NASHVILLE (AP) - Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander is launching a new television ad on Monday that features testimonials from a series of Tennesseans about his accomplishments as governor and in Washington.
The ad will be the second to run statewide for Alexander, who is seeking a third term this year. His first ad featured Sen. Rand Paul, a tea party favorite from neighboring Kentucky.
Campaign adviser Tom Ingram said the new ad will serve to remind constituents about the senator's record in bringing the auto industry to Tennessee, his support for hunting and fishing in the state and using his seniority to help the Lee University choir land a role at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2012.
The new ad runs 60 seconds - double the normal length of TV spots.
Primary opponent Joe Carr, a state representative from Murfreesboro, has argued Alexander is not conservative enough for Tennessee voters. Carr's campaign announced this week that he had raised $250,000 in the fourth quarter, after drawing just $52,000 in the previous reporting period.
Ingram declined to say how much the campaign is spending on the new ad, but added that it will "more than rival" the total amount Carr said he raised in the quarter. Alexander spent nearly $400,000 to broadcast his first spot in the third quarter, according to campaign finance disclosures.
Alexander's year-end fundraising results have not yet been announced. He had $2.8 million remaining on hand through the first three reporting periods.
The laudatory ad comes weeks after Alexander's office was rocked by the arrest of the senator's chief of staff, Ryan Loskarn, on charges of possession and attempted distribution of child pornography. Alexander promptly fired Loskarn.