Ad campaign targets eight Republican candidates as 'yes-men' for President Trump

Bill Theobald | USA TODAY

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WASHINGTON – For Republican candidates, cozying up to President Donald Trump has proven to be a successful political strategy this year.

But progressive super PAC American Bridge 21st Century Foundation, which supports Democratic candidates, seeks to turn that affinity against eight GOP candidates by unveiling Monday a digital ad campaign and website that labels them Trump “Yes-Men" just 15 days before Election Day.

The eight are Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada and Reps. Rod Blum of Iowa, Devin Nunes and Dana Rohrbacher of California, Barbara Comstock of Virginia, Carlos Curbelo of Florida, Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Steve Pearce of New Mexico. Pearce is running for governor.

With the exception of Nunes, all of these Republicans are considered to be in tight races. Even Nunes, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is facing the toughest re-election race of his career, with Democrat Andrew Janz pulling closer in recent polls.

“Americans deserve leaders in Congress – not weak, spineless, and corrupt yes-men who value their political careers and clinging to power over serving the people who are counting on them,” American Bridge spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.

Among the polls cited by American Bridge as the reason for the campaign was one in late August by USA TODAY. It found by a margin of 58 percent to 34 percent that those surveyed said they wanted to elect a Congress that mostly stands up to Trump rather than one that mostly cooperates with him.

The ad campaign, combined with get-out-the vote digital ads by American Bridge targeting women in Georgia and Michigan, is at the “at the high end of the five-figure range,” Bates said.