Democratic group counters anti-Cazayoux ads

• By SARAH CHACKO
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Aug 9, 2008 - Page: 14A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Radio advertisements countering accusations about U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, and making new ones about his Republican opponent state Sen. Bill Cassidy, started airing Friday.

The ads, funded by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, say Cassidy stands with special interests, particularly drug companies.

“The special interests have their candidate. Don Cazayoux stands up for Louisiana,” the advertisement concludes.

Cassidy, a Baton Rouge doctor, said Friday the ads are hypocritical.

“If you look at the money Don has raised, $200,000 came from special interests in Washington, D.C.,” Cassidy said. “Ninety-nine point nine of the money I raised came out of Baton Rouge.”

State Rep. Michael Jackson, No Party-Baton Rouge, will also be in the Nov. 4 general election for the 6th U.S. Congressional District seat.

Cassidy said he makes no apologies for going anywhere to advance research in Louisiana, to promote the LSU medical school, or to benefit the state’s patients. He said his only association with pharmaceutical companies for the last two years has been through research done at LSU, which has allowed patients’ access to medicine they otherwise would not have.

“If people criticize that, it gives you an idea of who those people are,” Cassidy said.

The DCCC, a political organization dedicated to getting Democrats elected to Congress, also says Freedom’s Watch, a self-described conservative policy group, is doing Cassidy’s “dirty work.”

The DCCC launched a Web site dedicated to discrediting Freedom’s Watch, which aired advertisements accusing Cazayoux of blocking legislation that would expand domestic energy production, despite his pro-drilling stance.

The Web site: http://www.therealfreedomswatch.com mentions that Freedom’s Watch has ties to high-ranking Republicans and calls their campaign tactics “shady.”

The DCCC made several complaints about Freedom’s Watch to the Federal Elections Commission during the spring election and says the organization had a “deceptive” ad pulled from a Baton Rouge television station.

Freedom’s Watch spokesman Ed Patru said in an earlier interview that there was a “superficial” dispute over language in the questioned ad and time restraints did not allow for the ad to be resubmitted for airing.