The Hill News

The chairman of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee called a controversial ad run by Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Jack Conway a "killer" for his failed campaign. 

Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, criticized the ad and said that his biggest mistake during the midterm election season was not asking for briefings on individual campaigns' television ads. In an interview with NorthJersey.com, he identified Conway's famous "Aqua Buddha" ad against the eventual GOP winner, Rand Paul.

{mosads}"The allegations about Rand Paul's previous religious beliefs, I think, was a killer," Menendez said. "While we were dealing with economic issues! , we were in the hunt."

Following Paul's win the GOP primary over establishment pick Trey Grayson, Democrats had viewed the Kentucky seat, which was vacated by Sen. Jim Bunning (R), as a potential pickup opportunity in a year that otherwise put the party on the defensive against the GOP.

But Paul eventually defeated Conway, the state attorney general, by nearly 11 percentage points. 

Conway's spot scrutinized Paul's membership in a group in college that reportedly kidnapped a woman and forced her to pray to a god named "Aqua Buddha" while questioning his belief in Christianity. Some Democrats criticized the spot as too harsh following its release.

Despite the Kentucky loss, Menendez has been widely praised by Democrats since the party kept its majority in the Senate despite losing six seats to Republicans. 

"He made a lasting impression on the Democratic caucus," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. "I find him to be a confidant. He is somebody I trust, not only his integrity but his judgment."