Guthrie hits radio waves with gas price focus

State Sen. Brett Guthrie (R-Bowling Green) has jumped on the air with a new radio ad blasting so-called “brain dead politics” as a contributor to high gas prices in the United States.

The candidate for the open 2nd Congressional District is up “across the district” with the ad, according to a campaign release.

During the ad – which clocks in at over a minute long – Guthrie targets “Washington” for failing to solve the gas price issue.

(Listen to the ad here, on Guthrie's campaign web site)

“The truth is Washington is stuck. Too many folks in Congress don't want to expand domestic energy producion, even though America is sitting on resources that rival Saudi Arabia's,” says Guthrie in the advertisement. “All the while gas prices go higher and higher. That’s what I call brain dead politics – and it’s wrong.”

Guthrie also embraces one of the standard energy planks other Kentucky Republicans have been touting as a solution to high gas prices throughout the young general election season – immediate expanded domestic oil production.

“My energy plan? A comprehensive solution - more conservation and more energy production in America to lower prices and make us less dependent on the Middle East,” says Guthrie. “Let’s use clean Kentucky coal, develop offshore oil, and boost new technology and let’s do it all right now.”

“The U.S. is sitting on vast resources that Congress prohibits us from using. Our country needs to take control of its energy future, for economic and national security purposes,” Guthrie added in a statement released to announce the ad.

The ad buy is the first for Guthrie and the first in the general election campaign in the 2nd District race, where Guthrie faces fellow state Sen. David Boswell (D-Owensboro).

In recent public polling, Boswell was shown with a small lead – within the margin of error - over Guthrie in the traditionally-Republican district. Guthrie’s camp, however, said this polling was unreliable as it was conducted prior to any ad buys – a means with which the Republican candidate hopes to push back against Boswell, as mentioned in conjunction with their announcement of a successful fundraising effort thus far.

The 2nd District seat is open following the announcement of the retirement of incumbent U.S. Rep Ron Lewis (R-Cecilia), who has held the seat since 1994.

Guthrie joins his fellow Republican candidate Anne Northup (R-Louisville) as a Kentucky contender targeting gas prices with a new radio ad.

Northup went up last week with an ad in her bid to reclaim the 3rd Congressional District seat she lost to incumbent U.S. Rep John Yarmuth (D-Louisville) in 2006. Throughout her campaign, Northup has pushed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the outer continental shelf as a principal solution to high gas prices.