The political action committee formed by Karl Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, has taken aim at Montana Sen. Jon Tester, and it just so happens that Rove has been in the Flathead Valley this week.

Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, a so-called “super PAC,” launched an ad calling on Tester to stop supporting tax increases on job creators and families. Purchased for $397,000, the ad started airing Wednesday and will continue to be broadcast through Tuesday.

Tester, a first-term Democrat, is being challenged in his re-election bid by Montana’s Republican Congressman, Denny Rehberg.

The ad, titled “Sense,” says that Tester “was the deciding vote to pass the health care law, which we now know is a massive middle class tax increase.”

The ad urges viewers to support a Crossroads GPS economic plan called the New Majority Agenda.

“Jon Tester has a long history of voting for tax hikes on Montana small businesses and families, which is not a solution to help our struggling economy,” said Nate Hodson, director of state and regional media relations for Crossroads GPS. “We’re keeping the pressure on Jon Tester to stop raising taxes and push for the practical solutions found in the New Majority Agenda.”

Tester’s campaign promptly fired back, calling the ad “blatantly misleading” and “falsely attacking Montana farmer Jon Tester.”

A Tester campaign press release says the ad reminds Montanans that special interests are spending millions of dollars in an effort “to buy Congressman Dennis Rehberg a seat in the U.S. Senate.”

“After spending millions of special interest dollars on behalf of Dennis Rehberg, it’s no surprise Karl Rove is visiting Montana to see what his secret money is getting him,” said Alexandra Fetissoff, a campaign spokeswoman.

Rove appeared on Fox News Wednesday morning from an undisclosed location that appeared to be on Flathead Lake. Rove was commenting on swing state polling for the presidential election. He was interviewed by Fox News on Tuesday from a Whitefish Lake location.

“Beautiful country up here,” Rove said at the end of the Wednesday segment.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at [email protected].