This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Democratic congressional candidate Donna McAleer, in her first campaign television ad, accuses her Republican rival, Rep. Rob Bishop, of leading last year's government shutdown and voting to keep Hill Air Force Base closed.
Bishop's campaign called that assertion "dishonest and misleading."
The new spot talks about the 16-day shutdown and says, "Bishop led the effort. Bishop manipulated the rules and voted against reopening Hill Air Force Base."
It then shows McAleer telling a group on the street, "It's time to give this guardian of gridlock a well-deserved retirement."
Bishop, seeking a seventh term representing Utah's 1st District, is not usually mentioned as the leader of the shutdown, or even as one of its top orchestrators.
Turner Bitton, McAleer's campaign manager, pointed to House roll-call votes No. 512 and No. 550 last year as proof of the ad's claims. One shows Bishop joined all House Republicans in a party-line vote to reject a Democratic move to allow continuing appropriations for national parks, the Smithsonian and the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Bitton also noted newspaper articles that said Republicans on the House Rules Committee, including Bishop, blocked Democratic bills to reopen the government and instead allowed only versions presented by the GOP leader or his designee.
"It's too bad that she has resorted to negative and untruthful attacks like this," said Bishop's campaign chairman, John Newhall. "Ms. McAleer may find it acceptable to be dishonest and misleading but we don't. Rob has always fought to protect Utah's civilian defense workers as well as active duty and reserve personnel at Hill Air Force Base. To suggest anything different is simply wrong."
Bitton returned fire, saying, "I'm disheartened to hear that Rep. Bishop's campaign is calling into question the integrity of someone who has spent her career serving our country with distinction."
McAleer is a West Point graduate and a former Army officer.
Bitton said McAleer's campaign has not finalized how big of a media buy it will make for the TV ad, but expects it will be on broadcast and cable channels. Meanwhile, it is available online at YouTube, and the campaign has been spreading word about it via social media.
Bishop and McAleer, who sparred earlier in the campaign about the shutdown, ran against each other two years ago, when the Republican incumbent won by a 3-to-1 margin.