A new ad campaign from a Democratic-aligned group is slamming a vulnerable Republican congressman over his support for the war in Iran, a sign that Democrats view the conflict as a political liability for Republicans in the midterm elections.
The group, VoteVets Action Fund, supports military veterans running for office. It said it was spending $250,000 on the campaign against Representative Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, a retired Navy SEAL whose Wisconsin district is considered competitive this year.
The first ad, released on Wednesday and reported on earlier by Politico, contrasts the fighting in the Middle East with domestic costs at home.
“Look at that gas pump,” says the narrator, who does not give his name but is identified onscreen as a Marine Corps veteran, addressing the camera as he holds a gas-station coffee cup in his hand. “We’re paying the cost every damn day of this war in Iran. But for Congressman Van Orden, we’re not paying enough.”
The ad focuses in particular on Mr. Van Orden’s support for a $200 billion push by the Pentagon to fund the war effort. (In a sign of Republican divisions over the war, however, Mr. Van Orden has expressed opposition to sending U.S. ground troops into Iran.)
Polls show low public support for the war. More than half of voters on average say they oppose military action in Iran, according to the newsletter Silver Bulletin, and a recent Pew Research Center survey found that 61 percent of Americans disapproved of President Trump’s handling of the conflict. Since the war began, Mr. Trump’s approval ratings have continued their slow decline and have fallen to about 39 percent, a low for his second term.
The campaign by VoteVets signals that Democrats may use the war as a key cudgel in the midterms, tethering Mr. Trump’s decision to attack the country to steadily increasing gas prices and other economic worries at home.
Though the war with Iran is now over a month old, spending on political ads about the conflict has been relatively limited. Over the past month, just $620,000 was spent on ads for both parties that mentioned Iran, according to data from AdImpact, a media tracking firm.
In a statement to Politico, Mr. Van Orden’s office lashed out at the ad campaign and reiterated his support for the military effort in Iran.
“Iran has been at war with the United States for 47 years,” Mr. Van Orden said. “When we start putting a price tag on American citizens’ lives, we’ve already lost sight of our responsibility.”
He added, “Every single American murdered by these radical Muslim mullahs is priceless, and every American life we can save is beyond value.”
VoteVets said the first ad would run on a variety of television, radio, digital and streaming platforms, including during upcoming N.C.A.A. basketball games. The group added that “additional ads targeting other Republican veterans in Congress” would follow.
Nick Corasaniti is a Times reporter covering national politics, with a focus on voting and elections.
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