Ensign renews complaints to TV stations about Bernstein ads

CARSON CITY - Republican Senate hopeful John Ensign is again asking Nevada television stations to pull an ad he says makes false statements about his anti-abortion stance.

The Nevada Democratic Party began airing the ad over the weekend and will spend $250,000 to keep it on the air the next two weeks. The ad focuses on Ensign's stand on abortion, claiming that on a recent Pahrump TV show, ''Ensign said even an 11-year-old rape victim and her family should have no choice.''

Ensign staffers say the candidate never made such a statement, but Democrats stand behind the ad. The race for the Senate is tightening and recent polls put Democrat Ed Bernstein anywhere from four to 11 points behind Ensign. Ensign had been 20 points up.

''We want to highlight the contrast between the two positions,'' said David Cherry, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. ''The ad gives the citation if people want to look at his comments in full.''

This is the second time the Ensign campaign has asked TV stations to pull an ad they say is misleading. On Aug. 29, Ensign campaign chairman Pete Ernaut urged stations to yank an ad related to Ensign's record in Congress on Social Security and Medicare. No TV stations pulled the ad.

The latest ad is funded by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Nevada Democratic Party, The DSCC is targeting Senate races in Nevada, New York, New Jersey and Nebraska, in an attempt to gain seats in the upper house.

The ad says Bernstein is ''solidly pro-choice'' and repeats that Ensign ''wants to make abortion illegal,'' ''supports a constitutional ban on abortion'' and ''opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest.''

During an Sept. 14 TV show in Pahrump, Ensign was asked about abortions for 11-year-olds who became pregnant from rape. He replied, ''I believe that helping them find a home for that baby is the best thing for them psychologically. And that's why, even with my own daughter, I would do the same for my own daughter. And I would hope that's exactly the choice she would choose.''

The Ensign campaign has been fighting off the abortion attacks with women-friendly ads featuring Nevada first lady Dema Guinn, who is pro-choice, saying she supports Ensign.