Ads On Donations From Atheists Continue In North Carolina Senate Race

As previously reported, North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole created substantial controversy by running an ad against Kay Hagan, her opponent in Tuesday's election, alleging that Hagan took a contribution from supporters of the Godless American PAC. Hagan ran a counter-ad and filed a defamation suit. (See prior posting.) McClatchy Newspapers today report that now Dole is running a second ad (video clip) that includes an announcer asking: "If Godless Americans threw a party in your honor, would you go?" Dole says she is not questioning Hagan's faith, just her associations. Dole also filed a motion to dismiss Hagan's lawsuit as frivolous. According to the AP, Hagan says she wants to talk about the issues, and the ads are a distraction from the race. Rev. Sekinah Hamlin, president of the N.C. Council of Churches, strongly criticized Dole's ads attacking Hagan, who is a Sunday school teacher at a Presbyterian church.