The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday said it launched a digital advertisement effort against five Senate Republicans it argues caused the government shutdown.
The campaign targets GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dean Heller (Nev.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Susan Collins (Maine) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). Both Heller and Cruz are up for reelection.
“Republicans failed to take care of veterans, provide children with long-term access to health care, fight the opioid crisis and protect Dreamers,” Sabrina Singh, the committee’s deputy communications director, said in a statement.
{mosads}“The DNC will be launching a new digital ad campaign to hold Senate Republicans accountable for their failure of leadership and the DNC is urging voters across the country to call on their Senators and demand that they do their jobs.”
While Corker is retiring when his current term ends, and Murkowski and Collins are not up for reelection for several years, both Heller and Cruz are facing the DNC attack as they prepare to run for reelection.
Heller’s home state of Nevada went for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election by 2 points, while President Trump won Texas by 9 points.
Both parties argue the other is responsible for the government shutdown, which began at midnight when the Senate failed to pass a short-term funding bill.
The Republican National Committee has invoked the hashtag #SchumerShutdown, placing the blame on Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Democrats, meanwhile, charge that Trump is responsible for the government closure.
Lawmakers have spent weeks negotiations on a spending bill, to no avail, with immigration and health-care funding at the center of the talks.