A group aligned with Ohio Republican John Boehner is thanking the House speaker’s allies for supporting him this week during a crucial vote to maintain funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
American Action Network, a political nonprofit, announced on Friday a $525,000 advertising campaign in the districts of Republican Reps. Dan Benishek of Michigan, Susan Brooks and Todd Young of Indiana, and Renee Ellmers of North Carolina.
The group will run 500 gross ratings points of television ads, each, worth a total of $350,000 in the Raleigh, N.C.; Traverse City, Mich.; and Indianapolis media markets. The balance of the $525,000 is to be spent on digital advertising in 16 additional GOP House districts whose members have been supportive of Boehner, with “live calls” being placed to voters in 75 districts overall.
“Many in Congress have been fighting for a strong conservative agenda, from policies that keep America safe to ones that instill greater fiscal and economic responsibility,” AAN President Mike Shields said in a statement. “We want their constituents to know about their strong records, and encourage constituents to support this agenda by calling and thanking their representatives for fighting for a safer, stronger America.”
The group’s ad campaign is small, but the political implications of the move are large.
Earlier this week, American Action Network ran ads against some of the House Republicans critical of Boehner for moving a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security that did not include language reversing President Obama’s constitutionally questionable executive order to legalize 4.1 million illegal immigrants. It appears that was just the first step in a concerted campaign to give Boehner and his allies the kind of outside cover that has typically only existed for the speaker’s political adversaries.
Boehner has faced repeated revolts on strategy and legislation from a cadre of anywhere from 25-35 Tea Party affiliated House Republicans, and they’re often backed by allies on the outside, including talk radio hosts and conservative advocacy groups. Boehner is not a big fan of exacting retribution against House Republicans who buck his leadership, so it’s unclear whether he approves of American Action Network’s advertising (the two parties are not allowed to coordinate.)
But many of the speaker’s political allies are probably pleased, as they believe they’ve been disarmed in the fight to move pragmatic conservative legislation through the House in the face of opposition from Tea Party Republicans who oppose compromise and favor a more hardline approach on policy.
