WASHINGTON — A Democratic group on Wednesday launched a new national ad campaign featuring images of last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol and arguing that voters who oppose former President Donald Trump need to turn out in this year’s midterm election.
The digital ads, which officials with the Democratic super PAC Priorities USA say are backed by an initial $100,000 investment, are part of an ongoing effort from the group to keep left-leaning voters engaged in politics even without Trump in office, something party strategists say is a major concern ahead of the midterm.
It’s also a test of whether the attack on the Capitol, which delayed certification of the 2020 election, can be part of a successful political message for Democrats, as they seek to protect their narrow control of the House and Senate.
“Last time was just a test run,” says a narrator in one of the two new ads, as images of the riot play on screen. “Donald Trump is putting people in place now to dictate the outcome of the next presidential election.”
The ad then flashes an image of more than a dozen U.S. Senate and U.S. House candidates who have received Trump’s endorsement.
In the second ad, a narrator praises voters who voted against the Republican president in the last presidential race before urging them to turn out again this year.
“Our country is still mourning the lives we lost because of the violent insurrection on January 6th. We have an obligation to prevent those who enabled this tragedy from holding power ever again,” said Aneesa McMillan, deputy executive director of Priorities USA, in a statement. “January 6th was not an isolated incident.”
Priorities officials say the ads are targeted to reach so-called “new” Joe Biden voters, those who didn’t vote in 2016 but backed the Democratic candidate in 2020.
Whether Democratic candidates and groups should invoke Trump’s name on the campaign trail this year has become a source of controversy within the party, with some strategists arguing that Democrats have become over-reliant on the former president as a campaign target.
But Priorities officials have said that for at least part of the Democratic base, the president remains a potent motivator, particularly in the context of his role in the Jan. 6 attacks.
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