Brown hits Shaheen on VA scandal in new ad

New Hampshire Republican Senate candidate Scott Brown on Monday released an ad that attacks Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) for the scandal at veterans health clinics while touting his own military service.

{mosads}Brown narrates the ad, which features a shot of the former National Guards member in uniform and clips of him speaking to veterans.

“Thirty-five years as a member of the Army National Guard. I retired this year as a Colonel,” Brown says in the ad.

“I’m proud of the men and women I served with, but the Obama-Shaheen economy is not working for them or anyone else. Veterans deserve better than long waits for patient care — a national scandal,” he adds.

Brown goes on to pledge to “get health care back on track and focus on more good jobs for everyone.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been under fire since April, when it was revealed that dozens of veterans died while waiting for services at a VA hospital in Arizona. Republicans have slammed Obama for the scandal, charging it’s another example of the incompetence of the Obama administration.

The release of the new ad came the same day that Shaheen rolled out the endorsements of more than 100 veterans in her state.

And it highlights what the Brown campaign sees as a strong asset — his record on veterans’ issues. As a senator from Massachusetts, Brown served on the Veterans Affairs Committee, and cosponsored a number of bills to secure benefits and government protections for veterans.

Shaheen has made her own play for veterans, however, touting her work to bring a veterans clinic to Keene, N.H. in an earlier ad. While Brown’s considered a top GOP recruit to challenge her, Shaheen has held onto a steady lead in every survey of the race since he jumped in.