Elizabeth Warren

The right-wing group Frontiers of Freedom is running ads against three Republican House members over their support for an over-the-counter hearing aid bill. What does Frontiers of Freedom have against over-the-counter hearing aids? Elizabeth Warren.

“Liberal Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is at it again,” a narrator says in the spot targeting Blackburn. “But this time she has help — help from our Republican congresswoman, Marsha Blackburn. Warren and Blackburn have introduced hearing aid legislation that will eliminate states’ rights, expand the size and power of the federal government, resulting in higher prices for consumers. We expect these bait-and-switch liberal tactics from Elizabeth Warren, not Marsha Blackburn. Call Marsha Blackburn and tell her to represent our Tennessee values, not those of a liberal Massachusetts senator.” The ad campaign is another example of Republican-allied organizations aiming to weaken Warren ahead of her 2018 re-election bid and any future run for the White House. (America Rising, a GOP opposition research group, already has made Warren a top target.) But in this case, a low-key policy issue is at the center of the fight, and Frontiers of Freedom is going so far as to signal that Republicans who work with Warren do so at their political risk.

This is how much Elizabeth Warren scares Republican groups. They’re willing to spend money against their own to scare congressional Republicans off of working with her even on issues as far from the usual partisan brawl as over-the-counter hearing aids. Damaging her before 2020 means just that much to them.