The National Republican Congressional Committee is up with a second ad in the special election for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, again going after Democrat Kate Marshall’s fiscal record.

As Nevada’s state treasurer, Marshall is campaigning on her mastery of money. The NRCC ad buy was made immediately after Marshall went up with her first two ads: one touting her financial experience and another attacking Republican opponent Mark Amodei for supporting a tax increase.

The NRCC ad alleges that Marshall’s record as treasurer is nothing to campaign on.

“Democrat Kate Marshall claims she’s a financial expert,” says the announcer in the ad. “But under her watch, Nevada plummeted from the second strongest economy to the worst in the nation, 97,000 jobs were lost, the foreclosure rate skyrocketed by 243 percent, and Marshall even supported a $500 million tax increase that would strangle the state’s businesses. Democrat Kate Marshall, more bad news you can’t afford.”

The ad is the second released by the NRCC in two weeks as part of a $250,000 ad buy it made in the race. It will run in the Reno television market.

“Since Kate Marshall took office, Nevada’s economy has gone from second in the nation to dead last,” said NRCC spokesman Tyler Q. Houlton in a statement accompanying the release of the ad. “Kate Marshall’s failed leadership as Nevada’s top financial officer turned a vibrant economy into shambles in just four short years.”

It is a big buy for the district. According to University of Reno political science professor Eric Herzik, “once you go over $100K that is a good number in CD 2.” The large ad buy has prompted talk that Republicans are concerned they could lose the seat, which has been in Republican hands since its inception.

“Another false attack ad launched against Marshall seems to show that just like the Kate Marshall campaign, the NRCC can see Kate’s clear path to victory,” said Marshall’s Communications Director James Hallinan. “Marshall has made millions of dollars for Nevada taxpayers every quarter she has been in office, even despite the nation’s worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Marshall never supported raising unemployment taxes, but her opponent Mark Amodei, sponsored a billion dollar tax increase taxing businesses, jobs and specifically increasing the unemployment tax.”

The Las Vegas Sun’s Jon Ralston noted that the “alacrity and ferocity with which the NRCC reacted to Marshall’s first television buy indicates the national GOP folks know they can’t afford to take any chances.”

Herzik echoed that sentiment, emailing: “The NRCC stepping in reflects a fear that they don’t want NV CD2 to become another NY 26. If the Democrats were to win NV CD2 that would be a MAJOR loss as the Democrats have NEVER won this district.”

Nonetheless, he opined, the concern may be disproportionate to the reality: “The odds of a Democrat winning are slim, so the Republican fears and Democrat hopes are exaggerated.”

Marshall is playing off the NRCC buy to raise money. In an email to supporters, she pointed to the NRCC ad buy and the news that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will campaign for Amodei as proof that the “Washington Republicans are panicking about our race because they know we can win — and we will win!”

“My opponent has made it clear that he’s just going to let guys like Cantor and the national GOP establishment run his campaign and do his dirty work,” the email continues. “These are the same Washington Republican insiders whose refusal to compromise puts our jobs, families and seniors at risk through reckless cuts to Medicare and Social Security. My opponent is standing lock-step with Eric Cantor and the rest of the Beltway Republicans and that is bad news for Nevada. But you know where I stand, with you!”

Both candidates are working to portray their opponent as tight with the Washington establishment. The last NRCC ad showed a picture of Marshall with President Obama, and Amodei’s ads repeatedly group Marshall with Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is not well liked in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, and has never won there, according to Nevada Republican strategist Robert Uithoven.

The election will be held on September 13. Early voting begins on August 27.

See the ad here: