A group with ties to House Speaker John Boehner is rewarding loyal House Republicans.
American Action Network, a political nonprofit, announced Monday that it was investing $1.8 million on advertising to boost 76 House Republicans who voted in favor of GOP leadership’s $3.8 trillion budget plan for fiscal 2016. The group also is funding television, radio, digital and direct-mail spots to benefit House Republicans who backed leadership’s bipartisan proposal to change Medicare and pay more public money to doctors who treat seniors.
“Americans ready for leadership in Washington can look no further than Members of Congress who voted to balance the budget, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and fix the SGR mess once and for all,” AAN President Mike Shields said in a statement. “We want constituents around the country to know that their Member of Congress demonstrated real leadership here.”
American Action Network is affiliated with Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that spends money on House races and is allied with Boehner. For the first time since launching in 2010, American Action Network has moved aggressively to counter conservative House Republicans who disagreed with Boehner’s spending priorities. For instance, the group advertised against House Republicans who voted against leadership’s plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
These actions have positioned AAN as a counterweight to Tea Party Republicans and the outside groups that support them.
American Action Network does not dispute its intention to play that role. But neither is the group making strategic decisions based on factional divisions among House Republicans. In this latest round of advertising, for instance, AAN is spending money on advertising to thank Republicans like Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Dennis Ross of Florida for backing for backing the budget. All three are conservatives as well as periodic thorns in leadership’s side on other matters.
Of the $1.8 million the group is spending, $350,000 is for television ads for members who supported the budget. That list includes: Blackburn, Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee; Reps. Bill Huizenga and Fred Upton of Michigan; Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky; Rep. Todd Young of Indiana; Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington; and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, also of Washington.
American Action Network said in a press release that it is spending $75,000 on radio ads thanking four members, $1.1 million in mail and print ads thanking 42 Members, and more than $250,000 in digital ads thanking 66 Members. Beneficiaries included Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas, Rep. Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania, and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico.
