With a gubernatorial recall election still two months away, the campaign for Gov. Scott Walker released two attack advertisements Thursday focusing on the job records of Democratic gubernatorial candidates Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

The ad against Barrett alleges Milwaukee has not only had one of the worst job creation records of any large city, but also one of the worst graduation rates of any city in the country. The ad also said Barrett has raised taxes on working families for seven of the last 12 years.

“We can’t afford to have Tom Barrett take us back,” the television ad said.

The ad focusing on Falk said she raised property taxes every single year during her tenure, with an overall increase of 80 percent. The ad said the spending rate for Dane County increased by 70 percent and the unemployment rate tripled.

The ad also criticized Falk for wanting to repeal the “reforms” that the ad said helped balance the budget.

“Going back to Kathleen Falk’s way of doing things? That’s no way to move Wisconsin forward,” the ad said.

However, Falk spokesperson Scot Ross said under Walker, Wisconsin lost more jobs than any other state, and Falk balanced 14 county budgets under her tenure as Dane County executive with self-imposed spending caps. He added that when Falk served as Dane County executive, the county gained nearly 30,000 jobs, the most job growth out of any county in the state.

“Kathleen’s unmatched record of bringing people together, finding solutions and getting the job done are why Scott Walker has resorted to attacking and distorting her record, Ross said. “The fact is Gov. Walker failed Wisconsin.”

He added Falk is the candidate with the proven experience to restore transparency, accountability and honesty to the governor’s office.

Barrett spokesperson Phil Walzak said in a statement Walker’s ad was hypocritical.

“For Scott Walker to attack anyone on job loss is not just shamelessly hypocritical; it’s comically absurd,” Walzak said in the statement. “Under Walker’s failed leadership, Wisconsin lost more jobs last year than any other state in the nation.”

He said in the statement Walker helped “kill” jobs at a manufacturing plant in Milwaukee last March. He added that instead of focusing on creating jobs, Walker has decided to wage an “ideological civil war” on Wisconsin.

Donald Downs, a University of Wisconsin political science professor and adviser to The Badger Herald, said research suggests negative ads work better than running more positive ads focused on a campaign’s platform.

He said when former Massachusetts governor and current contender for the Republican presidential nomination Mitt Romney began running attack ads, his opponent’s standing fell in the polls.

“If it didn’t work, campaigns wouldn’t spend good money on it,” Downs said. “Some research shows it does, for better or for worse.”

Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, Secretary of State Doug La Follette and Mequon citizen Gladys Huber are also running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Madison citizen Arthur Kohl-Riggs is running against Walker in a Republican recall primary. Brookfield physician and kidney specialist Hariprasad Trivedi is running as an independent. The primary will be May 8 with the election June 5.