The Virginia House Democrats launched attack ads against 12 vulnerable Republicans ahead of elections in November. This comes days after Republicans launched their own attack ads against Democrats.
Hoping to ride a similar wave as in 2017 when Democrats flipped 15 seats in the House one year after Donald Trump was elected, the ads tie Virginia Republicans to the White House policies.
“Look around us. It’s chaos,” the ad says. “And who’s gonna pay the price? Us. Our jobs lost. Our grocery prices up. Our housing unaffordable. Our benefits cut. All so billionaires can reap the benefits.”
The 12 Republicans targeted are in districts that Democrats believe they have the best chance to flip.
Dels. Paul Milde (Stafford), David Owen (Henrico), Bobby Orrock (Spotsylvania), Geary Higgins (Loudoun), Ian Lovejoy (Prince William), Kim Taylor (Dinwiddie), Mark Earley (Chesterfield), Carrie Coyner (Chesterfield), Chad Green (York), A.C Cordoza (Hampton), Amanda Batten (James City) and Chris Obenshain (Mongomery) all received a personalized attack ad.
“Families and especially veterans across the Commonwealth are struggling to keep up with rising costs and shrinking opportunities, and House Republicans continue to back policies that worsen the crisis,” Speaker of the House Don Scott said in a statement. “Putting Virginians and their livelihoods first means holding these politicians accountable for their failures—and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”
The Republican State Leadership Committee released a new six-figure paid media attack ad last week accusing Democrats in the General Assembly of blocking tax cuts and efforts to lower electric costs and refusing to crack down on illegal immigration.
“Virginia House Democrats have said they want to cut taxes, make their communities safer, and make the Commonwealth more prosperous, yet this legislative session under their leadership has been one broken promise after the next,” said RSLC PAC President Edith Jorge-Tuñón.
“No amount of the RSLC’s lies will change the fact that Virginia Republicans have tried time and again to take a sledgehammer to Virginians’ economic opportunities, freedoms, and safety,” said Lauren Chou, the communications director for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. “While Virginia Democrats fight tooth and nail to lower costs and fund our public schools, Virginia voters won’t forget every single Republican legislator who sat on their hands while the Trump Administration eliminated their jobs and drove up costs at the grocery store.”
House Republicans did not immediately provide a comment for this story.