Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) shot back at New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with the first ad of any Democratic senator in the 2014 campaign, slamming Bloomberg and his group for going after Pryor on gun control.
"The mayor of New York City is running ads against me because I opposed President Obama's gun control legislation," Pryor says in the ad. Nothing in the Obama plan would have prevented tragedies like Newtown, Aurora, Tucson or even Jonesboro. I'm committed to finding real solutions to gun violence while protecting our Second Amendment rights.
"I'm Mark Pryor, and I approve this message because no one from New York or Washington tells me what to do."
The ad is a response to one the Bloomberg-backed Mayors Against Illegal Guns released late last week, which targeted Pryor for being one of four Democratic senators to vote against an amendment that would have expanded background checks on gun purchases. The amendment failed to pass through the Senate last month.
The ad also serves as some proof that the debate over at least some elements of gun control has shifted. It's safe to say that a red-state senator, even a Democrat, wouldn't have felt this much heat in prior debates. But a Public Policy Polling survey released earlier this week showed that the issue could be a political liability for Pryor.
MAIG and some progressive and liberal groups have pledged to hold accountable the four Democratic senators who voted against the background check measure. The group has also gone after Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Kelly Ayotte (N.H.).
Watch Pryor's ad below:
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