000 from political organizations representing Exxon, Halliburton, Occidental Petroleum and the Petroleum Marketers Association.

Laffey also blasted the GOP senatorial committee for running the ad against him and challenged Chafee to a series of debates. He also needled Chafee as the beneficiary of inherited wealth. "If it will make him feel more comfortable, I'll even debate him at the yacht club of his choice," Laffey said.

"You have to wonder, why aren't the Washington Republican bosses running negative TV ads against Sheldon Whitehouse? Why aren't they attacking Matt Brown?" Laffey said, naming the two Democrats in the race for Chafee's seat.

Chafee campaign manager Ian Lang acknowledged Chafee's acceptance of oil-industry contributions but said: "Actions speak louder than words," and Chafee has often voted against the interests of the oil industry.

Lang said Chafee looks forward to debating Laffey later in the campaign.

Chafee said of the timing of the national GOP campaign's ad against Laffey, "It seems awfully early."