Former Vice President Mike Pence is accelerating efforts to help Republicans win the House majority as his political nonprofit group hits the airwaves in two targeted swing districts with advertising attacking Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
The fresh spots from Advancing American Freedom use President Joe Biden’s recent comments downplaying inflation to put Luria and Slotkin on the defensive on this key issue. The group told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that it was investing six figures, each, to air the ads on broadcast, cable, and streaming television in media markets covering Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District and Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.
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“The American people are getting crushed by inflation because Elaine Luria voted for Biden’s liberal spending,” the voiceover says as the spot criticizing the Virginia congresswoman opens. The ad then cuts to a clip of Biden from his 60 Minutes interview: “First of all, let’s put this in perspective. The inflation rate month to month was up just an inch. Hardly at all.”
Luria and Slotkin, centrist Democrats who ousted incumbent Republicans in 2018, a Democratic wave year, are top GOP targets in the midterm elections. Virginia’s newly configured 2nd District gives Republicans a slight edge. Michigan’s newly configured 7th District does the same but was drawn as a more competitive seat.
The assistance House Republicans are receiving from Pence in these districts is part of a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign from Advancing American Freedom that has been unveiled in stages throughout the year. Republicans are just a handful of seats shy of capturing the House majority in November.
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The former vice president, a potential 2024 contender, is headed to Iowa later this month to headline an event hosted by Republican state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, son of Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann. Earlier this month, Pence headlined a party unity breakfast in New Hampshire.
