Republican state Sen. Mick Mulvaney on Monday released his first ad in his high-profile matchup against House Budget Committee Chairman Democrat John Spratt in South Carolina’s 5th district.

The ad, which is airing throughout the district, is a biographical spot that features the state Senator and his wife, Pam. It does not mention Spratt but lays the groundwork for some of the lines of the attack that Mulvaney may use against the 14-term lawmaker in later ads.

A major issue on the campaign trail has been Spratt’s support of the health care overhaul, which Mulvaney said was a vote against the interests of his constituents.

“We’re not going to let the government control our health care because it doesn’t stop at health care and it doesn’t just mean health care — it means jobs,” Mulvaney says in his new ad. “I’ve got employers that say we can’t afford to stay in business.”

Mulvaney’s camp did not release the exact cost of the buy but said it was in the six figures and that it will be on the air for 14 days on broadcast and cable television.

Mulvaney released a poll last week that showed the contest to be a dead heat, though Spratt said last week that his own internal polls show him ahead “by enough to give me a little bit of breathing room.”

National party officials are closely monitoring what many race watchers think will be the toughest race of Spratt’s 14-term Congressional career. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has already reserved more than $1 million worth of TV time in the district this fall, and the National Republican Congressional Committee has committed to spending money in the district in the coming months.