Now that the primaries are over and the general election season has started, we can expect lots of political ads to emerge on TV.

And Congressman John Tierney, D-Salem, has released his first TV ad of the season.

The ad, which you can view here, attacks Richard Tisei, his Republican opponent from Wakefield, by linking him to the Tea Party. With no aims at subtlety, it uses images of Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin to drive that point home. It also includes partial quotes from Tisei about the Tea Party, abortion and Medicare.

"Tea Party Republicans and Richard Tisei -- What it is, is too extreme," the ad closes with.

The two will face each other on the November general election ballot in the race for the Sixth Congressional District seat, which includes Danvers.

Tierney's ad follows a theme the Tierney campaign has run with for the past few months, labeling Tisei as a right wing extremist beholden to the Tea Party. The ad is a sharp contrast to Tisei's recent TV ad, "Democrats For Tisei," in which people say nice things about Tisei and Tierney isn't mentioned at all.

Tisei issued a statement Wednesday about Tierney's ad:

"All John Tierney has to offer the voters is fear itself," Tisei said.  "I can't imagine being in office for as long as John Tierney and having to stoop so low. Unfortunately for John, I've got a long and clear record as a fiscal conservative and social moderate. The voters know that record. And for those voters who don't yet know me but who John Tierney hopes to reach with his distortions, I will not let the congressman warp their views with his negative ads."