U-S Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey has released the first TV ad in his re-election campaign.

In the 30-second ad that will air on cable television statewide, Menendez talks about his efforts to protect consumers from credit card companies and get equal pay for women.

“The middle class is under attack, but I’m fighting back.”

Robert Thompson is a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University. He says even in an era of digital and Internet communications, political ads on TV can be effective.

“It may seem old fashioned. It may seem retro, but a lot of people are still consuming an awful lot of good old fashioned network and cable TV.”

Thompson says undecided voters aren’t likely to search the Internet for those ads.

“People who may not have made up their mind because they’re kind of not even thinking about this are not likely to be going to the sites of candidates, and I’m not sure that when they’re trolling through YouTube they’re going to be looking at a political commercial. They’re going to be more likely looking at the latest cat who can play a piano or flush a toilet.”

The polls show Menendez with a double-digit lead over Republican challenger, state Senator Joe Kyrillos.