Steve Lonegan and Americans for Prosperity today unleashed a six-figure cable TV and raido ad campaign against five targeted Democrats, three of whom occupy the cycle's three battleground districts.

Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3), former Senate President Richard Codey (D-27), state Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-14), state Sen. Jim Whelan (D-2), and state Sen. Robert Gordon (D-38) are all tacked on Lonegan's dart board.

"They all flunked our taxpayer scorecard," Lonegan told PolitickerNJ.com. "On every single one of our issues, they were 100 percent against us. I know the Sweeney race is tough, but we're not endorsing; we're explaining how bad these guys are for taxpayers.

"We don't endorse any candidate," insisted the 2009 gubernatorial candidate, who lost to Chris Christie. "We stick to the issues."

But the ad buy happens to pinpoint Gordon, Whelan, and Greenstein, the first two of whom are waging what observers in both parties say are the state's two most contentious Senate contests.

Messaging against Codey enures to whatever advantages remain for Tea Party candidate William Eames, who in the last few weeks watched chunks of his party's leadership back Codey.

Lonegan's television ad tackle of Codey here also dovetails with longer range Senate GOP designs, which include trying to get the veteran to either retire or run for governor in 2013. The Grand Old Party wants to off-load Codey so they can run millionaire Essex Fells Councilman William Sullivan and attempt to land a seat in a swing district.

"He was there for the Florio tax hike and endorsed every liberal judge who's on the bench," Lonegan said of Codey. "What blew my mind were these Republicans endorsing this guy. Don't these guys have a conscience?"