Dems use debate to promote underdog campaigns

A group of Senate Democratic candidates embroiled in primary challenges against establishment picks are using Tuesday night’s debate as a way to introduce themselves to a large Democratic audience.

House candidates in Illinois, Florida and Ohio who are battling Democratic establishment favorites have all purchased airtime.

Andrea Zopp, the former president of the Chicago Urban League, is taking on Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the Democratic primary for Sen. Mark Kirk’s seat. Duckworth has the endorsement from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and has a large lead in primary polling.

Kirk is seen as vulnerable in a state that’s reliably voted for Democratic presidential candidates, and Zopp’s campaign is hitting the airwaves for the first time with three spots, one before, one during and one after the debate.

Two ads center on Zopp’s work as a federal prosecutor and assistant state’s attorney, with one addressing criminal justice reform and police accountability in the wake of high-profile officer-involved deaths of Americans. The buy is lean — Zopp campaign manager Bryce Colquitt says it will cost only about $7,500 to run the three ads. He said the ads will air in the Chicago market, as well as in three others.

In Florida, Rep. Alan Grayson will air the first spot of his campaign on CNN. The ad, running statewide, highlights Grayson’s recent ethics charge against House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) over the House Benghazi Committee, and how McCarthy took himself out of the running for Speaker just one day later.

The campaign would not comment on how much the buy cost.

Grayson is taking on fellow Rep. Patrick Murphy for the Democratic nomination for the open Florida Senate seat. Murphy has been endorsed by the DSCC, but September canvassing by Public Policy Polling found Grayson with a slim lead. 

P.G. Sittenfeld, a city councilman in Cincinnati, will use the debate to air three spots. One will needle establishment favorite and former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland for not heeding his calls for a debate, another targets Strickland and incumbent Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) for ties to Washington, and a third calls for a “new agenda” in Washington. 

A spokesman described the ads as a “medium-sized buy” across Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton and Youngstown.

Katie McGinty, the former aide to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, has also released an online ad pegged to the debate, but it won’t be airing on television. She jumped into the Pennsylvania Democratic primary over the summer as Democrats have cooled on former Rep. Joe Sestak’s candidacy. 

McGinty is also taking on John Fetterman, a Pittsburgh mayor who announced his bid last month.

—This post was updated at 6:38 p.m.