Conservative Groups Air Ads Pressuring Senators on Hagel Conservative groups are piling on advertising in hopes of swaying Democratic senators against Chuck Hagel, the nominee to become defense secretary. On Friday, Americans for a Strong Defense joined in with an ad aimed at Senator Kay Hagan of North Carolina. It followed close behind the American Future Fund ad, which is aimed at Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York. The North Carolina ad says that Mr. Hagel "wants America to back down." The New York ad calls Mr. Schumer's support part of a craven bid to one day become the Senate Democratic leader and archly asking, "What did President Obama promise him?" The spots could be just the beginning of what is expected to become several highly local advertisements pressing Democratic senators to vote against Mr. Hagel. Stuart Roy, a strategist with the group aiming at Mr. Schumer, said that the ad was to run on cable television in New York and that there would be ads like it in other states as well as some national advertising in the lead-up to Mr. Hagel's Jan. 31 confirmation hearing. Mr. Schumer's announcement this week that he supported Mr. Hagel was a potentially pivotal moment; his opposition would have most likely scuttled Mr. Hagel's confirmation. Mr. Schumer's office had no comment on the advertisement but referred a reporter to his interview Friday morning on the Nachum Segal radio program, on which the host pressed him to defend his support for Mr. Hagel. "I had my doubts about Chuck Hagel, and in fact made them public on the 'Meet the Press' show," Mr. Schumer said. But, he said, after meeting Mr. Hagel at the president's request, he was convinced Mr. Hagel had changed some of his views against military action in Iran and on his previous calls for discussion with groups like Hamas. Arguing that some of the statements most often seized upon by Mr. Hagel's opponents are from several years ago - for instance, Mr. Hagel's argument that military action against Iran was "not feasible" dates to 2006 - Mr. Schumer said, "Hagel convinced me that he had changed his views," and "that the world had changed and he had changed with them." Mr. Schumer said that when he asked Mr. Hagel what he would do if faced with a choice of a nuclear-armed Iran and United States military involvement that Mr. Hagel said, "Then we'd have no choice but to take action." Mr. Schumer said he knew "I'd get flak" for supporting Mr. Hagel. But, he said, "I made the right choice." The Web site of the other group, Americans for a Strong Defense, features an advertisement urging Senator Hagan to vote against Mr. Hagel, who it says would make the United States "a weaker country." Officials with the group said the commercial would begin running on cable and broadcast stations in North Carolina in the coming days. "We live in a dangerous world," an announcer says, movie-trailer style, as an array of militarist images dance across the screen along with news clips about saber rattling from Iran, North Korea and "even Russia." "But Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of defense wants America to back down," the announcer continues. Call Kay Hagan and tell her to say no to Chuck Hagel. News of the group's formation was first made public this week on Politico. The group is led by two former advisers to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign - Brian Hook and Danny Diaz - and by Mauricio Claver-Carone, who is the executive director of Cuba Democracy Public Advocacy. It was formed under a section of the tax code that allows it to keep the names of its donors secret. Republicans opposed to Mr. Hagel, a fellow party member, acknowledge that it will be hard to block him and that their effort will most likely require at least some Democratic defections. Ms. Hagan has said that she is undecided on Mr. Hagel. "I've got some concerns over issues over one of our most important allies, Israel, and a concern over Iranian sanctions," The News and Observer of Raleigh quoted her as saying last week. But I look forward to having an opportunity to talk with him, one on one and obviously review the record.