Pipkin challenges Senate colleagues with newspaper ads

Pipkin ad: An identical ad was placed against Sen. JacobsSen. Colburn Responds

On Friday, the congressional campaign of state Sen. E.J. Pipkin placed newspaper ads in the districts of Republican state Senators Richard Colburn and Nancy Jacobs to draw attention to their votes in support of Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget, which Pipkin also voted for.

Pipkin's budget vote has been repeatedly attacked by the campaign and allies of his GOP primary rival state Sen. Andy Harris. Colburn and Jacobs are supporters of Harris, who voted against the budget.

Both Harris and Pipkin are trying to unseat incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest for the Republican nomination in the First Congressional District.

The purpose of the ad distribution, according to a press release from the Pipkin campaign, was to "highlight a problem with the Harris campaign."

"Harris is attacking Pipkin for a vote that Harris' supporters made as well," the release said. "Seven out of fourteen of the Republicans in the state Senate voted for the O'Malley budget. Harris has made that vote a component of his campaign by saying it was a vote for a tax increase."

"Both Colburn and Jacobs voted for this budget. Both are sitting by quietly while Harris distorts their vote as well."

While the Pipkin campaign contends "the budget had nothing to do with taxes," Harris' campaign manager, Chris Meekins, disagrees.

"(Pipkin's) support for the budget undermines his claim that he is a fiscal conservative," Meekins said during an interview today with PolitickerMD.com.

"The budget vote was a vote for wasteful government spending," Meekins added.

Meekins said he was "extremely disappointed" that Pipkin "would attack fellow state senators who are not running for office." He went on to call the newspaper ads "embarrassing."

Pipkin campaign manager Mike Brown, who placed the ads, said, "These ads are about Harris distorting the record on taxes.

Colburn, for his part, responded to the ads in a letter to the editor piece written for the shore-based newspaper, The Star Democrat. When contacted by PolitickerMD.com, Colburn provided a copy of the editorial, which is scheduled to appear in tomorrow's newspaper.

"Last week, an advertisement was placed in this newspaper attacking me by E.J. Pipkin," Colburn said.

"Pipkin has shown he will sink to desperate measures to try to win this election," he later said. "The misleading and dishonest attack by Pipkin is an embarrassment to the voters and unbecoming of a state senator."

Brown took a different view on Friday, saying, "There are many Republicans who are doing nothing to correct the record as Andy Harris attempts to lie his way into Congress. We decided that we would help the senators realize that the truth should be pursued."

Jacobs could not be reached for immediate comment.