Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti’s latest TV ad doesn’t include any images of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but it does have a pair of (imminently more cuddly) smiling dogs.

Grisanti, a Buffalo Republican, has sought to play up his connection and working relationship to Cuomo in prior TV ads and mailers.

But this ad solely highlights Grisanti’s freshman term record, in which he highlights the anti-cyber bullying measure, benefits for veterans and his support for an animal abuse registry.

Grisanti is one of four Republican lawmakers who backed the same-sex marriage bill in the Senate. Unlike Sen. Roy McDonald who lost the Republican line and Sen. Stephen Saland who had a pretty good scare in his primary, Grisanti won by a comfortable margin last month.

He faces a crowded three-way general election, however, in a heavily Democratic Senate district. That may explain both the Cuomo highlights in previous ads and this spot, which shows that Grisanti isn’t a Big Bad Republican, but one who cares for the vulnerable.

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