by John McCormick, updated
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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – As Sen. Barack Obama started running a biographical ad nationwide on cable television Monday, it was quickly criticized by his leading Democratic primary challenger.
Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign charges that Obama violated a pledge to not campaign in Florida, after the state decided last year to move up its primary to next week in violation Democratic National Committee rules.
Whether it was a true violation remains murky. The pledge was something promoted last year by state party leaders in early voting states, not the DNC.
“Clearly the Obama campaign has decided not to fulfill that pledge,” former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Clinton campaign supporter, said in a conference call with reporters.
Obama’s campaign responded by saying that it is not possible to make a nationwide cable ad buy that does not include Florida.
“For that reason we consulted with … South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler who told us unequivocally she did not consider this to be in violation of pledge made to the early states,” Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement.
In an Obama conference call this evening, Florida Rep. Robert Wexler called the Clinton charge “silly and a bit of an exaggeration.”
Campaign manager David Plouffe said Obama has no plans to campaign in Florida.
“We made a commitment to the early states,” he said. “The second point is there are no delegates at stake, so we will not be campaigning in Florida.”
Tribune colleague Glenn Thrush has a related post linked here.
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