A conservative Super PAC has launched blistering ads in North Carolina and Iowa, crucial battlegrounds in the fight for control of the U.S. Senate, accusing Democratic candidates of promoting a "hidden far-left agenda."
In North Carolina, incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan is in a tight race with the Republican Thom Tillis, the state's Speaker of the House, while in Iowa, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is vying for an open seat against Republican State Sen. Joni Ernst.
The ads are paid for by the Conservative War Chest (CWC), which won plaudits last year from talk show host Rush Limbaugh and the Wall Street Journal's columnist Kim Strassel for "cracking the Democratic code" in key political races.
An earlier CWC ad attacking two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas has reportedly played a major role in pushing his Republican opponent Tom Cotton into a substantial lead in the polls.
The ads in North Carolina and Iowa link Hagan and Braley to five bases of support: The extremist liberal leadership of the Democratic Party; the elite media; smear groups financed by left-wing billionaires; Wall Street liberals; Hollywood partisans.
Braley video:
Hagan video:
"The 'Gang of 5' extremists controlling the Democratic Party have gone all-in for liberals Kay Hagan and Bruce Braley," said CWC spokesman Mike Flynn. "Our ads educate voters that no matter what Hagan and Braley say in the campaign, they have both sold their political souls to the hard-left special interests and liberal puppet-masters of the Democratic Party.
"Sen. Hagan provided the deciding vote to pass Obamacare and begin a government takeover of our healthcare system. Trial lawyer Braley has voted 95 percent of the time with Nancy Pelosi, including voting for Obamacare.
"Hagan and Braley are the embodiment of the liberal special interests that have taken over the Democratic Party."
The CWC ads began airing in both states on Tuesday, Sept. 30, and will blanket the local news broadcasts in the largest markets with a six-figure television and digital ad buy.
"We've targeted the ads to reach those voters most engaged in the coming elections," Flynn said. "Viewers of the Sunday news shows, in particular, will see that votes cast by Hagan and Braley will move the country further toward liberal policies."
The ads castigate Hagan and Braley and their supporters' stance on military readiness, Obamacare, religious freedom, activist judges, abortion, traditional marriage, and First Amendment rights, and urge listeners to tell the Democrats: "We won't let you Detroit America with taxes and debt and no jobs."
One week after CWC began airing its Arkansas ads against Pryor in early September, "Tom Cotton opened his first substantial lead in the polls," Flynn noted. "That caused conservatives around the country to wake up."
Flynn disclosed that the ad's impact in Arkansas was so dramatic that one allied conservative group told CWC: "It's time to send out the cavalry to other states."
Flynn said: "The CWC strategy is to educate the public about the 'Gang of 5' extremists behind politicians like Hagan and Braley.
"We're confident we will make a critical difference in these states. Extremist liberals took over the Democrat Party years ago. Our ad gives voters a glimpse behind the curtain to see those calling the political shots for Pryor, Hagan, and Braley."
Flynn said CWC is reviewing developments in other states as well. "We're hoping to announce some moves soon that will surprise a lot of people," he said. "As conservatives rally ahead of the election, some surprising races will become competitive."
Flynn urged voters to go the
CWC website, where visitors can view the ads, a video on past efforts, and a power point presentation on the strategy for this year.