September 3, 2008 Bradley, Stephen release their claws Play video

(NECN: Lauren Collins, NH) - In New Hampshire, that state's primary is coming up on Tuesday and the political ads are throwing barbs across the airwaves. It is especially intense among the Republicans who want a run against incumbent Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter.

With the primary next week, First District Republican hopeful Jeb Bradley readies a final ad set to launch Thursday, that goes after oppoent John Stephen's history as the state's commissioner of health and human services.

"The full bills required to be paid for seniors in nursing homes, quite frankly, were not paid and somebody had to pay to keep the doors of our nursing homes open. And that meant property tax payers. And, that's a significant issue in this race."

The accusation was first leveled some weeks ago in this Bradley campaign ad.

The details of that 30-second spot and the one out Thursday don't bother the Stephen campaign.

"It's unfortunate that Jeb Bradley has chosen to go down this path of putting dishonest ads out. The Union Leader and many Republican leaders have said that he's laying, and that he needs to apologize to voters and John Stephen for his dishonest ads."

At a press conference today, Bradley was flanked by lawmakers who back up the accusation that Stephen, as head of the health and human services, failed to make the state's required payments to county nursing homes. One state rep. produced the formal request she submitted in 2006 for an in-depth

Stephen's own ads refer to his four-year tenure at health and human services as one that saved taxpayers $143 million. They also charge Bradley as fiscally reckless.

All of this comes to a head in a race in which each candidate hopes to emerge as the true conservative, and each tries to gain traction.