The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting vulnerable House Republicans who “celebrated” the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the latest move from Democrats’ campaign arm as Monday marks the second anniversary of the rollback of federal protections for abortion.
The DCCC said in a release it will launch a five-figure ad buy in the form of mobile billboards in five competitive House districts. The billboards will run during this week to target “extreme politicians who endorsed the U.S. Supreme Court‘s dangerous decision to eliminate women’s reproductive freedom nationwide.”
The billboards will target Reps. Michelle Steel (R-CA), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Brandon Williams (R-NY), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), and Scott Perry (R-PA). The only seats ranked by Cook Political Report as vulnerable are Chavez-DeRemer’s seat as a “toss-up” and Williams’s seat as “lean Democrat.” However, Democrats are convinced these seats, along with others in their “Red to Blue” program, are a secure pathway to retaking the House majority in 2024.
“House Republicans will stop at nothing to ban abortion and restrict reproductive rights nationwide,” DCCC spokesman Justin Chermol said. “Over the next five months, we will ensure the American public does not forget that it was House Republicans who praised Donald Trump’s Supreme Court for ending reproductive freedom as we know it.”
“The DCCC will continue to hold vulnerable House Republicans accountable for their shameless, extreme attacks against fundamental rights and freedoms,” Chermol continued.
Abortion is one of the top issues of the 2024 election after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. The decision set off a string of abortion bans and restrictions, with at least 14 states ceasing nearly all abortion services.
Republicans also had to grapple with how to deal with the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent in vitro fertilization ruling that frozen embryos are humans — a decision that risks alienating swing voters and highlights another manner in which the striking down of Roe v. Wade is affecting more people than those who are anti-abortion.
In response to the court decision, Alabama’s state legislature passed a bill on March 6 that would extend criminal and civil immunity to IVF clinics for operations. Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed the legislation into law shortly after its passage.
LaLota said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that Democrats are resorting to “scare tactics,” a common phrase used by GOP lawmakers to discredit Democrats’ claims that Republicans are anti-IVF.
“My opponents, who have misguided views on border policy and inflation, are resorting to abortion lies and scare tactics,” LaLota said. “In contrast, I have consistently opposed a national abortion ban and supported access to IVF, contraceptives, and mifepristone. Long Islanders understand my position on abortion, akin to Bill Clinton’s stance, they saw through Democrats’ abortion falsehoods in 2022 and will do so again in 2024.”
With President Joe Biden on the ticket, Democrats are working to target Republican-held House seats in districts the president won in 2020 or in states Biden is in favor of winning this cycle.
Democrats have worked to portray Steel, whose seat is rated “lean Republican,” as an extremist on abortion. Biden won the district by 6.1 points in 2020, and Republicans won the seat by 4.8 points in 2022, making California’s 45th District one of the most closely watched contests this fall.
However, Steel’s campaign is not too concerned about the DCCC’s billboard campaign.
“Oh, no … not the dreaded mobile billboard! While Derek Tran and the DCCC are busy driving a truck around on the 405, Michelle will continue doing what she’s always done to win reelection: focusing on lowering costs for families, getting the border under control and taking on the Chinese Communist Party,” Lance Trover, a campaign spokesman for Steel, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Williams’s purple district is the only Republican-held seat rated “lean Democrat” in 2024 after redistricting shifted his area further into Democrats’ favor. He will discover his Democratic opponent on Tuesday after the Empire State holds its primaries.
Chavez-DeRemer, who is one of 11 House Republicans in toss-up seats, said in a statement that she has pledged to oppose federal policies to change reproductive healthcare access for women in Oregon.
The congresswoman said she has not been afraid to “stand up to members of my own party on these issues” and that she will be introducing legislation to expand IVF accessibility and affordability this week.
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“My record of crossing the aisle on these issues is part of the reason I was named the second-most bipartisan member of Congress and the most bipartisan member of the Oregon delegation,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “As a proud mother of twin daughters, I’ll continue to be a strong advocate for protecting healthcare for women across the 5th District.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the campaigns for Perry and Williams for comment.