DSCC launches new campaign on equal pay

Democrats are launching a new campaign hitting Republican Senate candidates on the pay gap between women and men.

{mosads}The party believes the push for equal pay will be an electoral winner for Democrats, as they typically enjoy stronger support from women than men. Their polling also shows the issue moves persuadable voters of both genders toward Democrats.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will run Web, Twitter and Facebook ads. A social media push using the hashtag #GOPPayGap will highlight instances in which GOP Senate candidates have come out as opposed to equal pay.

Democrats are characterizing the push, set to coincide with a new focus from President Obama on the issue, as a “common-sense measure.” 

“The DSCC’s ‘GOP PAY GAP’ campaign will hold Republican Senate candidates accountable for their baseless and partisan opposition to equal pay for equal work,”  said Regan Page, DSCC spokeswoman.

“As the DSCC’s ‘GOP PAY GAP’ campaign will highlight in the coming days and weeks, Republican Senate candidates will pay the price for their longstanding baseless opposition to common-sense measures that would end gender based pay discrimination,” Page said.

Obama will unveil two executive orders meant to address pay discrepancies between women and men on Tuesday, which marks “Equal Pay Day.”

And Senate Democrats will vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday, a bill that has no chance of making it through the House but is likely to draw near-unified opposition from Republicans, giving Democrats a proof-point in their equal pay messaging push.

The Democratic National Committee and EMILY’s List, the group dedicated to electing female candidates that support abortion rights to Congress, will both join in the effort this week as well.

Republicans pushed back against the Democrats’ new campaign. 

“All Republicans support equal pay for equal work. Democrats have controlled the White House and Senate for the last five years yet always seem to wait for an election year to push another empty promise,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Brook Hougesen. “The truth is, the ‘Paycheck Fairness Act’ is nothing more than smoke and mirrors and is a political ploy to manipulate women. It doesn’t provide paycheck fairness for women. In actuality, it will cut flexibility in the work place for working mothers and end merit pay that rewards good work—the very things that are important to us.”

This post was updated at 12:56 p.m.