Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) likes to tout himself as one of the most bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate, but he's still using President Barack Obama as a threat in his fundraising efforts against Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren, a former Obama administration consumer finance watchdog.
Recently, Brown described his bipartisan bona fides this way to The Huffington Post: "I'm not going to be leaving blood and teeth on the floor. We've got plenty of people who want to do that right in here. ... People seem to understand and remember why they voted for me and ... that I'm the second most bipartisan senator here. It's a good thing."
His ability to reach across the aisle has been a key theme of Brown's campaign, and he's even been invited to the White House twice recently for bill signings.
But in a new fundraising email, which was apparently sent to an out-of-state list, the senator sounds a decidedly partisan tone.
"I know there are several other GOP campaigns to support, but this race is THE battleground for the United States Senate -– the only sure hedge to a potential second term for President Obama," Brown wrote in the appeal.
While such emails are common, campaigns -- especially those of junior senators just two years in office -- generally have to purchase out-of-state email lists. Brown has been insistent in contrasting his campaign with Warren's by saying her campaign is the creation of out-of-state groups and Washington interests.