Alito ads stirring little interest

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Opponents and supporters of the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. have bought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of TV and radio ads, but senators in battleground states say their constituents aren't listening.

"We really haven't been hearing about it," said Rodell Mollineau, a spokesman for Sen. Mark Pryor, Arkansas Democrat. "It's been pretty silent."

Arkansas has been the focus of two ad campaigns, one of which attacks the groups attacking Judge Alito. Those groups, according to the ad by the conservative Committee for Justice, support partial-birth abortion and burning the American flag, and oppose pornography filters on public library computers.

"Do these groups represent you?" the commercial says. "If not, call your senators. Tell them to support Judge Alito."

The calls haven't arrived, Mr. Mollineau said.

Like a few other Democrats from conservative states, Mr. Pryor supported the confirmation of John G. Roberts Jr. as chief justice and has been targeted as a potential Alito supporter.

Ads attacking Judge Alito are running primarily in Maine and Rhode Island, liberal-leaning states represented by Republicans in the Senate.

"It has not been a groundswell," said Stephen Hourahan, press secretary for Sen. Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island Republican. On Friday, for instance, the office received two phone calls on the issue, which the spokesman said is typical.

"Once we get into the hearings, that's when people will get fired up," said Mr. Hourahan, adding that the few calls the office has received have been mainly from pro-Alito forces.

Jen Burita, press secretary for Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said the office has received "several hundred" e-mails and letters since the nomination.

"They're pretty evenly divided," she said. "We have not noticed any increase since the outside special-interest groups began airing the ads."

Sean Rushton, executive director of the Committee for Justice, said he is not concerned.

"Senators hate to have ads run in their states and will always downplay the impact those ads have," he said. "Believe me, they wish we weren't running them."

His group's ads have been running in Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Montana, Arkansas and Colorado -- all conservative states with at least one Democrat in the Senate.

"The majority of letters and calls have been supportive," said Kyle Downey, spokesman for Sen. John Thune, South Dakota Republican. Still, the number of calls and letters has been lower than the number received after Chief Justice Roberts was nominated.

Mr. Rushton said his groups ads were designed mainly as a shot across the bows of Democrats with conservative constituencies.

"Also, it inoculates their constituents from the left's inevitable attack campaign," he said. "Once this issue heats up and the left is crying filibuster, those senators will remember that this issue has been raised in their constituents' minds."