Democratic poll shows tax bill hurts GOP incumbents
A new survey by Priorities USA, a Democratic advocacy group, shows the approval ratings of Republican lawmakers tumble when voters hear about the details of the GOP tax plan.
The poll of more than 12,000 voters in 20 House districts and Nevada, a Senate battleground, showed that approval ratings dropped by an average of three points after voters were exposed to a $2 million digital advertising campaign against the tax bill.
Priorities USA, a group classified under section 501(c)4 of the tax code, announced its nationwide ad campaign last month.
“The results have been striking: after voters are exposed to ads about the tax plan, the job approval numbers for the incumbent drops, and voters are more inclined to vote against the incumbent in next year’s midterm elections,” Guy Cecil, the chairman of the group, wrote in a Dec. 15 memo.
The ad campaign has also run in Maine, the home state of Sen. Susan Collins (R), a key swing vote, but the recent poll did not gauge the public reaction there.
One representative advertisement urges voters to call Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Pa.) about his vote for the tax bill, which it says will give a tax cut to a well-groomed billionaire floating in a pool and pay for it by cutting the Medicare benefits of a senior woman.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has promised Collins that he will not allow a $25 billion cut to Medicare required by “pay as you go” rules that are supposed to kick in automatically if the tax bill passes.
But Democrats are pointing to a recent statement by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that Congress will tackle the growing costs of programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and welfare next year.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/365135-democratic-poll-shows-tax-bill-hurts-gop-incumbents
