Senate Republicans’ campaign arm rolls out seven-figure ad buys in Georgia, New Hampshire

Senate Republicans’ campaign arm announced Friday it is rolling out two seven-figure ad buys targeting vulnerable Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H.).

The 30-second ad in Georgia, called “Mirror,” seeks to tie Warnock to President Biden using his voting record, claiming he voted with the president to “cripple U.S. oil production” and pass “huge spending that is fueling inflation.”

A separate ad in New Hampshire, titled “Lauren,” seeks to tie Hassan to Biden as well and targets her over inflation. The ad features a mother of four who says she’s “overwhelmed by the rising costs my family faces every day. And that’s why I can’t support Maggie Hassan.”

“She voted with Biden 97 percent of the time, sent inflation through the roof and left families like mine struggling to keep up. Let’s send Biden a message and vote Maggie Hassan out,” the woman adds.

Sydney Petersen, a spokesperson for Hassan’s campaign, argued that the senator had taken measures to tackle issues like inflation and had even taken on members of her own party, including Biden. 

“Senator Hassan is standing up to Big Oil and Big Pharma and fighting to tackle inflation and lower costs for Granite Staters. Senator Hassan was rated the most bipartisan Senator by an independent organization and has stood up to President Biden and her own party to push for action to bring down costs,” she said in a statement. 

“Meanwhile, her opponent Don Bolduc has opposed commonsense measures to lower prescription drug and energy costs, and is pushing an extreme, backward agenda that would eviscerate Social Security and Medicare and keep costs high for Granite Staters.”

Republicans are seeking to hammer Democrats over the economy and inflation heading into November’s midterm elections, while Democrats are hoping to home in on abortion rights.

Georgia and New Hampshire represent some of the most competitive Senate races this cycle, with the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rating the Georgia race a “toss up” and the New Hampshire race “lean Democrat.”

The spending in New Hampshire is notable and comes just days after the Senate GOP primary, indicating that the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) still sees the state as a pickup opportunity after GOP voters nominated retired Army Gen. Don Bolduc to take on Hassan. Bolduc espoused former President Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims before reversing course after the primary in a Fox News interview on Thursday.

“As primary season concludes, the NRSC remains committed to retiring two of President Biden’s favorite senators. Their lack of independence and lockstep votes with Joe Biden have hitched them fully to his agenda,” NRSC spokesperson T.W. Arrighi said in a statement. “Try as they might at the 11th hour to convince voters otherwise, but no one is buying that Hassan and Warnock are anything more than typical Washington liberals.”

The Hill has reached out to Warnock’s campaign for comment.