New York Republican congressional candidate Jim Tedisco unveiled a new TV advertisement today showcasing the positive new direction his campaign is taking since he commandeered his ad content from the National Republican Congressional Committee.
This new direction, as evidenced by the ad, does not entail attacks on Tedisco's opponent, Democrat Scott Murphy -- nor does it include an emphasis on party affiliation.
"Like the president says, in these difficult times, we're not Republicans or Democrats," Tedisco says in the ad. "We're Americans, and that's the team I'm on."
Tedisco shifted his strategy after a poll showed last week that his once-commanding 12 point lead had dwindled to four. The poll (PDF) also showed that likely voters didn't like Tedisco's ad campaign.
Downplaying party affiliation is a tactic familiar to Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, who distributed fliers that misidentified him as a Democrat during his 2006 campaign for a Senate seat from Maryland.
If Tedisco loses the special election to fill the seat vacated by Senate appointee Kirsten Gillibrand, it could mean trouble for Steele, whose chairmanship of the RNC has been roundly criticized from within the party. The March 31 election in upstate New York will be the first under his watch.