Harry Reid's new slam: Sharron Angle soft on domestic violence

Harry Reid&#039;s ad campaign suggests that Sharron Angle is soft on domestic violence.

(Image credit: Getty)

last updated 8 January 2015

The video: In his fight to keep his Nevada seat, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) has unleashed a new "tough-hitting" campaign ad (watch below) that paints his Republican challenger, Sharron Angle, as historically sympathetic to those who commit domestic violence. "Imagine you've been abused by your spouse," says the ad's narrator. "You get a restraining order and move your family to Nevada thinking you'll be safe. In the state assembly [in 2001], Sharron Angle voted to prevent restraining orders from other states from being enforced in Nevada. It would have made Nevada a safe haven from domestic abusers."

The reaction: The failing economy — not domestic violence — is "the No. 1 issue for Nevada voters," says Laura Myers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Obviously, this ad is simply intended to divert people's attention away from this sore talking point. With Angle still polling decently, says Greg Sargent in The Washington Post, Reid's "relentless and systematic" team is focusing on Angle's legislative record. "The goal of the ad, obviously, is to continue driving up Angle's negatives with women." Check out the spot: