The campaign arm for Senate Republicans is running a Spanish-language television ad that ties Sen. Mark Kelly to President Biden in the hopes of tripping up the incumbent’s reelection run in Arizona.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee’s 30-second spot says Mr. Kelly plays up his independence in Arizona but votes in lockstep with Mr. Biden and Democrats in Washington.
“Groceries skyrocketing and gas prices rising,” the narrator says in the ad. “Mark Kelly talks pretty when he’s in Arizona, but in Washington, he crumbles and votes the party line 97%.”
“Kelly even votes with Biden on border issues, and now we are feeling the impact: more crime, schools crowded, less safety,” the narrator says in Spanish.
Mr. Kelly, a former astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is running for his first full six-year term after winning a special election to serve out the remainder of the late Republican Sen. John McCain’s term.
Mr. Kelly recently tried to distance himself from Mr. Biden. He split with him over his decision to end the pandemic border emergency, known as Title 42, that for the last two years has blocked many illegal immigrants from entering the U.S.
The 58-year-old also helped sink a Biden labor nominee and has pressed the Biden administration to open up more oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. Kelly is poised to face off in the general election against the winner of the competitive Republican primary race featuring Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, venture capitalist Blake Masters, solar energy entrepreneur Jim Lamon and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mick McGuire.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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