Seven House Republicans in competitive districts aren’t going to be able to hide from their support for—or even their cowardly silence on—Trumpcare. As they go home for a two-week recess, more than $1 million in ads are hitting the air to let voters know the score.
"Congressman [Darrell] Issa promised to protect our health care, but when right-wing politicians tried to pass a disastrous health care repeal bill that raises cost and cuts coverage, Issa wouldn't oppose them," a male narrator intones as ominous music plays, in one version of the 30-second spot.
The ads target five Republican lawmakers from districts won by Hillary Clinton, including Issa, whose Orange County district Clinton carried by eight points. Other Republicans in Clinton-won districts include Arizona's Martha McSally, Colorado's Mike Coffman and Florida's Carlos Curbelo and California's David Valadao.
Two lawmakers from districts carried won by President Donald Trump — Florida's Brian Mast and New Jersey's Tom MacArthur — will face similar ads.
The ads are being run by Save My Care, a coalition “backed by labor and progressive groups.”
Republicans have gerrymandered so many states so effectively that there aren’t many of them who came into 2017 nervous about their 2018 electoral prospects, but the scope of resistance to Donald Trump, the massive unpopularity of Trumpcare, and the unexpectedly competitive special elections in Kansas and Georgia have to have some of them starting to worry.