Gomez, Winslow Ask Sullivan To Disavow Ads By Outside Group

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez is asking one of his rivals, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan, to disavow a conservative group's radio and TV ads attacking Gomez.

The ads by the Conservative Campaign Committee point to a $230 campaign contribution from Gomez to candidate Barack Obama in 2008 during his Democratic primary battle against Hillary Clinton. Gomez says he made the contribution at the request of a friend, and voted for Republican presidential nominee John McCain against Obama in the general election.

The ads also point to a letter from Gomez to Gov. Deval Patrick in which Gomez promised to work with the president if appointed to the interim U.S. Senate seat.

Gomez says Sullivan should make these charges himself.

"Look, if you've got issues with me, at least be man enough to bring them up face to face," Gomez told WBUR at a campaign event in Wilmington on Wednesday. "You don't have to hide behind some out-of-state extreme group."

The third Republican candidate, Norfolk state Rep. Dan Winslow, is also asking Sullivan to denounce the group because its chairman, Lloyd Marcus, has called the gay rights movement "dangerous." The group is also running ads against Winslow.

"What is surprising is Mike Sullivan's continued silence when asked repeatedly to disavow the support of such groups," Winslow said in a statement issued by his campaign.

"We don't have any more influence with them than Gomez or Winslow do," Sullivan's campaign manager, Paul Moore, told WBUR.