An ad targeting Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is already running. PAC targets senators on Iran bill

A bipartisan political action committee is rolling out an ad campaign knocking senators who don’t yet support a bill that would give Congress a say over the nuclear deal with Iran — and thanking senators that are backing the legislation.

The American Security Initiative is rolling out $650,000 worth of ads aimed at influencing senators to support a bill from Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) that would allow Congress to accept or reject lifting congressional sanctions in any Iran deal. The ads will target a pair of Democrats on the panel that have not yet co-sponsored the bill and praise a bipartisan pair that are supporting that measure, a source familiar with the effort said.


An ad targeting Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is already running on Boston broadcast stations and Manchester, N.H., cable networks that shows a white van weaving through traffic and exploding atop a parking garage, ending with the voice-over: “Tell Sen. Shaheen, no Iran nuclear deal without congressional approval. Before it’s too late.” A similar ad is set to launch on Friday targeting Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).

Both serve on Corker’s committee and have not yet co-sponsored his bill, though Coons said in an interview last week that he could support the bill but it “depends on the changes made to the bill and it depends on the level of engagement from the White House.” Coons has offered an amendment aimed at making the bill more palatable to the Obama administration by eliminating a requirement that it certify Iran is not directly involved in sponsoring terrorist attacks.

The American Security Initiative is spending $263,200 in New Hampshire and $258,950 in Delaware and the Philadelphia markets.

A smaller broadcast ad buy of about $141,000 will begin running on Friday in the Richmond, Va., area praising Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) for his support of the Corker bill. The group will also run digital ads in New Hampshire thanking Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) for backing the bill.

The American Security Initiative is founded by former Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.). The group similarly targeted Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in March.