NEWARK, N.J. - In his first television ad of the fall campaign, U.S. Senate candidate Tom Kean Jr. confronts viewers with an image of Robert Torricelli, the Democratic senator who scrapped his 2002 re-election effort amid ethics problems. The picture of Torricelli appears next to a picture of Kean's opponent, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. After the announcer recounts criticism of Menendez renting a building to a nonprofit group for which he obtained federal funds, she says: "The Star-Ledger says Menendez, 'is just one scandal away from becoming the next Bob Torricelli.'"Federal agents have reportedly subpoenaed records from the nonprofit agency. Menendez has denied he is under investigation. Ethics have taken center stage in the campaign, with allegations of impropriety flying from both sides. The ad, which the Kean campaign said is to begin airing Tuesday, comes five weeks before the Nov. 7 election in a race considered about even by independent polls. Allegations regarding the rental property emerged in August and the Kean ad may reinforce those stories, said Rider University political analyst David Rebovich. "This seems to be an attempt to do that and keep the issue alive, to sustain the issue in the minds of New Jersey voters," Rebovich said Monday.
"A lot of imagery and a potent message are packed into this short ad," he said. Besides Torricelli, the ad features a female announcer, Rebovich noted, adding that she may be employed in an effort to reduce the traditional advantage that Democratic candidates in New Jersey enjoy among women.