As the May primary draws closer, Indiana's Republican candidates for Senate are getting their hands dirty -- we took a closer look at the latest series of ads between incumbent Senator Dick Lugar and his challenger, State Treasurer Richard Mourdock.
The first claim targets Richard Mourdock's defense of his attendance record during his time as state treasurer. Dick Lugar argues that Mourdock has missed a sizable number of days during his term, including days he took off to campaign.
But, according to records form the State Board of Finance, Mourdock has missed 14 meetings since 2008 -- roughly 33-percent of all of the Finance Board Meetings.
Mourdock's ad argues that his "office" has attended 99-percent of those meetings -- clearly not addressing his own attendance.
Our verdict: Misleading.
The next claim targes a longstanding debate between lugar and his opponents. Last month, Mourdock claimed that Lugar shouldn't be elegible to run for office because he has not owned a home in the state since he was first elected in 1977.
The Lugar campaign acknowledged that fact to WFFT last month, but argued that several state attorneys general have ruled that Lugar is allowed to maintain residency as long as he serves in Washington. Lugar also owns a family farm in Indiana, and spends much of his year visting the state.
Our verdict on the claim: True.
The third and final claim is a case of context -- One of Lugar's latest ads quotes John Ketzenberger of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute as saying one of Lugar's budgets was "Rediculous... Too goofy for words."
WFFT contacted Ketzenberger to see if the quotation was taken out of context. Ketzenberger says maybe.
In the original quote, Ketzenberger was referring to Mourdock's plan for cutting $17 billion from the national budget. However, Lugar's ad frames the quotation in the context of his record as Indiana's state treasurer.
Our verdict: Misleading.
Click below to see the ads in full:
Richard Mourdock's ad
Dick Lugar's ad
The first claim targets Richard Mourdock's defense of his attendance record during his time as state treasurer. Dick Lugar argues that Mourdock has missed a sizable number of days during his term, including days he took off to campaign.
But, according to records form the State Board of Finance, Mourdock has missed 14 meetings since 2008 -- roughly 33-percent of all of the Finance Board Meetings.
Mourdock's ad argues that his "office" has attended 99-percent of those meetings -- clearly not addressing his own attendance.
Our verdict: Misleading.
The next claim targes a longstanding debate between lugar and his opponents. Last month, Mourdock claimed that Lugar shouldn't be elegible to run for office because he has not owned a home in the state since he was first elected in 1977.
The Lugar campaign acknowledged that fact to WFFT last month, but argued that several state attorneys general have ruled that Lugar is allowed to maintain residency as long as he serves in Washington. Lugar also owns a family farm in Indiana, and spends much of his year visting the state.
Our verdict on the claim: True.
The third and final claim is a case of context -- One of Lugar's latest ads quotes John Ketzenberger of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute as saying one of Lugar's budgets was "Rediculous... Too goofy for words."
WFFT contacted Ketzenberger to see if the quotation was taken out of context. Ketzenberger says maybe.
In the original quote, Ketzenberger was referring to Mourdock's plan for cutting $17 billion from the national budget. However, Lugar's ad frames the quotation in the context of his record as Indiana's state treasurer.
Our verdict: Misleading.
Click below to see the ads in full:
Richard Mourdock's ad
Dick Lugar's ad
