The challenger in the U-S Senate race is hoping for a kinder tone for the rest of the campaign season.
Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes is urging her rival, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, to join in opposing political attack ads funded by outside groups.
In a letter made public Thursday, Grimes appealed to McConnell to sign a joint pledge to oppose spending by those groups in Kentucky's hard-hitting race.
Grimes did not cite any groups, but it could signal worries that big-spending GOP allies could increasingly rally behind McConnell.
Both candidates have been skewered by outside attacks with Grimes branded as a rubberstamp for President Barack Obama and McConnell ridiculed for living on a government salary for decades.
Grimes said the race should be "uncluttered" by outside attacks.
In the letter, Grimes agreed to a series of debates but objected to McConnell's suggestion for debates without an audience.