Democrats who represent battleground congressional districts want to show voters this month they can walk and chew gum at the same time — or at least demonstrate their jobs aren’t being consumed by the impeachment of President Trump.
Take Rep. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat who represents a swing Hudson Valley district that up until his election last year has been represented by a Republican since 2012.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday announced it was running a digital ad meant to shine a light on Delgado’s push for a bill reducing the cost of prescription drugs.
The DCCC said the ad is targeting “persuadable voters” in the 19th House district.
“Seniors and working families are demanding action to lower out of control prescription drug costs and Representative Delgado is fighting for their priorities,” said DCCC Spokesperson Christine Bennett.
“This targeted ad buy is a reminder that while Representative Delgado continues to put the priorities of Americans first, Washington Republicans once again showed they will always prioritize padding the pockets of their special interest backers over the people they were elected to represent.”
The ad comes amid some firepower from the right: Delgado, along with other Democrats who flipped Republican seats last year, has been slammed in TV ads by a conservative group for backing impeachment of the president.
Delgado last year unseated Republican John Faso. Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro is considering running for the seat in 2020.
Delgado, along with Reps. Max Rose and Anthony Brindisi of Staten Island, are three Democrats who have flipped GOP seats in Trump-leaning districts last year — putting them at the crossroads of impeachment politics and the desires of purplish districts.
The ad is a way of serving as a reminder that Congress is working on other issues. There have been some breakthroughs in recent days in Washington outside of impeachment, of course, with bipartisan deals for a new North American trade pact and an agreement on major spending bills to keep the government funded.
Impeachment is a story dominating the airwaves this month, however, complicating the lives of battleground lawmakers in both parties.