'Stop Biden': Anti-Spending-Bill Ad Campaign Targets 5 Moderate Democrats' Home Districts
A Republican group with ties to former Vice President Mike Pence is launching a new six-figure ad campaign targeting moderate House Democrats who have been on the fence about President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar expansion of the social safety net.
"Biden just doesn't get it," the narrator says in the 30-second ad from the Coalition to Protect American Workers. "He doesn't understand just how bad inflation is hurting Americans."
The ad will reportedly run in the home districts of Representatives Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Ed Case of Hawaii, Jared Golden of Maine, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Kurt Schrader of Oregon, according to The Hill. All five are viewed as possible obstacles to passage of Biden's social and climate spending package, which he's dubbed his "Build Back Better" agenda.
The group didn't immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment and more details.
"Our polling has consistently shown that inflation and rising prices are top concerns for voters across the country," Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Coalition to Protect American Workers, said in a statement quoted by The Hill.
"As prices rise, consumers know that unnecessary government spending is not the way to reduce inflation. President Biden's tax and spending plan will exacerbate the inflation crisis and make it worse for Americans at home," Miller said.
The group, which is led by former Pence chief of staff Marc Short, previously launched ad campaigns targeting U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a moderate Democrat from Arizona, and other moderates in key districts.
The group's reaction to inflation comes after the U.S. Department of Labor announced this week that the Consumer Price Index jumped 6.2 percent in October, compared with a year ago—the biggest increase since December 1990.
"Inflation hurts Americans pocketbooks, and reversing this trend is a top priority for me," Biden said Wednesday in a statement on the inflation news. "We have more work to do, but there is no question that the economy continues to recover and is in much better shape today than it was a year ago."
The ad claims that "if congressional Democrats don't stop Biden and [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi's plan, a lot of Americans won't be able to pay their heating bills this winter," as the words "Republicans win big" flash across the screen. The ad doesn't directly state that the underlying organization is a heavily GOP-leaning group.
The White House didn't immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment on the ad campaign.
