Mica Campaign Hits Adams on New Ads

By Ben Terris  //  August 6, 2012 | 11:08 a.m.

Sure, the upcoming member-member primary between GOP Floridians Reps. John Mica and Sandy Adams is in large part about philosophical differences. It's about a longtime legislator, one who has fought for earmarks in the past and worked his way up to chair the powerful Transportation Committee, versus a newly-elected tea party stalwart still hell-bent on changing how Washington works.

But today, it's also about tattling. Not everything in a congressional campaign can be about lofty ideas.

The Mica campaign is hitting Adams for a series of new advertisements that they say break a longstanding House rule. The ads in question -- entitled "Cheerleader" -- contain images and scenes from the State of the Union. According to the House Ethics manual, "Broadcast coverage and recordings of House floor proceedings may not be used for any political purposes."

As a response, the Mica campaign has sent a letter to stations broadcasting the ad, urging them to "refrain from broadcasting" it.

"Throughout this election, the Adams campaign has used distortion and mistruths to attempt to win an election," Mica campaign consultant John Dowless said in a statement. "In this last desperate attack it appears they may have crossed the ethical line, disregarding a long-standing House Ethics Rule to prevent political use of official C-Span broadcasts." The letter also notes that the House Rules Committee has been notified. "John Mica's desperation knows no bounds. He will do anything he can to cover up the fact that he is President Obama's best cheerleader," said Adams spokeswoman Lisa Boothe.

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