Hagan and Dole Campaign Spar Over Age

Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s (R-N.C.) re-election campaign is charging Democrats with attacking her for her age.

At issue is a new Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) ad that features two men in rocking chairs who debate whether Dole is “92” or “93.” The men say that they’re referring to her rank as being 93rd in attendance and having voted 92 percent of the time for measures backed by President Bush. They also note that Dole has been in Washington for 40 years.

“Forty years is a long time to spend in Washington with nothing to show for it but a record of ineffectiveness and partisanship,” said DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller in a release about the ad.

Dole is 72. Her campaign responded to the ad Thursday by charging her Democratic opponent, state Sen. Kay Hagan, with insinuating that she was 92 or 93 years old.

“For the record, they exaggerated Senator Dole