RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Democrats launched a new radio ad Monday targeting more than a dozen Republican incumbents and their positions on tax breaks for the nation’s oil companies, but had to tweak the language in a spot aimed at one GOP congressman from North Carolina.

And even then, the ad doesn’t reflect Rep. Robin Hayes’ recent votes on the issue.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the ad targeted 13 Republicans, including Hayes and fellow North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry. The 30-second spot includes a fake President Bush asking the lawmaker in a phone message to vote for oil company tax breaks, saying “what’s good for Big Oil is good for America.”

“Wanted to thank you for continuing to support the Big Oil Energy Agenda,” the faux Bush says in most versions of the ad,
including the one airing in McHenry’s district. “(I) appreciate you voting to keep giving billions in tax breaks to the big oil
companies.”
But the ad targeting Hayes is slightly different, dropping the word “continuing.” Hayes helped approve the tax breaks in 2005, but has since voted to repeal them as part of at least two different bills - including on a February vote in which he sided with Democrats on the issue.

Hayes’ spokeswoman Amanda Little said he didn’t support the tax breaks, but they were included in legislation that included other measures he supported.

“The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was a large and comprehensive bill which addressed conservation, alternative energy and domestic production,” Little said in a statement. “Rep. Hayes supports more domestic exploration and production and this bill would have opened more of these areas up for use.”

Little said Hayes has since repeatedly supported removing the tax breaks that were part of the larger measure, and he’s advocated for investing instead in alternative energy tax credits.

Democratic spokeswoman Kyra Jennings said Hayes is still responsible for his 2005 decision.

“His voters deserve to know his entire record,” Jennings said. “These tax breaks are in place and continue to be in place. I
think he still has to be held accountable.”

Two North Carolina Democrats - Reps. Mike McIntyre and Bob Etheridge - also voted for the tax breaks in 2005, as did Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Democrats have started to target Hayes and McHenry as potential takeover targets. Hayes won re-election against high school social studies teacher Larry Kissell two years ago by 329 votes, and he’ll face Kissell again this November.

Though McHenry’s district favors the GOP, he has drawn a strong challenger in Daniel Johnson in a year expected to trend toward the Democrats. The latest campaign finance reports through mid-April show Johnson with $165,165, while McHenry had about $325,000 on hand but reported more than $126,000 in campaign debt.