WASHINGTON -- A new ad campaign launched by a pro-Democratic political action committee is targeting two Republican lawmakers who could be at risk in the 2012 elections.
The ads, airing in the districts of Reps. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) and Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) while the lawmakers are home for August recess, argue that the GOP is selling out the middle class. After showing corporate jets and mansions, the ad targeting Lungren says the congressman has voted for "tax loopholes to keep corporate profits sky high."
"But what about the rest of us?" asks the narrator. "Lungren voted to end Medicare as we know it and to protect profits for companies that ship jobs to China. If you have to make millions to get our congressman's attention, it's time to find a new congressman."
The new purchase is the second round of a six-figure ad buy by the House Majority Political Action Committee. The first wave of ads went up on Aug. 12 against Reps. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.), Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) and Scott Tipton (R-Colo.). The group considers the targeted lawmakers to be "some of the most vulnerable House Republicans," according to a press release released in conjunction with the new blitz.
"The American people are disgusted with House Republicans' misguided priorities and votes to sell out the middle class," Alixandria Lapp, Executive Director of House Majority PAC, said in the release.
"Whether it's voting for tax loopholes to keep corporate profits sky high, protecting profits for companies that ship jobs to China, or ending Medicare as we know it, House Republicans have plenty to answer for back home this August recess. House Majority PAC will continue holding House Republicans accountable for their extremist agenda."
The House Majority PAC is a so-called super PAC, which are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, although they must disclose their donors. They must also operate independently from candidates and official party organizations.
This is the group's first ad campaign since it invested heavily in helping Rep. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) win a special election in upstate New York in May.
Both the Democratic and Republican congressional campaign committees have been trying to put pressure on lawmakers back home in their districts during August. The National Republican Congressional Committee has been stressing how Republicans have created jobs, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have been hammering on the theme of the wealthy winning out over the concerns of the middle class.