The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is putting an additional $100,000 behind its push to tie vulnerable Republicans to the QAnon conspiracy theory and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), releasing new Spanish-language ads Monday targeting three GOP House members in competitive districts.
The ad buy represents the DCCC’s first six-figure Spanish-language ad buy of the 2022 cycle and it builds on the $550,000 worth of ads released last week accusing eight Republicans of aligning with the fringe elements of the party that were involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The ads will run in districts represented by Reps. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Maria E. Salazar (R-Fla.).
“QAnon, a conspiracy theory born online, took over the Republican Party, sent QAnon followers like Marjorie Taylor Greene to Congress and with Donald Trump incited a mob that attacked the Capitol and murdered a cop,” one of the ads states. “Then Republicans like David Valadao voted to support Marjorie Taylor Greene, letting QAnon win. Congressman David Valadao should have stood with us. David Valadao stood with Q, not you.”
Democrats stripped Greene of her committee assignments last week after past remarks surfaced of her embracing conspiracy theories. Fewer than a dozen Republicans joined them in voting to have Greene removed from the committees.
The House GOP campaign arm fired back, noting that none of the lawmakers targeted in the Spanish-language ads have supported the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Salazar voted to strip Greene of her committee assignments. Valadao voted to impeach Trump over his role in inciting the mob that attacked the Capitol. Garcia voted last year to condemn QAnon.
“House Democrats are so desperate that they’re lighting donor money on fire by peddling a disinformation campaign that has been fact checked false by multiple news outlets,” said NRCC spokeswoman Torunn Sinclar. “House Democrats’ lies won’t change the reality that Republicans won 28 of the 29 most competitive House races in 2020, zero House Republican incumbents lost and Republicans are on track to win even more seats in 2022.”
Democrats believe that tying the entire GOP to QAnon and Greene will be a potent midterms issue that further damages Republicans with the suburban voters that gravitated away from the party during the Trump years.
“Washington Republicans have made their choice — they chose to cave to the murderous QAnon mob that has taken over their party,” DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.). said.
“Washington Republicans are trying to have it both ways — refusing to hold those responsible for the attack on the Capitol accountable, offering nothing but empty words after years of hyping up lies and conspiracy theories. Voters understand the danger of conspiracy theorists and violent white supremacists, but instead of rejecting the extremism in their party, Republicans have welcomed them in. There is no middle ground, but Washington Republicans’ actions have made one thing clear — no American will be safe from the QAnon mob if Washington Republicans are in power.”
The DCCC’s previous ad buy targeted eight House Republicans, including Salazar and Garcia, as well as Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), and Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Young Kim (Calif.), Michelle Steel (Calif.), Don Bacon (Neb.) and Beth Van Duyne (Texas).