Foreigners blamed in new Angle and Reid ads

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada's contentious U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Sharron Angle and Democrat Harry Reid, have finally found some common ground - American jobs shouldn't go to foreign workers.

New TV spots in their ongoing ad war portray foreigners as economic villains, and the candidates blame each other for not doing more to revive the sluggish economy.

The ads could resonate with voters of all backgrounds in Nevada, which leads the nation in both illegal and unemployed workers.

Angle continues to paint Reid as a friend of illegal immigrants in a new campaign ad flush with images of suspicious, dark-skinned men.

The TV spot repeats her previous claims that Reid supports special tax breaks and tuition rates for illegal immigrants and asks, "What does Harry Reid have against you?"

Reid's ad highlights a different sort of foreign worker: the overseas employees of American companies. The ad calls Angle "a foreign worker's best friend."

The TV spots are the latest in a string of nasty attack ads in the dead-heat race considered a must-win for both political parties.

Reid, the Senate majority leader, has used direct quotes from Angle in his ads to portray her as extreme and crazy, while Angle has honed in on Reid's immigration record and blamed him for Nevada's 14.4 percent unemployment rate.

In the latest duel over foreign workers, both sides lean on shaky facts.

Reid tried last month to push through legislation to let illegal immigrants who attend college or join the military become legal U.S. residents.

But he has not supported special financial incentives for illegal immigrants. He does, however, support offering them the same protections and rights as legal residents if they join those ranks.

Nevada has the largest percentage of illegal workers in the country, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Angle, meanwhile, has not said she wants jobs to be sent overseas.

Reid's campaign says its ad is accurate because Angle opposed a stimulus bill that closed some tax breaks for companies operating overseas.

Angle's principal complaints about the legislation had to do with the federal government spending more public dollars on the economy.

Many Republicans oppose tax increases that could discourage businesses from expanding and hiring more workers.

Angle's campaign said its focus on Reid's immigration record "has sunk in with the voters...and Reid knows it." Reid's campaign called Angle's spot a "despicable, fear-mongering ad."