Attorney Bob Lord (D), hoping to oust Rep. John Shadegg (R) in the Republican-leaning 3rd district, has released a statement repudiating remarks that House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) made regarding defense spending — though not what Frank said on taxes.

Last week, Frank suggested in a meeting with the editorial board of a Massachusetts newspaper that Congressional Democrats would “eventually” push to raise taxes and cut defense spending by 25 percent.

The National Republican Congressional Committee immediately pounced on the remarks and attempted to tether them to Democratic House candidates.

Lord, running a surprisingly competitive race against Shadegg in the solidly conservative suburban Phoenix district, said Monday that he is against cuts to defense spending, although he did not reject Frank’s statements on tax increases.

“We are fighting a war on terror, and to win it we need to be both tough and smart in our allocation of resources,” Lord said in a statement released by his campaign. “I strongly disagree with Rep. Barney Frank’s recent proposed cuts.”