Claims Department: U.S. Senate

SPONSOR

Kay Hagan Senate campaign

WHAT THE AD SAYS

AUDIO: "We need to level the playing field for families around here. Washington stopped working because the special interests just have too much power -- oil companies getting tax breaks while we get record gas prices, local jobs shipped overseas and the big corporations and CEOs keep getting rewarded while North Carolina gets left behind. I'm Kay Hagan, and no one can promise they'll change things overnight, but I approve this message with a pledge to begin leveling the playing field -- because it's time we got started."

IMAGES: The ad begins and ends with Hagan in a suit, speaking to the camera. In between are images of four people in various settings: at a gas pump, at a diner, in front of a locked gate.

WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS

On June 10, Republicans blocked an attempt in the U.S. Senate to end debate on a bill that would have rolled back $17 billion in tax breaks for oil companies. The bill, pushed by Democrats, failed.

The average national price of unleaded gasoline reached a record high of $4.11 a gallon on July 17, according to AAA. The picture becomes more complex when inflation, disposable income levels and other factors are taken into account.

The loss of large parts of North Carolina's manufacturing sector -- particularly furniture and textiles -- to overseas plants is well-documented. Recent years have also seen unusually large corporate profits and executive compensation packages.

It's an individual judgment as to whether special interests have "too much power."

IS THE AD ACCURATE?

Yes.

DAVID INGRAM, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER