Brown, Warren Reach Deal On Third-Party Ads

Updated at 1:00 pm, January 23rd, 2012

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his chief Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren have both signed a pledge to curb political attack ads by outside groups.

Warren on Monday sent a letter to Republican incumbent Brown urging him join her and sign an agreement to prevent third-party ads. Brown, who had initially proposed the pledge, signed the deal minutes later.

Top level staffers for both candidates failed to reach a deal during a meeting last week.

Warren in her letter said “we don’t want outsiders running this election” and said her agreement sews up loopholes in a proposal Brown made last week.

Brown suggested that each candidate donate half the cost of any third-party ad to charity if that ad either supports their candidacy or attacks their opponent.

Warren says it’s a historic agreement to try and curb third-party influence.

“If we do this it will be the first time that any two campaigns have gotten together like this and tried to hold out third-party groups,” she said.

Brown, in a statement, called the agreement a “great victory for the people of Massachusetts.”

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom