GOP super PAC hits Dem House hopeful as ‘Pelosi liberal’ in new Kansas ad

A Republican super PAC aligned with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is out with a new ad in Kansas hitting Democratic House hopeful Sharice Davids as an ally of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). 

The 30-second television spot by the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) also takes aim at Davids’s support for a single-payer health care system, while contrasting her with her Republican opponent, incumbent Rep. Kevin Yoder.

“Kevin Yoder is an independent leader, putting Kansas families first,” a narrator says in the ad. “Yoder supported the Balanced Budget Amendment and led by example, cutting his office budget and returning nearly four-hundred-grand to taxpayers.”

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“Sharice Davids supports a government takeover of health care that would nearly double the national debt. It’s why Nancy Pelosi’s allies have spent 700-grand backing Davids,” the spot continues. “Sharice Davids is a Pelosi liberal.”

Yoder’s seat in Kansas’ 3rd District – the only district in the state to go for Hillary Clinton in 2016 – is among the most vulnerable in the 2018 midterm elections. 

The ad marks the latest effort by the CLF to tie Democrats across the country to Pelosi, who has long been cast as a sort of bogeyman in Republicans’ campaign narrative.

In fact, Davids has been unclear about her support for Pelosi. Asked by the Kansas City Star whether she planned to back the California Democrat for a leadership post if she’s elected to the House in November, Davids praised Pelosi, but did not say how she planned to vote.

“As the only woman to ever serve as Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi has shown tremendous leadership of the Democratic Party,” she said. “My focus now is on returning the House to Democratic control. After that happens in November, I look forward to working with the Democratic Caucus to select the best leaders to guide us going forward.”

Likewise, she told the Star that she supports a “Medicare for All,” in theory. But she also said that the country needed more “immediate solutions” to address health-care affordability. 

“Everyone in America deserves easy access to quality, affordable health care. ‘Medicare for All’ is a goal and a good slogan,” she told the newspaper. “But while we work toward that end, we need immediate solutions for people who are suffering and unable to receive health care right now.”

In a statement, Davids’ campaign said that she would work “with either party to lower health care costs and protect those with pre-existing conditions while standing up to special interests who stand in her way.

“Kevin Yoder is in the pocket of special interests, so it’s not surprising that an out-of-state super PAC is launching dishonest attacks to keep him in Washington,” a spokesperson for the campaign said.

“Kevin Yoder can’t hide from his record of voting with President Trump 92 percent of the time, or taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance companies and voting to raise health care costs on Kansans.”

–Updated at 9:25 a.m.