Democrats plan national ad blitz linking GOP congressional candidates to Trump

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching a seven-figure national ad blitz that will start Monday and continue to target voters as they’re tuning into the Republican National Convention the following week.

The ads, airing on national cable television, will connect presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump to House Republicans in down-ballot races. The ads represent a strategy in elections in Nevada and elsewhere of making Trump an issue that defines Republican candidates.

For the DCCC, it’s a move that comes earlier than usual in the high-stakes election cycle. The ads will air on news networks that include CNN and MSNBC, targeting a demographic of independent female voters who are older than 25. The ads will also be online.

“Whether House Republicans stand with Donald Trump or refuse to stand up to him, the point is the same: They are putting their party over our country and have betrayed the values and standards that Americans hold dear,” DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan said in a statement.

One 30-second spot compares congressional Republicans to the sidekick of a school bully, with the bully being Trump. Another features a montage of voters questioning how congressional Republicans can support Trump’s standards.

Because of the national scope of the ads, they don’t call out Republican candidates in individual races.

Congressional races in Nevada are competitive. The 4th Congressional District seat is one that Democrats hope to regain in a contest between U.S. Rep. Cresent Hardy, R-Nev., who is running for a second term, and Democratic candidate Ruben Kihuen, a state senator.

The 3rd Congressional District race is an open, competitive race, with U.S. Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., running for the U.S. Senate. In the 3rd District, Republican Danny Tarkanian is running against Democratic candidate Jacky Rosen.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Follow @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.