Influence Alley

Arizona Republican Rep. Jeff Flake's campaign is out with a new attack ad against Democratic opponent Richard Carmona in a tight race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

Doom music, a scary story and a close-up shot with soft focus -- is this among the most chilling campaign ads this season? In it, Carmona's former boss, Cristina Beato, says he "has issues with anger, with ethics and with women." Beato is a former Health and Human Services senior official, and here's what she says in the ad:

"There was an angry pounding on the door, in the middle of the night. I'm a single mom. I feared for my kids and for myself. It was Richard Carmona and I was his boss. Carmona is not who he seems. He has issues with anger, with ethics and with women. I have testified to this under oath to Congress. Richard Carmona should never, ever be in the U.S. Senate."

Carmona is the former U.S. surgeon general, who worked under Beato. Her account in the ad refers to her 2007 congressional testimony.

In response to the ad, Carmona campaign manager Alexis Tameron stated in an email: "These allegations are completely false." He goes on:

Dr. Beato is a partisan who was caught trying to politicize science at HHS and couldn't be confirmed to a post because she lied on her resume. It's no secret that Dr. Carmona pushed back on her attempts to spin science for political gain, but this accusation is a work of fiction. Congressman Flake's decision to run this false ad is deplorable and shows how desperate he is.

Here's the ad: