GOP Launching $2.5M Ad Blitz Against Democrats in Pro-Trump Districts

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American Action Network/YouTube
Hannah Knudsen

The conservative American Action Network (AAN) is slated to run a $2.5 million ad campaign targeting vulnerable pro-impeachment Democrats representing congressional districts won by President Trump in 2016.

The America Action Network, which Politico describes as a “powerful GOP 501(c)(4),” is slated to launch a four-week ad blitz against 11 vulnerable Democrats who represent Trump-won districts.

The list includes Reps. Max Rose (D-NY), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Abby Finkenauer (D-IA), Jared Golden (D-ME), Susie Lee (D-NV), Anthony Brindisi (D-NY), Kendra Horn (D-OK), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Ben McAdams (D-UT), Elaine Luria (D-VA), and Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), all of whom voted in favor of impeachment despite hesitancy from their respective constituents. (Golden voted in favor of the article alleging abuse of power but did not support the other article, accusing the president of obstruction of Congress.)

The blitz follows AAN’s recent polling analyzing Lee’s, Brindisi’s, and Horn’s respective districts. The survey found that “a majority of voters across these districts were less likely to vote for their freshman swing district Democrat if they were to back impeachment,” as Breitbart News detailed.

AAN’s main ad spot will air in Horn’s district, to the tune of $200,000.

Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale released another poll in December, conducted by Tony Fabrizio and Travis Tunis, which found that the majority of Oklahomans in Horn’s district, 52 percent, opposed impeachment, with 36 percent of respondents indicating that her support of impeachment “would make it less likely for them to vote for the congresswoman in 2020,” as Breitbart News reported:

“Back here our priorities are always clear and family comes first. It seems like Washington’s priority is impeachment. It’s like an obsession,” Ashley, the narrator described as a mom, wife, and nurse, states in the ad, which will air in Horn’s district.

She continues:

How can Kendra Horne be different when she voted with them to impeach the president? Why not focus on securing the order or fix the opioid crisis? There’s so many issues to work on Washington needs to get their priorities straight Maybe Kendra Horn should let us decide the elections and get to work on the issues that matter.

About $325,000 of the $2.5 million blitz will be spent in Rose’s district alone, while “Brindisi has $300,000, $275,000 in Lee’s, $250,000 in Spanberger, $225,000 in Luria’s and $200,000 in Horn’s. This is a four-week campaign,” per Politico.

A December poll also spelled trouble for Cartwright, another Democrat targeted by AAN’s ad campaign.

“Based on what you know, do you favor or oppose Congress impeaching Trump?” the survey asked.

A majority, 53 percent, in Cartwright’s Pennsylvania district indicated opposition to impeachment, while 60 percent indicated that he “should stop wasting time and tax dollars on impeachment and focus on solving problems Americans face”:

Cartwright’s seat was reportedly moved to “toss-up” after backing the articles of impeachment against the president.

Impeachment remains unpopular among voters in swing districts, resulting in less favorable opinions of the Democrat incumbents. Another (AAN) survey, conducted by NMB Research, found “a majority of likely voters across New York’s 22nd Congressional District, South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, and New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District grew a more unfavorable opinion of their representative after they learned about their Democrat representatives’ vote to impeach the president”:

This is not the first time the AAN has targeted vulnerable Democrats. It ran another coordinated $7 million ad campaign in November, branding impeachment as a “politically motivated charade.” The effort, combining TV and digital advertising, spanned 37 congressional districts.

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