WASHINGTON -- Ten weeks from Election Day, Rep. Jason Altmire is the first area U.S. House candidate to strike with a television ad -- and it mostly touts the things he didn't do in D.C.

The second-term McCandless Democrat's television spot began airing Tuesday on broadcast and cable stations, as well as radio, according to his campaign. He casts himself as independent from national Democratic policies, as the ad emphasizes Mr. Altmire's votes against the health care reform bill and the TARP plan to bail out big banks.

"I like that Jason Altmire is not afraid to stand up to the president," says one man in the ad.

Political strategists said the message is a shrewd one considering Mr. Altmire's district, which backed John McCain for president in 2008 even as it elected Mr. Altmire by a comfortable margin. And it's also part of a national trend for swing-district Democrats.

"What he's doing is saying, 'Hey, don't blame me for the failures of the Obama administration. Don't blame me for what [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi has done. I'm actually much more like a Republican than those two,' " said John Brabender, a Pittsburgh-based Republican media consultant.

"That's the subtle image in that ad. Not that, 'I voted against those things.' It's that, 'I'm not one of those Democrats.' "

Longtime Philadelphia-based Democratic consultant Larry Ceisler said the message -- and Mr. Altmire's votes -- show that he has his pulse on the district.

"The subtext is, 'Look, I know you don't like Obama, and I know you don't like a lot of things that he's doing. And don't take it out on me,' " Mr. Ceisler said. "He knows who he's talking to."

Mr. Altmire is facing Edgeworth attorney Keith Rothfus in the Nov. 2 election to represent the 4th District, which includes the North Hills and all or part of Beaver, Lawrence, Butler, Westmoreland and Mercer counties.

Mr. Rothfus' campaign manager, Stephanie Miller, said running against Washington is a smart political move, but one that doesn't square with reality.

"It's sort of a strange ad, honestly," Ms. Miller said. "We were watching it trying to figure out when Jason Altmire switched parties."

Ms. Miller pointed to the fact that Mr. Altmire votes the party line nearly 90 percent of the time -- although that number is among the lowest in the Democratic caucus, and on big votes he has often defied Congressional leadership.

The Rothfus campaign won't be making that argument on the air anytime soon. Ms. Miller acknowledged that their resources are limited compared to Mr. Altmire's. At the end of June, Mr. Altmire reported more than $1.4 million cash on hand, while Mr. Rothfus had $201,000.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.