Former Clinton super PAC begins targeting vulnerable GOP members of Congress
WASHINGTON — Priorities USA, the main political action committee behind Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, is rolling out a series of digital ads in an early attempt to target potentially vulnerable members of the GOP ahead of the 2018 midterms elections.
The ads, an initial buy as the group reinvents itself as a major financial investor in a gathering progressive movement, will spread the word about town hall forums and other events during next week's congressional recess. They will direct citizens eager to engage members of Congress to events taking place in districts that the former Democratic presidential nominee won but are represented by Republicans, for instance Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey, and in swing states represented by Republicans, such as Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada.
In the past, Democrats have held off on such spending campaigns until election year. Yet with Clinton's loss, Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and Democrats in control of just 13 state legislatures, officials see the need to begin a major effort early on. Further, Democrats face a daunting map in the Senate in 2018, defending 28 seats while Republicans are defending just eight.
Republicans say it's an attempt to create televised images of chaos by a vocal minority of voters. “Democrats are tapping a well-organized network of progressive groups to try and derail Republican efforts to engage with members of their community. Obamacare is imploding in front of our eyes and the activist left is clinging to the failed policies that caused the healthcare mess in the first place," said Jesse Hunt, National Republican Congressional Committee press secretary.
The ads, which will run on social media, including Facebook, and across major search engines, are the latest example of established Democratic Party-aligned organizations seeking the channel the efforts of citizens protesting President Trump’s policies. They include his travel ban targeting largely Muslim countries, his plan to repeal and replace Obamacare and his refusal to release his tax returns amid questions about his ties to Russia.
Angry Americans have been flooding town halls of members, including Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who chairs the House oversight committee and has refused Democratic requests to look more closely at Trump’s potential conflicts of interest, including his ties to Russia.
"The upcoming recess week promises to provide even more scenes of grassroots activism by everyday citizens concerned about our country's future,” said Priorities USA Chairman Guy Cecil.
The ads will redirect to a landing page managed by Indivisible, a group founded by ex-congressional staffers who published an online guide providing tips for how get involved in advocacy and to reach their elected representatives in the Trump era
“Republican lawmakers who refuse to stand up to Donald Trump should be prepared to answer for that to their constituents over the coming week, and beyond,” said Cecil, whose group spent $35 million on digital ads in the 2016 cycle.
Read more:
Democrats not sold on Trump's answers, claims in news conference