Iran war votes in Congress become a focal point for campaign ad attacks

WASHINGTON (AP) — In Wisconsin, a narrator complains that “groceries, utilities, everything’s getting more expensive and Congressman (Derrick) Van Orden is adding to the list. He voted for the costly Iran war and spiking gas prices.” In Nebraska, Democratic candidate Chris Backemeyer says families are drowning. Flood voted six times for Trump’s tariffs and the Iran war, flooding us with higher prices on groceries, gas, cars and medicine, costing us a thousand dollars more a year.” And in Iowa, a group called Vote Vets Action Fund said Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson voted five times for the Iran war, “giving us record prices for gas and fertilizer.” Those ads are but a few examples of how Democrats and aligned advocacy groups are using an unpopular war as they challenge Republicans, aiming to win back power in the House and Senate.

It’s the culmination of a strategy Democrats launched in the spring, when they began to repeatedly bring up war powers resolutions aimed at ending the conflict. The votes had little practical effect, but forced lawmakers to go on record and take a stand. Now those votes are being highlighted in campaign ads across the country, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from AdImpact, which charts media spending.

In some cases, the Republicans targeted have never served in Congress before, so they couldn’t possibly have voted on the various war powers resolutions. Even then, Democrats are portraying them as destined to be rubber stamps for President Donald Trump when it comes to the war. Tying the war to the cost of living The Associated Press analyzed data on broadcast and cable ads aired from Sept.

14 in the most competitive midterm races. The analysis focused on House and Senate races rated as either tossups or leaning Democratic or Republican by the Cook Political Report. A smaller number of streaming ads were also examined.

At least half of the 50 races featured Iran-related ads, most of which included household cost-of-living messages. All told, the ads aired on TV more than 43,000 times since Sept. 1, costing an estimated $42 million.

The AP used both AdImpact’s own issue designations along with additional analysis of the ads’ language to identify them. Of the 65 unique Iran-themed ads identified by the AP, 61 of them stressed household cost-of-living message… A smaller number of streaming ads were also examined.At least half of the 50 races featured Iran-related ads, most of which included household cost-of-living messages.