The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is slamming U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack for footage from his first television campaign commercial, which shows him and his family at the Lindstrom house they sold when his wife and two sons relocated to the East Coast last year.
"Who does Congressman Cravaack think he's fooling? Any Minnesota resident knows the truth -- Congressman Cravaack sold his house to move to New Hampshire, but now he's pretending he still lives there in his first re-election TV ad," said Haley Morris of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a group that works to elect Democrats to the U.S. House.
"Congressman Chip Cravaack can keep trying to avoid tough questions, but middle class families know that Minnesota has never been Congressman Cravaack's top priority."
Residency questions from state and national Democrats have dogged Cravaack ever since he announced that his wife and two sons were moving out of the Eighth District. His wife, a pharmaceutical executive, earned a job promotion to Boston that necessitated the move, he said. When his family left Minnesota, Cravaack bought another home in the district, in North Branch.
Ben Golnik, a spokesman for the Cravaack campaign, said candidates often recycle footage to save money on campaign commericals. Golnik said the ad, "Fourth Grade," is no longer in rotation.
"While Washington, D.C., critics continue their desperate attacks on inconsequential issues like two-year-old b-roll footage, Chip Cravaack will continue to focus on the important issues facing the 8th District and the country: skyrocketing debt, stagnant economy and high unemployment," Golnik said.
Former Democratic Congressman Rick Nolan is challenging Cravaack in the 8th District, which is expected to be one of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country.
Here's a look at the ad, which shows Cravaack and his family on the front porch of the home and frolicking against a woodsy backdrop:
