Democrats are increasing pressure on certain GOP lawmakers in the shutdown messaging war, the latest being a new ad buy from the DNC.
The six-figure buy will include digital ads on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, along with billboards and bus shelters in Republican districts.
At the center of the government shutdown are Democrats’ demands that the GOP extend Obamacare premiums, warning of severe price hikes without it that will make health insurance unaffordable for many on the Affordable Care Act plans. As the Senate has continued to vote on a continuing resolution to reopen the government, sans the subsidy extension, Democrats have so far not lost support since the shutdown began last week. They also believe that pressure only will increase on the GOP in the coming weeks, as ACA enrollees get notices of price increases. Per Kaiser Family Foundation, premiums will more than double on average if the subsidies expire.
The ad campaign is targeting Republicans including Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX), Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ), and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. John James (R-MI) and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA), among others. The DNC campaign also includes texts to voters, including messages on calculating premium hikes.
DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement, “Right after the holidays, health care costs for Americans across the country are going to more than double because Republicans are refusing to work with Democrats to fix this crisis. That’s why the DNC is going to make sure families everywhere know that Republicans are about to wreck their pocketbooks and price them out of health insurance.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have highlighted flight delays and the potential for military families to miss paychecks in their messaging efforts to blame the shutdown on Democrats. “Chuck Schumer is playing political games right now for his own political future,” Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS News on Thursday. “He’s afraid he’s going to get a Marxist challenge from the left in his party, so he has dramatically changed course.” But one high profile Republican, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), has warned ofthe premium hikes, even appearing on CNN on Thursday.
The initial days following the shutdown was followed by a blame game battle for social media attention, with Trump posting deepfakes of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero. Democrats created a cat-starring video to explain what was at stake. As the shutdown has gone into its second week, the ad buy reflects a more traditional approach the messaging.
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