Major Dem group goes on offense against GOP tax plan

Majority Forward, the nonprofit arm of the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, is going on offense with a digital ad campaign in 10 states as it seeks to frame the GOP’s tax plan as a handout to corporations and the wealthy.

The ad campaign, which was provided first to The Hill, signals how Democrats plan to campaign against the tax overhaul in the 2018 midterms. Majority Forward unveiled the digital ads on Tuesday, arguing that the tax plan doesn’t prioritize the middle class and could have negative ramifications on the debt and Medicare.

“Out-of-state billionaires are making you pay for their tax cuts,” one digital ad reads. The ads will direct to the group’s website, “The GOP Tax Scam.”

{mosads}“Corporate tax cuts are permanent — yours aren’t,” another ad reads.

The campaign will be a five-figure buy in each of the 10 states that are home to the most competitive Senate races of the 2018 cycle: Ohio, North Dakota, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, Montana, Indiana, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Missouri.

President Trump won those states in the 2016 election with the exception of Nevada, which he lost by over 2 points.

“Republicans are trying to pull off a bait and switch that will screw the middle class in the end,” J.B. Poersch, president of Majority Forward, said in a statement provided to The Hill.

“It’s crucial for voters to know that Republicans passed the tax bill to appease corporations and billionaires who fund their political careers. Middle class families need Senators that will protect Medicare and stand up to the Koch brothers, and Republicans running for the Senate are completely unwilling to do the job.”

Senate Majority PAC has already injected millions of dollars into the battle for the Senate, with recent ad buys to protect vulnerable Democratic incumbents in Missouri, Indiana and Wisconsin.

Senate Democrats are largely on defense this cycle. They need to protect more than two dozens seats — 10 of which are in states Trump carried — while Republicans only need to defend eight seats.

But Republicans are feeling more emboldened that the tax overhaul will buoy them in 2018 now that the polling of the legislation has improved.

The party has also seized on House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (Calif.) comment calling the bonuses that companies have announced since the law passed “crumbs.”