Sen. Norm Coleman's latest TV ad again hammers DFL opponent Al Franken over the seamier side of his comedic past, while Franken takes shots on TV at Coleman over the $600 monthly rent he's paying for his Capitol Hill digs.

In an ad released statewide Tuesday, the Coleman campaign quotes four Minnesota DFLers to make the point that even some Democrats are unhappy about Franken's history.

The commercial features a snippet from a TV ad aired by Priscilla Lord Faris, the St. Paul attorney who is considered Franken's leading challenger in the Sept. 9 DFL primary. The clip shows Lord Faris warning that Franken's off-color humor and business stumbles "will continue to be the focus" should he carry the DFL banner into the fall campaign against Coleman.

Coleman campaign manager Cullen Sheehan said those quoted "are the people who know Al Franken best" -- U.S. Reps. Betty McCollum and Tim Walz, DFL Feminist Caucus co-founder Jeri Rasmussen and Lord Faris.

None of them are identified in the ad, except for Lord Faris. Walz and McCollum are quoted as saying in late May that a 2000 fantasy article by Franken on virtual sex that ran in Playboy was "inappropriate." Both have since endorsed Franken. Rasmussen's remark that Franken's "butt jokes" made her "a little uncomfortable" was made in 2004.

Franken spokesman Andy Barr said: "From his too-cozy relationship with special interests to his falling in lockstep with George W. Bush, it's clear why Norm Coleman is desperate to distract from his record."

The Franken ad

The Coleman ad comes several days after Franken unveiled one with a twofold message. The ad seeks to clear the air on Franken's tax problems, saying "he gave speeches across the country; instead of paying taxes in the states where he spoke, he overpaid taxes to the state where he lived. It was an honest mistake."

At the same time, the ad clobbers Coleman for paying $600 a month to live in "a million-dollar D.C. home owned by a Washington insider connected to powerful lobbyists."

Sheehan called the ad "a lie" because it features a picture of a richly decorated formal living room, suggesting space that Coleman uses. But the living room is part of the unit rented by the family upstairs from Coleman, Sheehan said.

The Franken ad also says Coleman "is being investigated" for his living quarters. A watchdog group has asked the Senate ethics committee to probe possible gift rule violations; whether an investigation actually is occurring can't be confirmed because the committee doesn't reveal what it's doing unless there's some kind of resolution.

Dan Hofrenning, a political science professor at St. Olaf College, said the Senate race has featured more negative ads than usual to this point in the campaign -- and there are still nearly three months to go.

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455