Democratic groups launch ad painting GOP as extreme on porn censorship

Two Democratic groups are rolling out an ad featuring a fictitious Republican lawmaker who wants to ban porn nationwide, the latest installment of the groups’ $2.5 million ad campaign accusing the GOP of interfering in people’s lives.

In the 30-second ad rolled out by Progress Action Fund and Defend the Vote, called “Republicans Rubbing You the Wrong Way,” a young man is shown watching porn, before an actor playing a Republican congressman takes away his phone.

“What the hell man! How’d you get in here?” the man asks the lawmaker.

“I’m your Republican congressman. Now that we’re in charge, we’re banning porn nationwide,” the congressman says.

“You can’t tell me what to do! Get out of my bedroom, you creep!” the man replies, before the congressman says, “I won the last election, so it’s my decision. I’m just going to watch and make sure you don’t finish illegally.”

The ad, which was first shared with The Hill, is part of the campaign of two Democratic groups’ that have aired several ads attacking Republicans over reproductive access. The ad campaign will stream on connected TVs, online and streaming services in all seven battleground states.

Though the ad is largely hyperbolic in nature — no political party is seriously likely to ban porn at the federal level — the advertising is a part of a broader argument Democrats are making about Republicans: that they’re interfering in people’s personal lives.

A number of states have, however, taken action in recent years to tighten access to pornography, including at least 19 states that require age verification to access online pornography, according to the Age Verification Providers Association.

The ad is also notable in that it is targeted toward young men, a demographic both presidential campaigns have been courting. A Democratic pollster expressed concern that the Trump campaign could be making inroads with the group in a recent New York Times op-ed.

Updated at 1:32 p.m. EDT