National group drops anti-Landrieu ads

• By MARSHA SHULER AND GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Oct 16, 2008 - Page: 13A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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A national Republican group is dropping its television advertising campaign to derail Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s re-election bid, according to reports Wednesday.

Republican challenger John Kennedy’s campaign immediately said the race would not be affected by the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s decision.

“Obviously, we knew about it,” said Kennedy spokesman Lenny Alcivar on Wednesday afternoon.

Kennedy was unavailable for comment because he was preparing for Wednesday night’s nationally televised Senate forum, Alcivar said.

“The truth is that decision doesn’t impact this race very much at all. Our game plan from the very beginning did not include that the NRSC would put in the amount of time and money it did,” Alcivar said.

The Republican senatorial committee has invested tens of thousands of dollars in the Louisiana race with heavy doses of television ads critical of Landrieu’s record.

Three calls placed to Rebecca Fisher, spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, went unreturned.

Alcivar said the Republican committee’s decision is not a reflection of Kennedy’s chances of unseating Landrieu but more reflective of what’s happening on the national scene. Committee financial resources are being diverted to help re-elect incumbent Republican U.S. senators who are facing stronger than expected Democratic challenges, Alcivar said.

“Other races that were once deemed safe are not so,” Alcivar said.

Landrieu campaign spokes-man Scott Schneider declined comment.

Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Roger Villere said the senatorial committee people “did not call or sit down with us and tell us what they are doing.”

State GOP spokesman Aaron Baer said the committee is “playing defense in some areas they did not expect to be playing defense. It’s certainly a reflection of where things are nationally, not locally.

“Those of us at the state party and on the Kennedy campaign have to work a little harder, but we were planning on doing that anyway,” Baer said.