Ed Patru, spokesman for U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon, says the campaign has no plans to pull an ad featuring former President John F. Kennedy, despite a request from Kennedy's nephew to do so.
In fact, Patru said, the campaign is considering giving the web ad an even higher profile by putting it on television.
"Kennedy proposed across-the-board tax cuts because he recognized that a high tax 'reduces the financial incentives for personal effort, investment and risk-taking.' That was the case 47 years ago, and it's the case today,'' Patru said in an email.
"And it's worth remembering that when Kennedy proposed those cuts in 1963, he had plenty of opposition in his own party from big-government politicians like Dick Blumenthal who today are calling for not only higher taxes on businesses, but also a massive middle class energy tax."
Edward M. Kennedy Jr., son of former Sen. Ted Kennedy and nephew of JFK, called the ad "dishonest" and, in a letter to the McMahon camp asked for the Republican candidate to issue a retraction. But, Patru said. "we obviously cannot issue a retraction for something JFK said, besides, we agree with him 100%."
"Ted Kennedy, Jr. and Dick Blumenthal both support higher taxes,'' Patru added. "Linda supports tax cuts. They just have a philosophical difference."