WATCH: Cuccinelli Calls McAuliffe ‘Corrupt,’ ‘Despicable’ In New Attack Ad

With the Virginia gubernatorial election just weeks away, Republican nominee and state attorney general Ken Cuccinelli launched an ad on Friday attacking his opponent, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, for “profiting off the terminally ill.”

The new ad references Rhode Island estate planner Joseph A. Caramadre, who recently pleaded guilty to defrauding insurers by stealing the identities of terminally ill patients. Last week, court documents containing the names of people who invested with Caramadre were released, showing McAuliffe as one of the many investors. According to the Washington Post, however, there was “no indication that McAuliffe or other investors were aware that Caramadre was stealing identities.”

This didn’t stop Cuccinelli from using it to paint McAuliffe as “corrupt” and “despicable.”

This latest salvo in the most negative campaign in the country appears to be a last-ditch effort by Cuccinelli, who is trailing in the polls, to turn voters away from McAuliffe.

McAuliffe’s campaign responded to the ad by saying, “This ad is despicable and the latest sign that Ken Cuccinelli is resorting to desperate and false attacks to make up for the fact that he is one of the most disliked statewide candidates in memory.”

A spokesman for McAuliffe also affirmed that the Democratic candidate “had no idea about the horrible allegations against the defendant.”

Cuccinelli refuses to let up, though; his campaign says that it will continue to push McAuliffe for answers about how he met Caramadre and what he believed he was really investing in, according to Politico.

Watch the new ad below: