We’ve gotten used to holding our noses when viewing campaign ads, but two recent offerings running in Washington state are particularly noxious.

A group calling itself the Voters Education Committee has carpet-bombed television markets with an ad that is critical of Deborah Senn and her tenure as insurance commissioner. Senn is a Democratic candidate for attorney general.

The group is spending a jaw-dropping $500,000 to $600,000 to “educate” voters about Senn. So what is this group and where did all of that money come from? None of your business, says the group’s director, Bruce Boram, who is a campaign consultant with ties to Republican and business groups.

Boram says his independent group wants people to know more about Senn and insurance issues, but it isn’t trying to sway voters. Because of this, he reasons, the group’s backers can remain anonymous.

The state’s campaign watchdog isn’t buying that argument, pointing to a state Supreme Court ruling that reached an obvious conclusion: An ad that is critical of a candidate is indeed trafficking in political advocacy. The Public Disclosure Commission has urged the attorney general’s office to pursue the matter.

The real reason a shadowy group like the Voters Education Committee is formed is to shield attackers from any backlash. That’s why campaign laws were rewritten, and that’s why you hear candidates say, “I’m (fill in name) and I approve this ad.” Such accountability is designed to make people think twice before taking cheap shots.

Even independent groups such as the controversial Swift Boat Veterans for Truth have to disclose who is bankrolling their efforts. Such information helps voters form judgments. If Boram’s group really wanted to educate voters, it would’ve forthrightly disclosed its backers.

The second egregious ad is aimed at gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire and it feeds off voter anger over the demise of the states’ beloved blanket primary. On the plus side, we know who is behind this ad: the Building Industry Association of Washington, which supports Republican Dino Rossi for governor. On the down side, the group’s claim that Gregoire helped bring about the demise of the old primary system is blatantly false.

The blame rests solely with Democratic and Republican parties, which went to the courts and won rulings that declared the blanket primary unconstitutional. Gregoire is a supporter of the blanket primary and, as attorney general, she defended the state’s efforts to retain it.

Again, an extraordinary amount is being spent on the ads — about $500,000 — and the ads are being called “educational.”

In both cases, voters should direct their ire at the messengers, not the message.