The Foundation for a Security and Prosperous America will air the ad nationally on Fox News Channel. Hawks will hit Rand in $1 million TV blitz www.politico.com/p/pages/2016-elections

Shortly after announcing a presidential bid, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul moved aggressively to counter a $1 million ad campaign — launched by a group calling for a hawkish foreign policy toward Iran — that criticized Paul as weak and aligned with President Barack Obama.

“The Washington machine is worried that our message is resonating across all 50 states. These attacks are false,” said senior Paul adviser Doug Stafford.


The Foundation for a Security and Prosperous America, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, will launch the ad on broadcast TV stations in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — the four states with the earliest presidential primaries and caucuses — as well as nationally on Fox News Channel.

The 30-second spot will hit Paul on Wednesday — the day after he is set to announce his presidential bid in Louisville, Kentucky — for comments he once made suggesting that Iran doesn’t pose a national security threat to the United States. The wave of ads is slated to run through Sunday.

“Sen. Paul supports Obama’s reckless negotiations with Iran, stands against new sanctions that would hold the regime accountable, and says it’s crazy to think Iran is a threat to our national security,” said Lisa Boothe, a spokeswoman for the group.

The ad accuses Paul of sharing foreign policy attitudes with President Barack Obama and juxtaposes pictures of the two men while a narrator says “Rand Paul is standing with him,” and “Rand Paul supports Obama’s negotiations.”

“Rand Paul is wrong and dangerous,” the male narrator says. “Tell him to stop siding with Obama.”

The ad ends with images of street violence and a mushroom cloud, as the narrator says, “One Iranian bomb would be a disaster.”

But Paul’s camp rejected the characterization of his views on Iran.

“Senator Rand Paul has voted for Iran sanctions and continues to believe that Iran should be forbidden from acquiring nuclear weapons,” Stafford said. “Senator Paul will oppose any deal which does not guarantee Iran giving up its nuclear ambition. Finally, any deal with Iran should be approved by Congress and not exclusively by the Obama administration.”

The largest part of the ad buy, $300,000, is marked for Fox News and will be accompanied by digital ads in the early primary states.

In Iowa, the ads will air in the Des Moines and Sioux City media markets; in New Hampshire, the ads will air in the Manchester market; in South Carolina, the ads will air in the Charleston and Greenville-Spartanburg markets; and in Nevada, the ads will air in the Las Vegas market.

The spots are slated to run 80-100 times per day in each market, according to the group.