Rep. Tom Cotton is making light of his Arkansas opponent's recent jab at his military service in a new ad featuring his real-life drill sergeant.
The freshman Republican congressman, who's taking on incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor, debuted a new campaign ad this week that pokes fun at Pryor's recent comments on MSNBC.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
The senator, who was first elected in 2002, said that while he respects Cotton's military background, he feels it also gives him a "sense of entitlement."
"When I look at Congressman Cotton's record, I don't see where he's passed a bill, I don't see where he's really accomplished anything in the House and he seems to have run for the House just in order to run for the Senate," Pryor said.
"I have total respect for [his military career], I appreciate that. I will never criticize anyone for serving our country," he continued. "In the Senate, we have all kinds of different people, all kinds of different folks that have come from all kinds of different backgrounds and I think that's part of this sense of entitlement that he gives off. It's almost like 'I served my country, therefore elect me to the Senate.' That's not how it works in Arkansas."
Cotton, who rose to the rank of captain during his four-year stint in the Army, begins the new, 30-second ad by directly addressing his opponent's comments.
"Sen. Pryor says my military services gives me quote, 'a sense of entitlement,' so I brought in an expert," Cotton says, as a drill sergeant shouts directions at him.
The official, Army Reserve Master Sgt. George Norton, was Cotton's actual
drill instructor during basic training, according to the Washington Examiner.
The latest Arkansas state senate polls have
Pryor with a 3-point lead over Cotton — 46 to 43 percent.
Urgent: Assess Your Heart Attack Risk in Minutes. Click Here.