The NRSC is pulling its controversial West Virginia Senate ad that features actors posing as native West Virginians. 
 
 GOP sources said they expect the ad to be taken down in light of new reports that it was filmed in Philadelphia, and that a casting call was looking for characters with a "'hicky' blue collar look," according to a report from Politico. 
 
 The hasty move to pull the ad is a sign Republicans are seriously concerned that the revelations could threaten John Raese's (R) surging candidacy in the Mountain State. 
 
 "No one at the NRSC, or associated with the NRSC, had anything to do with the language used in this casting call," said NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh. "We do not support it, and suffice to say, we would encourage our contractors to never work with this outside agency again." 
 
 Walsh also said that the use of actors is common in political ads from both parties. 
 
 "That being said, both parties often use actors in ads to convey a broad message and voters understand that," Walsh said. 
 
 Democrats are seeking to take advantage of the controversy. Early Thursday, Hotline On Call reported that Manchin is calling on Raese to apologize for insulting West Virginians. 
 
 West Virginia Republicans, however, said the ad will not influence the race. "I have no problem with it whatsoever," said Mike Stuart, the chairman of the West Virginia GOP. "What those folks said in that diner is what West Virginians are talking about. It's not going to be an issue here." 
 
 Check out the ad here. 
 
 ||||| The National Republican Senatorial Committee plans to pull an ad criticizing West Virginia Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin, after POLITICO's report that a talent agency had sought what it called a "hicky" look when casting the spot. 
 
 "The ad was due to rotate out anyway in a few days and be replaced with a new one," a GOP official said Thursday. "But clearly the Democrats want to use this to distract from Manchin’s record, and we have no intention of letting them. So expect it to be replaced with a new ad soon." 
 
 Text Size - 
 
 + 
 
 reset VIDEO: 'Hicky' Manchin ad POLITICO 44 
 
 The NRSC began airing the ad this week in the West Virginia Senate race, in which Manchin is facing a sudden scare from Republican businessman John Raese (pronounced “racy”) in the contest to replace the late Sen. Robert Byrd. 
 
 The ad shows a couple of regular-looking guys commiserating in a diner about Manchin. The men are actors, and the spot was filmed in Philadelphia. 
 
 “We are going for a ‘Hicky’ Blue Collar look,” read the casting call for the ad. “These characters are from West Virginia so think coal miner/trucker looks.” 
 
 Earlier Thursday, Manchin had called on Raese to apologize. “Not only have they been spending millions to try and buy this election with lies and distortions, we can now see once and for all what he and his friends really think of West Virginia and our people,” Manchin said. 
 
 The casting language did not come from the NRSC but from a vendor who told the talent agency what to look for in selecting actors for the spot. The casting material was provided to POLITICO by Democrats.
– The GOP is pulling a West Virginia campaign ad after the casting call for "hicky" actors was made public by Politico. "No one at the NRSC, or associated with the NRSC, had anything to do with the language used in this casting call," said a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Campaign. "We do not support it, and suffice to say, we would encourage our contractors to never work with this outside agency again." The spot criticizes Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin, who's facing Republican businessman John Raese in his bid to take over Robert Byrd's Senate seat. The head of the West Virginia GOP, however, didn't view the spot as troublesome, reports the National Journal. "I have no problem with it whatsoever," said Mike Stuart. "What those folks said in that diner is what West Virginians are talking about. It's not going to be an issue here." A GOP official tells Politico the spot was due to be replaced soon anyway. "But clearly the Democrats want to use this to distract from Manchin’s record, and we have no intention of letting them."