House Republicans are looking to drive a wedge between former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and her former staffer, Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.) in a new ad, part of their final TV salvo of the 2014 elections.
{mosads}”Gabby Giffords had guts enough to vote against Pelosi, but not Ron Barber,” says a new ad from the GOP-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF). “He’s a rubberstamp for Pelosi.”
Barber, a former Giffords staffer, was wounded in the same shooting that nearly killed Giffords, and he took her place in Congress when she retired. The two remain close, and Giffords has appeared in ads for Barber. Her pro-gun control super-PAC Americans for Responsible Solutions has also aired ads on his behalf. Barber is in a tight race against Air Force veteran Martha McSally (R).
The ad is part of the CLF’s final ad buy of the campaign, part of the $20 million they and their sister group, the American Action Network, are spending this month to help the GOP expand its offensive map.
Other ads attack Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), William Enyart (D-Ill.), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), and the Democrats running for an open New Jersey seat and against Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.).
The National Republican Congressional Committee is also out with a slew of new ads, its final round of the election cycle. Most feature President Obama. They attack Peterson, Enyart, and Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), John Barrow (D-Ga.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) and Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), and the Democrat targeting retiring Rep. Tom Latham’s (R-Iowa) seat.