Vulnerable Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) launched two campaign ads on Tuesday touting the coronavirus relief bill nearly eight months before the midterm general election in what appears to be a sign of panic as inflation is skyrocketing, and gas prices are spiraling out of control.
The two ads from Cortez Masto’s reelection campaign about the coronavirus relief bill — which prominent Democrat-aligned economists and asset managers have called out as the “original sin” that caused inflation — were her first significant advertising investment in the midterm cycle, according to the Nevada Independent.
The ads — “Led the Fight” (Gladis) and “Spoke Up for Us” (Kasey) — target the hospitality and tourism industries in her state, two sectors that were significantly impacted when the Democrats imposed coronavirus restrictions across the country. The senator did not announce how much money she was putting towards the ad buy. The Nevada Independent claimed that the Democrats’ coronavirus spending bill would send over $6.7 billion to Nevada over the next five years.
However, Cortez Masto’s two prominent Republican opponents — former Attorney General Adam Laxalt and veteran and business owner Sam Brown — have also reserved space on TV to run ads in the final eight weeks before the state’s June primary, which is quite common to see in an election year.
But, the senator has had some troubles in the polls. An internal poll from Laxalt’s campaign showed him narrowly leading the incumbent Democrat by two points, with 39 percent of the hypothetical survey to 37 percent. The internal poll showed 12 percent that undecided, and another 12 percent favored “none of the above,” which is an option for voters in Nevada on the ballot. There was also a 4.4 percent margin of error.
Another poll from Nevada Independent/OH Insights showed Cortez Masto had a nine-point lead in a hypothetical head-to-head with Laxalt, leading 44 percent to 35 percent — with a 3.6 percent margin of error.
Additionally, Breitbart News recently reported that Cortez Masto, who has opposed measures to make America energy independent, has taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from lobbyists for the Russian Nordstream 2 pipeline.
Cortez Masto is the second Democrat to announce ad buys this early in the year. Vulnerable Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan’s (D-NH) reelection campaign announced its first $13 million advertising buy for the midterm elections last week.
Disclosure: Breitbart News is represented by Cooper & Kirk, PLLC. Adam Laxalt is a partner at Cooper & Kirk. He is not actively engaged or working on any matters for Breitbart News.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.