The Airwar: Warner keeps it going with first ad offering

It seems former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner can do no wrong these days.

Apart from being a heavy favorite for retiring Sen. John Warner’s (R-Va.) seat in a historically red state, the Democrat is knocking the ball out of the park with his advertising as well.

{mosads}Warner has polled far ahead of former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) in every public poll on the race and, according to a survey of political insiders by Wilson Research Strategies, Warner’s first ad of the campaign displays why.

His bio ad talking about his work on the state’s budget earned rave reviews across the board, with Democrats, Republicans and independents all scoring it over 7 on a scale of zero to 10.

Wilson Research Strategies political director Tyler Harber said Warner’s ad was “one of the best we’ve ever tested.”

“The message and presentation effectively connects with voters from across the political spectrum,” Harber said. “Clearly, the campaign has found the right message.”

Warner’s 60-second spot features the Republican former chairman of the state Senate finance committee and several other witnesses who attest to Warner’s work in fixing a budget shortfall.

Warner was popular when he left office and was thought to be a top presidential or vice presidential contender until he entered the Senate race.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) didn’t do quite as well with one of her initial offerings.

An ad featuring North Carolinians talking about Dole’s “clout” on saving military bases and local agriculture scored a 5.3 overall, slightly above the survey’s average.

Republicans gave it a 6.1, while Democrats and independents both scored it below 5.

“This ad is rather vanilla in its effect outside of her party,” Harber said.

Dole faces a potentially difficult reelection battle against state Sen. Kay Hagan (D), who has polled within the margin of error in some surveys.

Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) is even more imperiled against former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D), and he appears to draw some benefit from an independent ad praising his work against Internet taxation.

The ad, paid for by conservative nonprofit Citizens United, scored a 5.1 overall, including a 5.4 from independents and a 6 from Republicans.

In other ads tested, a Republican National Committee (RNC) ad lambasting Obama’s short résumé and “present” votes in the Illinois legislature scored a 5.3, and a National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Web video calling Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) a “Boulder liberal” scored just a 3.9.

Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) “hope” mantra is used in a clever way in a MoveOn.org ad, which mimics ads that talk about people living with sexually transmitted diseases. But it scored just a 4.6 overall.

Working with The Hill for its Air War feature, Wilson Research Strategies e-mails campaign or issue ads to survey participants who view the ads and rate their effectiveness on several criteria.