BRUNSWICK — Independent Angus King released his first television ad in his bid for one of Maine’s U.S. Senate seats from his campaign headquarters in Brunswick on Friday morning.

The ad’s mostly a re-introduction of the former Maine governor, touting the candidate’s ability to “think independently.” It’s scheduled to air on television Friday evening, according to a message to supporters from King’s finance director, Justin Schair.

Toward the ad’s end, King says he can “get things done and shake up Washington.” It also says as governor from 1995 to 2003, King “lowered taxes, fixed roads and schools, protected open spaces and got the highest bond rating ever.”

Lance Dutson, campaign manager for Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summers, who has polled in a distant second place to King so far this campaign cycle, beat the ad’s launch with his own message to supporters Friday morning.

In it, he referenced a Summers campaign ad that was released Tuesday. That was the first ad paid for by a campaign to air since the primary season.

“In reaction to our ad, Angus King’s campaign has been forced to shift their strategy. Instead of building up a warchest to sit on and running out the clock on this election as he had planned, Angus has had to react to the shift in momentum by going up on TV earlier than expected,” Dutson wrote.


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