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Ad blitz fighting GOP tax bill targets Sen. Dean Heller

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., is the newest target of a seven-figure ad campaign by a liberal group urging Republicans to vote against the GOP tax package.

The ads, which will begin airing in the Las Vegas and Reno television markets Tuesday and on digital platforms later in the week, come from Not One Penny, a group that says it is committed to fighting tax cuts that benefit millionaires, billionaires and wealthy corporations.

Not One Penny didn’t specify how much was spent on the local ad buy.

The Senate Finance Committee last week approved the tax reform bill that included a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, which requires people to buy insurance or face an IRS penalty.

“Nevadans should not be forced to pay higher taxes to line the pockets of millionaires, billionaires, and wealthy corporations,” Not One Penny spokesman Tim Hogan said in a statement. “Senator Heller should listen to his constituents, not the demands of lobbyists or his rich campaign donors, and vote against this bill. ”

Not One Penny started airing similar ads in Maine over the weekend targeting Sen. Susan Collins, who has publicly criticized the bill.

Collins, who was one of three Republican senators who voted against and effectively killed the Senate’s ACA repeal bill earlier this year, questioned the rationale behind linking tax reform and health care in the current bill.

Although Collins has expressed doubts about the bill, Heller has publicly supported the efforts.

Citing the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation, Heller spokeswoman Megan Taylor said in a statement that the bill would “boost middle-class income by nearly $2,500 and add more than 8,300 jobs in Nevada.”

“Senator Heller has been fighting to provide tax cuts to hardworking Nevada families, and that is exactly what this bill does,” she said.

Republicans have just a 52-48 majority in the upper chamber, leaving little room for error as long as Democrats stay united in opposing the effort.

Collins has not said how she plans to vote, but Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said last week that he would vote against the bill in its current form, meaning Republicans can afford to lose only two more votes or risk the bill failing.

Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.

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