In TV Ad, Lhota Cites Common Ground, and Differences, With de Blasio

Joseph J. Lhota, lagging in the polls in the race for mayor of New York City, on Wednesday released the first television advertisement of the general election campaign, trumpeting his liberal stances on social issues but criticizing the tax-raising plan of his Democratic rival, Bill de Blasio.

Mr. Lhota, a Republican, needs to win over Democratic voters to have a chance to win the Nov. 5 general election, given the large number of Democratic voters in New York City. The ad, which will run in English and Spanish, is the latest effort by his campaign to show that he is different from Republicans in Washington and elsewhere across the country.

The 30-second ad begins by highlighting the common ground shared by Mr. de Blasio and Mr. Lhota, saying that both candidates support abortion rights, same-sex marriage and the decriminalization of marijuana.

“The difference?” a narrator asks. “De Blasio wants to raise taxes and supports reckless government spending. Lhota wants to cut wasteful government spending, putting more money back in your pocket.”

Mr. Lhota, a former city budget director and deputy mayor to Rudolph W. Giuliani, is hoping to attract voters by presenting himself as a fiscally responsible alternative to Mr. de Blasio, whom he has portrayed as eager to raise taxes, undisciplined with city spending and beholden to labor unions that will be negotiating new contracts with the next mayor.

But Mr. Lhota has struggled so far to persuade many voters beyond his Republican base to consider his candidacy. Two polls released last month showed Mr. de Blasio ahead of Mr. Lhota by more than 40 percentage points among likely voters.