The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) today released a round of digital ads targeting seven Democrats, among them Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff), who had threatened to derail House Democrats’ reconciliation bill before coming to a compromise last month.
“What’s the difference between Nancy Pelosi’s doormat and Congressman Josh Gottheimer?” the ad’s narrator asks. “Nothing. Gottheimer promised he would stand up to Pelosi’s reckless $3.5 trillion socialist spending spree. But he broke his promise and voted with Pelosi. [Audio clip of Pelosi]: ‘I was pleased that we were able to get 100% of the Democrats to vote.’ New Jersey voters can’t afford another Pelosi doormat. Tell Congressman Gottheimer to stand up to Nancy Pelosi’s socialist agenda.”
The six other Democrats targeted are Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA), Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR); all were among the nine Democrats who joined Gottheimer’s informal caucus of renegades. The ads targeting each Democrat are functionally identical, with only their names and the names of their home states substituted.
Before Gottheimer and Pelosi came to an agreement, the nine Democrats faced harsh criticism from the left, but the roles quickly reversed when the breakaway Democrats returned to the fold. The NRCC released a scathing statement against Gottheimer the day the deal was announced, and a conservative issue advocacy group began running a digital ad slamming the congressman two weeks ago.
But Gottheimer won’t be easy to beat. He’s built up a campaign warchest of $10 million, and was one of relatively few suburban House Democrats to outrun Biden in 2020.