Dispute in North Carolina over "Godless" Ad

Image of North Carolina Senate contenders, from left: Elizabeth Dole, Christopher Cole and Kay Hagan. Photo from the Associated Press.

By Alison Baitz

North Carolina Senate incumbent Elizabeth Dole is under controversy because of an ad made and aired accusing Democratic opponent Kay Hagan of "accepting money from 'godless Americans,'" according to Fox News. Dole was asked to take down the ad but refused.

The ad, which began running around North Carolina on Tuesday, "accuses Hagan of attending a 'secret fundraiser' hosted by the Godless Americans PAC last month," according to the article. The ad claims that Hagan "hid from the cameras" and "took godless money" and then features a female voice at the end stating "There is no God."

Hagan said that the voice was not hers. Colleen Flanagan, a spokesperson for her campaign said that "this entire ad was a deliberate attempt to mislead." Dole's campaign claimed that the voice at the end of the advertisement was not implied to be Hagan's. It was a quote reused from earlier in the ad, the voice of a Godless Americans PAC member.

The accuracy of the comments contained in the ad is in question, as the Dole camp claims that it is true, the Hagan camp said that the fundraiser was hosted by 40 people, including Senator John Kerry. Spokesperson for the Dole campaign Dan MacLagan said that the fundraiser was held at the home of a member of the Godless PAC.

Flanagan said that Hagan has not accepted money from the PAC and that the fundraiser was not that of the group. "Campaign finance records, however, show that Woody Kaplan -- who is listed as an advisory board member for the PAC and according to Dole's campaign hosted the September fundraiser -- contributed the maximum $2,300 to Hagan's campaign in September," according to Fox News.