A Big Ad Buy From Back in the Senate-Race Pack

If few Maryland voters are familiar with the name Josh Rales , many more certainly will recognize the Montgomery County businessman and U.S. Senate candidate by the Sept. 12 primary.

Rales, one of 18 Democratic candidates for the open seat, yesterday launched ads in both the Washington and Baltimore media markets -- on cable and network television. An aide said Rales, who is pumping millions of his own money into the race, will be on the air in the Salisbury area later this month, and he's promising to remain on TV nonstop through Election Day.

"We will spend whatever we need to, to get the message out," said spokeswoman Alyson Chadwick .

That message, delivered in two 30-second spots, is more political than personal. In the first ad, Rales pledges to "vote to bring our troops home within a year" if elected to the Senate. Casually dressed in a blue button-down, with an American flag rippling in the background, Rales also says he'll press for alternative energy sources.

The second ad -- filmed in front of a gas pump that displays prices of more than $3 a gallon -- portrays Rales as an outsider not beholden to corporate interests.

"For decades, the oil industry has given millions in contributions to politicians," he says. "It's no surprise we're still held hostage to foreign oil."

A Washington Post poll conducted late last month showed Rales attracting only 1 percent of the vote among registered Democrats, putting him in the lowest tier of the six candidates included in the survey. Former congressman and NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume led Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin by six points, 31 to 25 percent, the survey showed. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

The good news for Rales: The survey suggests that a third of the primary electorate has yet to choose a candidate.

Jennifer Duffy , editor of the Cook Political Report, said Rales can skim votes from the front-runners if "he becomes seen as the alternative."

"I think the stars need to align for Rales to win the primary, but his willingness to spend his own money means that he can have an impact on the outcome," she said.

A spokesman for Cardin, a 10-term congressman who has led in fundraising, said the campaign is not surprised by the ads. "It will take more than an open checkbook to win this race," said Oren Shur. "Maryland voters are looking for a candidate who understands their concerns and has a record of getting things done."

Cardin has paid $680,000 to reserve TV time in Washington and Baltimore during the two weeks leading up to the primary.