AdWatch: The Governor's Race

by Samuel King (king@wsbt.com)

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A campaign ad for Jill Long Thompson allleges that her opponent Jim Schellinger opposes cutting gas taxes.

A campaign ad for Jill Long Thompson allleges that her opponent Jim Schellinger opposes cutting gas taxes.

By WSBT News1

Story Created: Apr 30, 2008 at 2:47 PM EST

Story Updated: May 1, 2008 at 10:12 AM EST

The presidential candidates are not the only ones running political ads this year. Gov. Mitch Daniels and the two Democrats who want to replace him, Jill Long Thompson and Jim Schellinger, have bought thousands of dollars of ad time across the state. In AdWatch, WSBT News examines the claims being made by those candidates.

“Jim Schellinger opposes cutting gas taxes,” a narrator said in the ad.

This statement is true. Schellinger feels that cutting the gas tax would be too expensive. Long Thompson's plan would cost the state $100 million.

The Schellinger campaign objects to Long Thompson's use of the words "gas tax" in the ad.

There are actually two state gas taxes you pay per gallon — a state excise tax and a state sales tax. Long Thompson's plan would eliminate the smaller gas sales tax, if prices went above $2.75 a gallon, which they are now.

“Schellinger made millions lobbying to raise property taxes to pay for expensive schools he designed,” a narrator said in the ad.

This statement needs clarification. Schellinger did speak in front of school boards across the state to support their plans to build new schools his company would build. Some critics have charged some of those buildings were too expensive, and forced the local school corporations to raise taxes. But there is no evidence Schellinger himself had anything to do with raising taxes.

“Her claims against me are meritless and false,” Schellinger told WSBT News.

Long Thompson stands by her ads. In response, Schellinger has made attacks of his own on Long Thompson's record in Congress.

“Jill Long Thompson voted to cut Medicare, she even voted to cut Social Security, and for unfair trade deals that ship our jobs overseas,” said a narrator in the ad.

This statement needs clarification. Long Thompson did vote for an amendment to cut Medicare spending in 1993, and voted for an amendment cutting Social Security in 1994. She also voted for GATT — the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and for granting China most favored nation trading status.

She did vote against NAFTA. And she says Schellinger is trying to distort her record.

“I have in past campaigns been endorsed by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, have been a strong fighter for senior issues, have a very strong record on trade,” Long Thompson told WSBT News.

Even though Gov. Daniels is unopposed in Tuesday's Republican primary, he's running ads based on his record. He said he turned the state's finances around without raising taxes and improved the economy. Critics have said he's taking credit for things out of his control. They point out he's raised the cigarette tax in the past and the sales tax this year to pay for property tax relief.

For more election headlines and voter resources, go to WSBT.com's Campaign ‘08 section.

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