VoteVets.org, a group representing veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that supports Democratic candidates, is up with a new television ad that raps Sen. John Cornyn (R) for failing to support the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (S. 22/ H.R. 5740).

VoteVets.org has placed a 36-hour buy on broadcast and cable television in the San Antonio and Waco media markets, which encompass Fort Hood and Fort Sam Houston, respectively. The buy was worth 184 gross ratings points in San Antonio and 110 GRP in Waco, although VoteVets.org declined to reveal how much it was spending on the ad’s limited run.

State Rep. Rick Noriega (D), who has been endorsed by VoteVets.org and is challenging Cornyn in November, used the ad to criticize the Republican incumbent in a news release his campaign sent out on Tuesday.

“As a member of the Texas National Guard and an American, I am proud to give our troops the tools they need on the battlefield, but I know they will also need new tools when they return home. That’s why I support the bipartisan Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Act that would give our brave men and women the kind of GI Bill education benefit they deserve,” Noriega said in a statement.

The Cornyn campaign dismissed the charges of VoteVets.org as unfounded and accused Noriega of playing gutter politics.

“The anti-war crowd is determined to use our men and women in uniform for their political advantage, even if our national security is jeopardized in the process,” Cornyn campaign spokesman Kevin McLaughlin said. “The fact that Noriega would associate himself with a group that attacks John McCain [R-Ariz.], an American Hero by any standard, will not go unnoticed by Texans.”

— David M. Drucker