March 02, 2012 08:49 PM UTC

New Ad Turns Gas Prices Back On Tipton

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• by: Colorado Pols

From DC-based Public Campaign, on air today hitting freshman Rep. Scott Tipton:

A new television ad by campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign, called “Connect the Drops,” will begin airing in Colorado today to highlight Rep. Scott Tipton’s (R-Colo) votes to maintain wasteful oil subsidies at the same time he was taking campaign contributions from the oil industry donors.

“Gas prices are soaring and oil companies are raking in record profits, so why does Congress keep voting to give Big Oil handouts at taxpayer expense?” asked David Donnelly, national campaigns director for Public Campaign. “One reason might be all the campaign cash oil industry donors are doling out to Scott Tipton and his colleagues.”

The U.S. House has voted repeatedly in the 112th Congress to maintain wasteful oil subsidies. Pending transportation legislation may include a vote to end or continue the subsidies in the coming weeks. Oil and gas interests have donated $7.8 million to federal elected officials already this election cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). Rep. Tipton received at least $103,000 from oil and gas industry donors in 2011, according to Public Campaign analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission and CRP.

Democrats should be relieved to see ads up early hitting back against the use of gas prices by Republicans as a political cudgel. As we discussed last month, and seems more prescient daily as the rote attacks over speculation-induced high gas prices take shape, legitimate market forces aren’t driving this election-year increase–and profits are soaring, not production costs.

Given Tipton’s lackluster fundraising elsewhere, we suppose he’s lucky they’re doing so well.