Super PAC Targets Masters on Abortion in Arizona Senate Contest
- Ad begins airing two days after the Republican primary
- Follows Kansas voters’ rejection of abortion referendum
Abortion rights are the focus of a Democratic-aligned super PAC’s first general election TV ad in Arizona, which is hosting a marquee Senate race.
The Senate Majority PAC (SMP) ad, which began airing Thursday, says Republican nominee Blake Masters supports an abortion ban with no exceptions. It features a mother of three who said she needed an abortion to save her life after having an ectopic pregnancy.
Masters is challenging Sen. Mark Kelly (D) in a race both parties view as crucial to the battle for the majority. The spot comes two days after Masters won the GOP primary in Arizona and Kansas voters rejected by a wide margin a referendum to remove abortion rights protections in the state.
“The result we just saw in Kansas speaks for itself,” said Veronica Yoo, SMP’s spokeswoman. “Voters of every political persuasion are highly motivated to turn out and reject the GOP’s dangerous assault on a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.”
The result in Kansas, a traditionally conservative state, has encouraged Democratic strategists that the abortion issue can help the party hold the Senate majority by highlighting Republican candidates’ opposition to abortion rights. It’s one of several issues on which Democrats intend to paint Republican candidates as dangerous and extreme, including Medicare and Social Security.
Masters has key backing from a super PAC funded by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel and campaign spending groups allied with Republican Senate leaders.
The $1.2 million ad campaign will reach Arizona voters statewide, SMP said. In July, SMP spent seven figures on an ad campaign highlighting Kelly’s record.
One Nation, a nonprofit aligned with Senate Republican leadership, released a TV ad Wednesday accusing Kelly of casting votes that directly contributed to inflation.
Read More: Inflation-Focused TV Ad Targets Arizona Democrat After Primary
To contact the reporter on this story: Kenneth P. Doyle in Washington at kdoyle@bgov.com
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kyle Trygstad at ktrygstad@bloombergindustry.com; Loren Duggan at lduggan@bgov.com