Barney Frank Gets a Run For His Money

In 2008, he won by a margin of 68% to 25%. The election before that, he ran unopposed. Now for the first time in years, veteran Congressman and chairman of the House Finance Committee Barney Frank (D-Mass.) may have some competition. 

Republican businessman Sean Bielat currently trails Frank 49% to 37% according to the WPRI/Flemming poll. But Beliat's campaign believes the gap is much closer. Bielat tells Fox News, “We have momentum. His numbers are sinking while ours are rising.”

When it comes to money, the race gets much more interesting. FEC filings show that last month, Frank only raised $315,000 compared to Bielat’s $378,000. Frank also just bolstered his funds by writing a personal check to his campaign for $200,000. 

Another controversy surrounding Frank’s campaign cash centers around reports he took $40,000 in funds from bank executives and special interests that were tied to the federal bailout. You may remember Frank’s pledge not to take campaign donations from banks that got federal bailouts.  Bielat says “We've seen this over and over where Frank skirts the rules or acts as if he's above them and nobody will notice. This year they noticed.”

Bielat’s campaign also recently released a new ad, where Frank does more than just skirt around rules. The ad is animated Jib-Jab like parody that literally shows Frank disco dancing around issues.

Frank's campaign was contacted to for comment, but did not reply. The campaign did tell the Boston Globe: "I think this is sophomoric. It's immature. And the question people should have is, Do you want a guy who approves or signs off on things like this representing you in Congress?"

Bielat responded by saying, “These are very serious issues that we're talking about in terms of how he's voted and how it has affected this country. We are trying to direct that in a light hearted manner.”