Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's "Godless Americans" ad was nothing more than a last-minute Hail Mary pass for a losing campaign.

That's according to Dole's campaign manager, Marty Ryall, in an article he wrote for the March edition of Politics magazine.

Dole, the GOP incumbent, ran the ad just before the Nov. 6 election against Democratic challenger Kay Hagan. It pointed out that Hagan attended a Boston fundraiser at the home of a well-known, politically active atheist. The ad ended with Hagan's photograph and a woman's voiceover saying "There is no God."

That voice belonged not to Hagan but to the executive director of the Godless Americans political action committee, speaking during a television appearance.

Looking back, Ryall said, he shouldn't have used the voiceover.

"It gave (Hagan) another avenue to counter-attack (the ad)," Ryall wrote.

He continues later: "In the end, the "Godless" ad had little impact on the election."

More after the jump.

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Jack Betts has two cents to add to the Senate race.

Noting that a Washington Post blogger gave Sen.-elect Kay Hagan the award for the best Senate campaign this year, the Charlotte Observer columnist suggests Sen. Elizabeth Dole ran the worst.

She should have started running seriously years earlier by spending more time in her state — and making sure people saw her often — and also by tackling more issues that people cared about. The "Godless" ad that got so much attention didn't kill Dole's campaign, but it made the final margin of victory for Hagan larger than it would have been.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's ad has been dinged again.

Writing on a Washington Post blog about the worst leadership performances of 2008, leadership coach John Baldoni criticized Dole's last-minute "Godless Americans" attack ad on rival Kay Hagan.

Fearing that her campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate was losing, she approved a television ad against her opponent calling her "godless." The voters of North Carolina ignored the ad and elected Kay Hagan, a former Sunday school teacher and Presbyterian elder (as well as an accomplished state senator), as their senator. Ms. Dole may have helped her re-election cause if she had been more visible; voters perceived that she spent too much time in D.C. rather than in her home state.

Baldoni gave the ad the "Trash My Opponent Award."

John Drescher says both Senate candidates took cheap shots.

In his weekly column, the N&O editor said that U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's "godless" ad was the "national cheap shot of the year," but he added that Democrat Kay Hagan was also graceless in her acceptance speech:

In what had to be the tackiest victory speech ever, Hagan took three swipes at Dole in less than 13 minutes. She said:

* She'd given her ruby-red shoes away (so Dole could click her heels and go home to Kansas).

* When she entered the race, the press and politicians were ready to hand Dole the keys to her office for another six years. "But it's not her office," she said twice.

* "It's certainly nice to have a husband who can vote for me" — a reference to Dole's husband, Bob Dole, who is from Kansas.

A Hagan spokeswoman said the comments weren't attacks on Dole.

"If those weren't digs, I am Jesse Helms," he writes.  

Senators were much in the news this week.

The most read stories on the Dome blog this week included news about Sen.-elect Kay Hagan, former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Richard Burr.

1. Godless Money: A Hagan spokeswoman says the campaign received 3,600 donations after an ad attacked Hagan's faith. In God we trust?

2. Back to the Spotlight: After laying low for three months, Edwards tentatively steps back into the spotlight with a speech in Indiana. At least it wasn't in Iowa.

3. Transition Team: Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue names her transition team, including a former three-time Cabinet secretary. Plus ça change...

4. Roads in the Red: State transportation officials expect road construction to dwindle due to high gas prices. On the bright side, no one'll notice 'cause no one can afford to drive.

5. Burr's Cold Shoulder: After getting 6,000 requests, Senator Burr says he's no longer talking to voters who want inaugural tickets. After all, he did back McCain.

The blogosphere has weighed in on Kay Hagan's decision to drop a lawsuit.

The Democratic senator-elect had sued Sen. Elizabeth Dole for a TV ad that criticized her for attending a fundraiser held by an atheist, but dropped the suit this week.

