BATON ROUGE - An onslaught of attack ads is being unleashed in the Louisiana governor's race, by candidates and outside groups seeking to influence the two-man runoff between Democrat John Bel Edwards and Republican David Vitter.

In Edwards' first TV ad for the runoff, the state lawmaker from Tangipahoa Parish describes Vitter as only offering Louisiana "deception and hypocrisy."

Vitter, a U.S. senator, has launched a TV spot saying Edwards backs releasing "dangerous thugs" from jail and tying him to President Barack Obama. The Republican Governors Association also is using an Obama theme, calling Edwards "just another Obama liberal."

Meanwhile, an ad from the anti-Vitter Gumbo PAC will begin airing Wednesday. It uses clips from Scott Angelle and Jay Dardenne, GOP contenders defeated in the primary, criticizing Vitter for his 2007 prostitution scandal.