Gore airs first commercial of Democratic presidential campaign
October 14, 1999
Web posted at: 5:35 p.m. EDT (2135 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Al Gore will run the first commercial of the 2000 Democratic presidential campaign Thursday night, criticizing Senate Republicans for rejecting the nuclear test ban treaty.
The commercial, which aides said was written by Gore, shows the vice president talking at length about the treaty rejected Wednesday night by the Senate. "Unless we get this one right, nothing else matters," the vice president says.
Gore has begun using a "stand and fight" theme to attack his challenger, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, noting that Bradley retired from the Senate in 1997. By criticizing Senate Republicans for rejecting the treaty, Gore also hopes to reinforce that theme, campaign aides said.
In addition, the spot outlines a key difference between Bush and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the Republican presidential front-runner. Bush opposes the treaty.
"I believe campaigns should be about the future and there's no more important issue than stopping the spread of nuclear weapons," Gore states in the spot.
The commercial began running Thursday night on national networks and on local stations in the key early states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
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