On Talking About Politics, Republican consultant Carter wrenn says a statement by Hagan's spokeswoman that she wanted to end the suit for the good of North Carolina sounds phony.

"Now, why couldn’t Hagan just say, The election's over. I won. So, what’s the point in the lawsuit?" he writes. "The candor would have been refreshing."

Conservative blogger Dan Gearino says the lawsuit was either "stupid or craven."

"If she truly thought Dole's campaign ad went over the line into slander and defamation, and that the court system should be called upon (or would even be willing) to referee political charges and countercharges, she’s a fool who has no business being in Congress," he writes.

Meantime, J.W. Williamson on Watauga Watch was more stoic.

"Apparently, Liddy's losing the election was punishment enough," he writes.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen.-elect Kay Hagan this afternoon dismissed her lawsuit against the woman she defeated, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, over an advertisement that Hagan said attacked her personal faith.

Dole, a Republican, had launched an ad in the last week of the campaign tying Hagan to a political action group called "Godless Americans" that promotes the separation of church and state. The advertisement ended with a photo of Hagan and another woman’s voice saying, "There is no God."

Hagan, a Democrat, attended a fundraiser in August at the Boston home of a couple who is active in the group. The fundraiser also was hosted by U.S. Sen. John Kerry. Dole's campaign staff later said the advertisement was meant to highlight Hagan's judgement.

Hagan, an elder in her Presbyterian church, responded with her own ad. She accused Dole of attacking her Christian faith, and she filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court.

She dismissed that suit today.

Spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said Hagan wanted to focus on solving problems and working across party lines.

"This lawsuit would just continue the focus on a very personal and negative attack against Kay, instead of focusing on the people of North Carolina," Flanagan said in a prepared statement. "We need leadership now more than ever, and Kay is prepared to get down to work with (Republican Sen.) Richard Burr and the rest of the North Carolina delegation and help the people of this state."

An attack ad linking Kay Hagan to the Godless Americans PAC boosted her instead.

The Democratic senator-elect's campaign received 3,600 contributions within 48 hours of an ad by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole criticizing her for attending a fundraiser.

Hagan immediately used the ad as an e-mail fundraising tool.

"We got responses from people who identify themselves as atheists and every religion under the sun who found that ad offensive," said Hagan spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan, who said the campaign hadn't calculated the dollar figure raised yet.

Tom Jensen, a Democratic pollster in Raleigh, said Hagan was winning by four percentage points more than president-elect Barack Obama during early voting. After the ad aired, she won by 11 percentage points more than Obama. 

Dole said the $3 million personal loan she made her own campaign in early October was not specifically related to the ad. (Char-O) 

Kay Hagan's pollster says the "Godless" ad backfired.

Democratic pollster John Anzalone tells Politico's Scorecard blog that U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's ad criticizing Hagan's links to a man who promotes atheist causes hurt her.

Anzalone said that the high-profile attack ad doomed Dole's chances to keep the race close. Hagan’s internal polling showed her numbers skyrocketing after the ad aired.

"It would have been a much closer race [if she didn't air the Godless ad]. Kay would have won by 3-4 points but instead she won big," Anzalone said. "I just think Dole, in the end, did herself a disservice. She was going to lose that race, but she did not need to lose that race by that margin."

Previously: Dole held ad as last resort. 

An ad linking Kay Hagan to a "godless" group almost didn't happen.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's campaign did not think that her Democratic rival would actually go through with a fundraiser at the home of a man known for promoting atheist causes.

Even then, Dole's campaign figured the ad would run only as a last resort.

That's according to Fred Davis, the Hollywood-based media consultant who produced the ad,  which became one of the most talked about commercials in the country during the election season.

Davis insists the ad was not mention to question Hagan's faith.  

"It was about her judgment," he said. "I never questioned her faith. A lot of people questioned that in hindsight. But that's not the point." 

He said the ad was held until the last week of the election, when polls showed Dole behind by eight points. Davis said they ran the mildest version of the ad. (N&O)