Democrats rush to release abortion ads in key Senate races

Many of the spots emphasize electing liberal senators to enshrine abortion protections — and prevent the chamber from flipping come November.

Aug 24, 2022 - 06:00

Democrats rush to release abortion ads in key Senate races

Democratic candidates in races across the country are rushing out ads on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Roe v. Wade. Many of the spots emphasize electing liberal senators to enshrine abortion protections — and prevent the chamber from flipping come November.

The Senate most recently blocked a bill to codify abortion rights in May, voting along party lines, save for Sen. Joe Machin (D-W.Va.) Now, a new slate of ads focus on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other GOP lawmakers, warning against Republicans taking over the majority next year.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) put out a spot on Tuesday, saying while the Supreme Court had overturned Roe, McConnell could help pass a national ban as majority leader. “That would erase Connecticut’s law, which protects a woman’s right to choose. He’s only one seat away from control, and Connecticut could be the deciding vote.”

In a Wednesday ad, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said McConnell had “hijacked” the Supreme Court process by packing the slate with anti-abortion judges. “If Republicans take the Senate again, McConnell will make things even worse.” Washington Sen. Patty Murray’s ad from Saturday warned against McConnell’s “handpicked candidate,” Tiffany Smiley, who would work with him to “ban abortions nationwide.”

Other ads blamed candidates like Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Nevada Republican Adam Laxalt, reminding voters the contenders are anti-abortion. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Johnson sided with the Supreme Court and told Wisconsin voters, “If you don’t like the [abortion laws] in your state… you can move,” said a spot from Planned Parenthood Action Fund released Tuesday.

Pro-abortion rights group EMILY’s List Action aired two nearly identical videos in the Boston market for incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan, one before and one after the Supreme Court decision. The ads say Hassan is working on federal law to protect a woman’s right to make “personal decisions. This is about our freedoms, and in the live free or die state, we mean it.”

In comparison, Republican candidates and groups have barely touched the issue in new ads following Friday’s decision. The spots with the most money behind them, and some of the only ones airing this week, came from Value Them Both, a Kansas-based group working on an upcoming ballot measure about whether Kansans will have the right to an abortion in the state constitution. The group’s most recent ad buy started June 23, calling the state “an abortion destination because of a radical court decision,” and asking voters to “restore common-sense abortion limits” by voting for the amendment.

FOUR MORE ADS TO WATCH THIS WEEK

In an ad titled “Saddle Up,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem rides a horse across the state’s plains as she recounted her father’s motto: “We don’t complain about things — we fix them.” She says the state has the “best economy in the nation” and has moved past dark days. “Here, freedom runs free. So saddle up, we’re just getting started,” Noem narrates as she rides into the horizon.

As tensions over housing prices increase in Hawaii and other states, gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Josh Green promised to make investments in affordable housing so working families can keep living in the state. “Hawaii is our home and we should be able to afford to stay here,” a woman says while playing with her child.

“Some launches are more complicated than others,” an ad for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker starts as footage of a space rocket plays. Airing only in downstate markets, the video promotes the governor’s efforts to create manufacturing training academies in southern areas of the state. “It’s not rocket science — J.B. is working for Illinois,” a narrator says.

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs released an ad revealing some of the death threats she received from people who denied the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. The gubernatorial candidate said she drew the line when people “came after my family, our state, our freedom.” Hobbs added the state needs leaders who can defend reproductive health care, lower costs and fix local schools.

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