COLUMBUS — One week after saying he won't have enough money to go on television, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim Hagan released his first ad Thursday — on the Internet.

        The three-minute spot cost $10,000 to produce and depicts Gov. Bob Taft's head, fused with an orange beak, on a cartoon duck.

        It features shots from the governor's TV ads that started appearing last week, which the duck calls “Taftquack.” The commercial, at www.taftquack.com, challenges Mr. Taft's claims to success.

        “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's governor duck,” Mr. Hagan said. “He's ducked every major issue confronting this state over the last four years.”

        Orest Holubec, Mr. Taft's campaign spokesman, dismissed the ad, saying, “This is theater of the absurd.”

        “Our opponent has been running for governor for 319 days now and has yet to put forward one substantive policy proposal,” Mr. Holubec said.

        Mr. Taft's own TV ads highlight the governor's experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer and say he has created jobs in Ohio while being a champion of education.

        The “Taft facts” in Mr. Hagan's ad paint a different picture, claiming Mr. Taft has cut funding to many children's programs while ignoring public education in favor of charter schools. The spot also contends that the governor has hurt the state's economy through poor management.

        While Mr. Hagan can't afford television ads and must rely on the Internet and direct mail to get his information out, Mr. Taft's commercials are running in all Ohio major media markets.

        The governor can run a vastly more expensive campaign than Mr. Hagan, who has raised nearly $1 million. Mr. Taft has raised $8 million, a figure expected to be higher when new campaign finance summaries are released Thursday.

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