Republican group buys ad targeting Nevada’s Rep. Jacky Rosen

The midterm elections are more than a year-and-a-half away, but Republicans already have Nevada Congresswoman Jacky Rosen in their crosshairs.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, the fundraising arm of House Republicans, paid for a new electronic billboard targeting Rosen that will run on Thursday near the edge of Rosen’s Congressional district in Southern Nevada. The ad urges voters to call her office and tell her to oppose both the Affordable Care Act and any single-payer health care proposals.

“Jacky Rosen’s full-throated support of Obamacare and all its failures shows she’s more interested in toeing the party line than doing the right thing for her constituents,” NRCC spokesman Jack Pandol said in a statement. “Will Jacky disavow Nancy Pelosi’s push for single-payer healthcare experts predict would cause trillions in tax hikes on working families?”

The NRCC did not disclose the cost of the ad.

Rosen, a freshman lawmaker, joined House Democrats in opposing the proposed Obamacare repeal from Republicans last month. The bill was pulled from the floor because there were not enough votes to pass the measure.

Rosen said last month that the ACA “has its flaws,” but noted the number of Nevadans that would become uninsured if it were repealed and noted that Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval has embraced the Medicare expansion aspect of the health-care plan.

“I’m focused on making health care more affordable, lowering the cost of insurance, improving quality of care, and protecting Medicare,” Rosen said in a written response to the ad. “I’d be happy to work across the aisle to lower the costs of health insurance, but I will not stand by and watch Speaker Ryan try to implement an age tax on Nevadans over the age of 50 and increase the cost of health insurance for my constituents. That’s simply unacceptable and irresponsible.”

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report ranks Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District as one of the most competitive races for 2018, listing it as a “Democratic Toss up.”

It’s one of the tightest districts in terms of voter registration, with Democrats outnumbering Republicans by about 10,000 voters. Republican Joe Heck held the seat for three terms before making a failed bid for the Nevada Senate in 2016.

Rosen defeated Republican Danny Tarkanian by 1 percentage point in her first race for elected office.

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