Recognizing the high stakes in an upcoming special House election in suburban Atlanta, the GOP-aligned super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund is spending an additional $1.1 million in television ads against the Democratic front-runner, Jon Ossoff. After its first spot showed footage of a college-aged Ossoff dressed up as Han Solo to poke at his immaturity, the new ad campaign is treading on more familiar ground, connecting the 30-year-old Democrat to unpopular House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Here's what's behind the decision: Ossoff alone is outspending his Republican opposition significantly in the runup to the April 18 primary to replace Rep. Tom Price, who is now Health and Human Services secretary. For all the attention that Republicans received for their two ads highlighting Ossoff's college hijinks, they only spent about $549,000 over four weeks for the spots—a pittance in a major market like Atlanta. The bulk of the $2.2 million that the Congressional Leadership Fund has reserved in the race will now be focused on different lines of attack. By contrast, Ossoff has already spent over $1.8 million on ads introducing himself to the district's voters; his ads have aired more than six times as often as the GOP super PAC's spots on Atlanta-area television.
The flurry of new GOP spending comes as Ossoff is gaining ground in polls, and is all but guaranteed one of the two spots in the June 20 runoff. According to new polling commissioned by CLF, he's leading with 37 percent of the vote on the crowded all-party ballot and his favorability rating is at a respectable 41/30 level. That's not a bad place to be for a Democrat in this conservative district, and it surpasses President Trump's plus-6 net favorability rating in the same survey. On the flip side, being seen as a Democratic Party lackey in this traditionally conservative district would be a huge problem. Pelosi's net favorability, according to this GOP survey, is a dismal 25/66, so it's no coincidence that she's the star of the group's latest advertising blitz.
Congressional Leadership Fund executive director Corry Bliss said the goal of the latest ad is to raise questions about Ossoff's credibility, with the latest spot pivoting from his personal background to his ideology. ”Jon Ossoff tried to fool you by inflating his resume. Now, he's using dishonest ads to hide his liberal values," the ad begins. ”The truth is Nancy Pelosi's friends are bankrolling Ossoff's campaign because Ossoff will rubber-stamp her liberal agenda." The ad hits him for supporting higher taxes and more regulations—Democratic kryptonite in this business-friendly district.
