The National Organization for Marriage as an independent expenditure group has HIT Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell with this television commercial.

A national group opposed to gay marriage on Monday launched 30-second ads attacking Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell for his stance against Proposition 8, the 2008 voter-approved initiative to define marriage in the state constitution as between a man and a woman.

The New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage said it is spending $275,000 on ads that suggest Campbell, a moderate Republican, is not much different from “liberal Barbara Boxer.” The ads are largely airing on cable television with large numbers of Republican voters, including the Sacramento region, San Diego County and Orange County, according to NOM executive director Brian Brown.

They are first television ads to air for or against any of the U.S. Senate candidates in California this year. Brown said NOM paid for the ads as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, which is not required to disclose its donors.

The NOM ad makes two points about Campbell’s positions last year supporting some temporary tax hikes to help offset a $40 billion budget deficit, suggesting that his tax views are little different from Boxer’s. The ad’s final point is that Campbell opposed Proposition 8, like Boxer.

Frankly, I am suprised that the IE conservative groups have have come out this early. Guess they want to erode Campbell’s poll lead before Carly Fiorina begins her television ads.

This is an effective contrast ad and along with Campbell’s problem with Israel and supporting Islamic terrorists will be played over and over again as the June primary approaches.