Brian Ellner, one of nine Democrats running for Manhattan borough president, said the station had agreed to air his ad for the two weeks leading up to the Sept. 13 primary. But Fox 5 pulled out of the deal after it saw the 30-second ad, which features Bush's head superimposed onto a bare torso as the voiceover intones, "He claims he's a uniter, but New Yorkers know the emperor has no clothes."

Ellner's advertisement has already drawn attention because it concludes with a scene in which he throws his arm around his partner of three years, Simon Holloway. His campaign says no openly gay candidates for public office have ever featured their significant others in political advertisements.

Ellner said Tuesday that Fox told the campaign media adviser and the ad buyer that the spot was refused because it was "disrespectful to the office of the president."

WNYW Fox 5 spokeswoman Brandii Toby said, "We're not running the ad." But she said the station had no comment on why the decision was made or who was responsible for it.

Ellner, 35, said he was disappointed.

"I think that it's a decision that's disrespectful to voters," he said. "I think it's anti-American."

He said he suspected Fox 5 also might have rejected the ad because it includes his partner.

Cable channel Fox News has been accused of a conservative slant that favors the Bush administration in its coverage. Executives deny the bias, although founder Roger Ailes, a former Republican party operative, has described Fox as an alternative to a left-leaning CNN.

Fox News did not return requests for comment.

Ellner spent about $290,000 to air the spot for two weeks on several network and cable affiliates, including WABC, WNBC and CNN, campaign manager David Meadvin said. No other stations refused to run it.

Meadvin said the campaign was considering filing a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates broadcast channels.

Stations can reject commercials from interest groups based on content but are not permitted to do so with candidate ads.

However, Fox 5 may be able to defend its action by saying it isn't airing any borough president ads. FCC law says stations must give access to federal candidates but can decline to give airtime to certain local races.

Ellner, a native New Yorker who has served on community boards and district school boards, launched his campaign for borough president in early 2004.

When the Republicans held their presidential convention in New York a year ago, Ellner was one of thousands of protesters who marched past Madison Square Garden. He wore an "Ellner for Manhattan" T-shirt and spent the day campaigning.

New York City's five borough presidents exist primarily to advocate for their boroughs and don't wield much power.

Ellner, who says he's running for the office "to stand up for our progressive values," is not expected to win the nomination in the crowded Democratic primary, but the attention from his campaign advertisement is boosting his name recognition.

Gay rights groups from around the country have contacted his campaign and thanked him for including his partner in the ad _ a decision he says was not political. He said he thought it was time for gay candidates to join the ritual of including their loved ones in campaign commercials.

The current Manhattan borough president, C. Virginia Fields, is one of four Democrats running to replace Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.