Democrats who see themselves as more centrist aren’t taking any chances with unhappy voters this year, cutting campaign ads that toss under the bus one of their more divisive and partisan leaders — Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
The House Minority Leader has been cited in recent surveys and polls as one of the least popular members of Congress. So some Democrats, worried about their re-election chances, are trying to distance themselves from her — via ads that paint her in a poor light, The Hill reported.
Rep. John Barrow, for example, has an ad running in Georgia of him saying: “I voted 54 percent of the time with Speaker [John] Boehner … and I voted against Nancy Pelosi for speaker,” The Hill reported.
Irv Halter, seeking a term in Colorado, tried a similar tactic in his ad.
“Career politicians like Doug Lamborn and Nancy Pelosi have failed,” he said in a newly run television ad, The Hill reported. “There’s only one way to change Washington. Vote them out.”
And Democratic Gwen Graham, who’s challenging Rep. Steve Southerland in Florida, says in her ad: “Congress is broken. Both parties, Republican and Democrat, are to blame and both need new leaders in Washington.” Ms. Graham makes the statement against a backdrop of pictures of Mr. Boehner and Mrs. Pelosi.
Democratic strategists are trying to downplay the significance of the party’s campaign run from Mrs. Pelosi.
In a short statement, Emily Bittner, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told The Hill: “Campaigns run their own races.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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