On the same day a conservative group went after former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) with a carpetbagger theme, he put up his first ads, one of which is called “Welcome Home.”

It is part of Kerrey’s first big ad purchase in his run for Nebraska Senate. The first round will be part of a $100,000 buy that will air statewide, including on broadcast television. Nebraska is a relatively inexpensive state, so in that context, it’s a substantial buy.

The “Welcome Back” ad features a montage of man-on-the-street interviews featuring people praising Kerrey.

“It’s good to be home,” Kerrey says at the end of the ad.

Also included is an ad called “Step Up.”

In other Nebraska political news, Politico reported today that the man Kerrey is hoping to replace, retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D), “has returned $500,000 that the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent in a controversial effort to bolster his reelection efforts last year.”

Last fall, the DSCC spent substantial amounts of money on television advertising, and Republicans questioned the legality of the method.

Questions were asked at the time about the wisdom of spending money on a candidate who topped retirement lists.

“Ben Nelson was being attacked viciously … and we’re not going to sit back and watch one of our members just be inundated and not be there to support him,” DSCC Chairwoman Patty Murray said on the issue in December. “And that’s why we were there for Ben.”