GOP committee ads target Democratic House candidates

By Megan Messerly

Published Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 | 10:12 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 | 4:22 p.m.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is up on the television airwaves today with two new ads attacking Democratic candidates in Nevada’s two competitive House races.

One ad, titled “Hostile,” goes after state Sen. Ruben Kihuen, running to represent Nevada’s 4th Congressional District, for voting for a $1.4 billion tax package as a state senator during the 2015 Legislative session, echoing an NRCC ad from last week.

Kihuen also highlighted the bipartisan tax vote in his first ad spot, noting that he supported the Republican-backed package while his GOP opponent, Rep. Cresent Hardy, has said that he probably would have voted against the taxes.

Kihuen is attempting to unset Hardy in the 4th District, where Democrats have about a 35,000-person voter registration advantage.

Kihuen’s campaign called the NRCC ad “riddled with misleading attacks” and said Kihuen was proud to work with both parties and Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval to pass the tax package, which provided for increased education funding.

“Voters know that Ruben is a champion for working families, and they will see through this desperate attempt to distract from Hardy’s extreme agenda and his ‘100 percent’ support for Donald Trump,” Kihuen’s campaign manager Dave Chase said in a statement.

The other ad, called “Perfect for Them,” portrays Henderson synagogue leader Jacky Rosen, running in the 3rd District, as a candidate “handpicked” to run for Congress by Democrats.

“Like a tomato, a book or a piece of clothing, Jacky Rosen was handpicked for Congress by Washington liberals,” the narrator says. “Because her liberal policies are perfect for them."

The ad highlights an interview where Rosen called Obacamare a “fabulous first step.”

Rosen is running against Republican businessman Danny Tarkanian for the open seat in the 3rd District, which Rep. Joe Heck, a Republican, is vacating to run for U.S. Senate. Republicans and Democrats have almost equal voter registration numbers in the district.

Rosen’s campaign manager, David Furr, called the ad a “laughable new attack” from Republicans trying to distract from Tarkanian’s record.

“Jacky Rosen, who retired to take care of her aging parents and in-laws, knows firsthand that a senior suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s should never be forced to ‘shop around’ for life-saving health care,” Furr said in a statement.

The NRCC has spent about $926,000 in the 4th District and $34,000 in the 3rd District to date, according to a ProPublica spending tracker.

The 4th District covers the northern portion of Clark County, southern Lyon County and all of Esmeralda, Lincoln, Mineral, Nye and White Pine counties. The 3rd District encompasses the southern tip of Clark County including Henderson, Summerlin and the southwest.