Vice President Mike Pence has cut three new television ads slamming vulnerable Democratic Senate incumbents. And he may be the first vice president ever to do anything quite like this — certainly he’s at least the first in this century.
With two months before the midterm elections, national Republicans are leaning on Pence to carry the Trump Country ad campaign, likely a testament to the vice president’s popularity with conservatives. According to a Friday report in Politico, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is deploying the Pence spots against Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana. All three incumbents are facing re-election in states President Trump won by double digits in 2016.
Take a look at the script for Pence’s 30-second spot against Tester:
Note how the ad identifies Tester’s vulnerabilities as taxes, sanctuary cities, and Obamacare — fodder in red states — and focuses far more on undermining the incumbent than on Rosendale. It’s also worth mentioning the ad closes with a clip of Rosendale on stage with Trump and a banner with block letters announcing, “President Trump and Vice President Pence SUPPORT Matt Rosendale.”
The message is clear: Tester is not on Trump’s team, and is, in fact, actively working against it. The aggressive strategy not only speaks to Trump’s ongoing popularity with his base, but to Pence’s credibility with Trump voters as well.
