House GOP targets vulnerable Dems with Keystone robo-calls

The National Republican Congressional Committee is launching robo-calls hitting swing-district House Democrats over President Obama’s veto of legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

According to details first shared with The Hill, the NRCC will push robo-calls against Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), Gwen Graham (D-Fla.), Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Brad Ashford (D-Neb.).

{mosads}The five Democrats represent districts that Mitt Romney carried in 2012, and each was on a list the NRCC released last week of their top 2016 targets. Each district will get several thousand calls. 

Kirkpatrick is the only member on the list that voted against legislation authorizing the Keystone pipeline, but the NRCC is hitting the other lawmakers for not pushing back against Obama’s veto threats.

“I’m calling from the NRCC with an urgent message about Congressman Brad Ashford’s failure to stand up to President Obama on the Keystone Pipeline,” the Nebraska robo-calls will say. 

“The Keystone Pipeline would create tens of thousands of American jobs and is supported by a majority of Americans as well as the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO,” the robo-calls will continue. “But President Obama is bowing to the most liberal special interest groups and has vetoed its construction. Call Congressman Ashford…and tell him to stand up to Obama’s veto on the Keystone Pipeline so we can bring more jobs to America, and make us more energy independent.”

There is tension within the Democratic Party over whether the controversial pipeline should be approved. The robo-calls are designed to pressure the Democrats to vote to block Obama’s veto.

Republicans have also been pushing Obama’s Keystone veto as they try to deflect ongoing divisions within their caucus over how to reconcile a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security with conservatives’ insistance that they also roll back the president’s immigration executive orders.