A particularly rich poke comes from Representative Tom Latham, Republican of Iowa, who is running against Representative Leonard L. Boswell, a Democrat, whom Mr. Latham refers to in the ad as a “longtime Congressman” even though Mr. Boswell has not served as long as Mr. Latham.

When possible, members like to point out the former ties to Washington of their challengers. One example is an ad produced for Representative Ann Marie Buerkle, Republican of New York, in which “voter” after “voter” refers to her opponent, a one-term former Democratic representative and former Capitol Hill staff member, Dan Maffei, as “DC Dan Maffei.”

Although it is Ms. Buerkle who is currently serving in the House, the ad is meant “to convey the message that he is the consummate Washington insider,” said David Ray, a spokesman for her campaign. “This is a guy who runs fancy ads touting his supposed roots in Central New York when he spent almost his entire adult life in D.C.”

Representative Bill Johnson, Republican of Ohio, wonders why Washington “politicians” like Charlie Wilson, his Democratic opponent and a former House member, “don’t understand a simple notion like accountability,” as if Mr. Wilson were among those lawmakers who now vex the nation. Mr. Wilson, who represented the Sixth Congressional District of Ohio from 2007 to 2011, fights back with an ad that brags about voting against Representative Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat and former House speaker, while in Congress.

Former members of Congress are also in on this game. Ms. Kirkpatrick of Arizona tells voters that she “really likes to drive” to meet people in her would-be district, but not that she took plenty of flights when she served a term in Washington. Likewise, Carol Shea-Porter, a Democrat from New Hampshire, has an ad emphasizing the help she gave to veterans, but never mentions that she did so over two terms in Congress.