A liberal group is airing ads that target U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

Majority Action, a 527 group started in 2005 with help from investor George Soros, is spending $25,000 to $30,000 airing radio ads statewide this week that highlight Dole's record on gas-related issues.

Dole's campaign noted its earlier call for Democratic rival Kay Hagan to disavow third-party ads.

"Now we know why Kay Hagan refused to disavow third party attack groups — she's been planning on using them all along," said Dole spokesman Hogan Gidley in a statement.

He noted that Majority Action uses the same law firm as Hagan's campaign, Perkins Coie.

But Bill Buck, a Democratic consultant who serves as executive director of Majority Action, said the group has no ties to Hagan's campaign and is simply an "issue advocacy" ad.

"Perkins Coie is a huge national firm with a ton of clients," he said. "That's a goofy statement to make."

Majority Action is also airing ads targeting Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith, who faces a tough re-election fight. Buck said they have not decided whether they will air more ads in North Carolina. 

The group has also received money from the Service Employees International Union, which is taking an increasingly active role in North Carolina races.

Gordon Smith sees BlueNC as a place for progressive Democratic candidates to find their audience.

A child and family therapist in Asheville, Smith writes about local and national politics on Scrutiny Hooligans, a group blog in Western Carolina.

But given the statewide interest in the 2006 campaign between Heath Shuler and then U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor, he started posting on BlueNC as well, under the screen name "Screwy Hoolie."

Smith, 37, says those posts helped draw attention to Shuler, indirectly helping him raise money in parts of the state where he was not well-known.

He sees BlueNC performing a similar role in the lieutenant governor's race right now, with recent live-blogs and regular posts bringing a spotlight to a race that often gets overlooked.

"I think the people that get noticed there are the ones that reach out," he said.