Cornyn jabs Obama as 'astonishingly liberal' in ad

President Obama isn't on the Texas ballot, but Sen. John Cornyn is making him part of the debate as he seeks a third term.

In a new ad airing on TV and radio, the No. 2 Republican leader takes aim at Obama as a way to emphasize his conservative bona fides to voters.

"Astonishingly liberal," the narrator says as the ad opens with an image of Obama. "An administration that has squandered our trust. Using backhanded methods to change the very fabric of American life. Who stands up to him? John Cornyn."

The message that Cornyn "stands up to Obama every day," as the narrator says, is one the senator is likely to repeat as the March 4 primary draws near.

Cornyn faces a challenge on his right from Rep. Steve Stockman, who is trying to portray the incumbent as a "liberal" Republican who "votes like a Democrat." Cornyn was rated the second most-conservative senator in 2011 and 2012 by National Journal.

The ad running statewide makes no mention of Stockman.

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