Wiviott goes negative in TV ad attacking Luján

Posted 5/19/2008 12:45:00 AM

Democratic 3rd Congressional District candidate Don Wiviott went negative over the weekend with a TV ad hitting primary opponent Ben R. Luján as a do-nothing politician who earns a hefty paycheck simply because his father is the speaker of the state House.

Here’s the ad, which began airing on Saturday:

“Most New Mexicans work hard to make it on their own. Not Ben Ray Lujan Jr.,” the ad states. “Lujan was a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas before his famous father got him a state job. Now Lujan makes $90,000, but he didn’t show up to 13 of the 14 meetings of the health commission.”

“Lujan Jr. doesn’t even show up,” the ad states.

The ad then calls Wiviott “the better choice” and identifies him as “a successful homebuilder, community leader and former union member.”

Update, 1:25 p.m.

In an e-mail to supporters, Luján campaign manager Carlos Trujillo called Wiviott’s ad “false and misleading” but didn’t explain why it’s false and misleading. Still, he called the ad a “Republican Swift Boat-style smear campaign.”

“We always knew this was coming. Ben’s the frontrunner with the support of the people,” Trujillo said in the e-mail. “Our opponent’s only way to win this campaign is to personally attack Ben through shady mail pieces and misleading television ads.”

The ad then asks for donations, saying giving money will help people “stand up for Ben Ray Luján against Texas multimillionaire developer Don and his deceptive personal attacks.”