Massachusetts Democratic Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ed Markey released their first ads of the Massachusetts Senate campaign Tuesday.
Markey, the favored candidate of the Massachusetts and national Democratic establishment, focused on gun control in his spot.
"Long before tragedy swept our nation," says a narrator. "It was Markey who forced the Chinese to stop exporting assault weapons to our country."
"Now Ed Markey's joined President Obama, fighting for tougher gun laws to make our communities safe," the narrator continues. Markey says, "In the Senate, I'll keep standing up to the gun lobby. I want these guns off our streets, and that's why I approve this message."
The focus on Markey's long support for gun control seems like a jab at Lynch, who supports Obama's push for new legislation on the issue but once voted against an assault weapons ban as a member of the Massachusetts State House.
Lynch's ad is much more biographical, focusing on his working-class background, his upbringing in public housing (the Old Colony Project in South Boston) and his experiences having a postal clerk for a mother and an ironworker for a father.
"In Congress, I've learned that doing what's right means knowing when to compromise, and when to stand firm," Lynch says in the ad.
Markey campaign spokesman Andrew Zucker told HuffPost that the team is not releasing the size of the ad buy, but he did say it was a significant, statewide purchase. Lynch's buy is over $200,000, according to his campaign.
Markey leads Lynch by almost 30 points, according to a recent UMass-Lowell poll, ahead of the primary on April 30.
WATCH: Markey's ad
WATCH: Lynch's ad
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