Wade uses Ebola in final campaign push for U.S. Senate

Just in time for Halloween, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Wade is out with a new TV ad playing up Ebola fears.

The commercial, which will air through Election Day on cable and broadcast stations, features a person in hazmat suit holding a sign while heavy breathing and what sounds like a heartbeat monitor are heard in the background. The words posted on the sign attack Wade’s opponent, incumbent Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat. 

“Why won’t Chris Coons stop Ebola as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa?,” the sign reads at one point. “Our junior senator has taken no steps to protect the health of Delawareans,” said Wade in a statement presenting the new ad. “This television commerical presents some facts and asks some fair questions,” Wade said.

Coons made a brief appearance on MSNBC Friday morning via satellite from WHYY’s Wilmington studios. Coons talked about the right of American medical workers to return to the U.S. after helping fight Ebola in Africa. “We should make it clear that they’ll have their health care funded and any income that they lose through a up to 21-day, risk-based quarantine should be replaced,” Coons said.

“We need to step up and recognize and reward the missionaries and the volunteers who’ve done most of this work, by guaranteeing their right to return, and guaranteeing that they’ll have their health care and their lost income paid for.”

The subject of Ebola came up in the U.S. Senate debate hosted by WHYY in conjunction with WDEL Radio. You can see a segment of their conversation on the issue below. The full debate will air Friday night at 5 and 11 p.m. on WHYY TV.