Democrats bring Iran to the airwaves in new midterm ad campaigns
Democrats are taking a new approach to appeal to voters ahead of the midterm elections: focusing campaigns on the war in Iran. While Democrats haven’t been shy about voicing their distaste for the Trump administration’s actions in the Middle East, real money is now joining the conversation.
A veteran organization, VoteVets Action Fund, rolled out a new $250,000 ad campaign Wednesday, targeting a Wisconsin Republican incumbent congressman who has publicly supported a Pentagon push for a $200 billion appropriation for the Iran war.
The ad calls out Rep. Derrick Van Orden for supporting the push despite rising gas prices and a need for more funds for veterans.
The ad, narrated by a Marine Corps veteran, opens with a gas pump displaying rising prices.
“Look at that gas pump,” the veteran says in the ad. “We’re paying the cost every damn day of this war in Iran. But for Congressman Van Orden, we’re not paying enough. He’s going for another $200 billion dollars to spend in Iran.”
The ad also says Van Orden supported cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Vets like me, we understand the cost of war,” the narrator continues. “But if we don’t have the money to take care of our veterans, we damn sure can’t afford another war.”
Politico reports the ad against Van Orden is just the first of a series of messages focused on GOP veterans who VoteVets Action Fund says are supporting President Donald Trump’s efforts in Iran despite his promises to avoid foreign wars.
PAC tied to Schumer releases two Iran-related ads
Similar to the VoteVets Action Fund ad, a group linked to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released two new ads focused on the war in Iran. These ads specifically target Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who recently voted against restricting Trump’s ability to carry out military action in Iran.
“Susan Collins voted to give Donald Trump a blank check for his war in Iran,” the ad says. “But home in Maine, Susan Collins supported cutting Medicaid and raising our insurance costs.”
The ad goes on to say, “We need that money in Maine, not in the Middle East.”
Iran is a hot-button issue
With the war in Iran continuing, and disputes between the U.S., NATO and its allies on the rise, ads focused on the war are likely to continue until midterms, with Democrats seeing it as a way to sway voters who largely disapprove of the war.
A new Ipsos survey found that two-thirds of Americans want the U.S. to end its involvement in Iran, and 56% said the war will have a negative impact on their personal finances.
And that interest in Iran has led to not only ad campaigns, but public signage, banners and more, arguing both for and against the war. Gas pump stickers have even made a resurgence, with images of Trump and the words “I did that” placed near gas prices.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
