The Courier-Journal says Charlie Owen is running the first attack ad in the race. The Herald-Leader says Owen's attack is not responsible. Owen ignores Baesler's real record, but the real record doesn't lie. Scotty Baesler has voted repeatedly to balance the budget and protect Social Security. Baesler began running this ad on Tuesday in an attempt to counteract the Owen ad.
Reality is far more complex.
But Owen's ad fails to mention that Baesler voted for the budget bill when it first came out of the House, and that Baesler has supported similar bills on several other occasions. Owen has issued a position paper saying he supports a balanced budget, but since he has never held elective office, he has no voting record to compare. Baesler voted yes on that bill, and says he didn't know the tax break for companies was in there at the time. He then voted in favor of repealing the break later. The description of Owen's ad as the first attack ad of the campaign is accurate.