Senate Democrats in battleground states are the target of a new seven-figure ad campaign hitting them for President Biden’s plan to phase out gas-powered cars.
The ad campaign launched Wednesday by American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) urges voters in seven Senate battleground states to urge lawmakers to repeal the de facto electric vehicle mandate.
Those states are Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, Ohio and Montana. It is AFPM’s second campaign targeting vulnerable Senate Democrats.
The ads also target voters in Georgia and Maine, both key states for President Biden’s reelection. Maine splits its Electoral College votes by winners of each congressional district and Georiga is a swing state.
“You’re in the driver’s seat. You choose what road to take,” one of the ads says. “But soon, you’ll be taking a back seat to big government because EPA regulators just banned most new gas-powered cars. They’ve made it clear it’s their way or the highway, even if electric vehicles aren’t right for you or your family.”
The blitz puts a spotlight on an upcoming vote forced by Senate Republicans for a rollback of the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule requiring up to two-thirds of new vehicles sold by 2032 to be some form of electric.
AFPM and other industry groups, including the American Petroleum Institute, also have threatened legal challenges.
The EPA regulation, which seeks to combat climate change by reducing emissions, put swing-state Democrats in the hot seat.
Several vulnerable Senate Democrats recently told The Washington Times they were against the EPA rule or did not want to discuss it.
Sen. Joe Manchin III, a West Virginia Democrat who is not seeking reelection, will aid GOP efforts to overturn the rule. He helped author the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, which included up to $7,500 in tax credits for EV buyers.
“First of all, we bribed them by giving a $7,500 rebate, and then on top of that, [the administration] mandates it,” Mr. Manchin told The Times. “That’s bull——. Pure bull—-.”
Republican challengers to Democratic senators have used the EPA regulations as a rallying cry.
The nonpartisan election forecaster Cook Political Report on Wednesday moved the Nevada Senate race in the GOP’s favor, shifting the contest between Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown from “lean Democrat” to “toss-up.” The ratings analysis concluded Ms. Rosen “lacks an established brand to outrun Biden’s lagging numbers.”
“Nevada is now a toss-up because Jacky Rosen is a rubber stamp for Joe Biden and has made things worse for Nevadans, from high prices to the open border,” Mr. Brown said.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the trade association representing major auto manufacturers, called the EPA’s target dates a “stretch goal.”
Light-duty EV sales clocked in at 9.5% for 2023, up from 7% in 2022, 4.4% in 2021 and 2.3% in 2020. Those sales included all-electric battery vehicles and plug-in hybrids, according to data from the Alliance.
At the current rate of roughly 2.5% year-over-year growth, it would take more than 23 years without government mandates for the U.S. to reach the two-thirds EV threshold. The EPA wants the market to achieve it in eight years.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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