Chamber set to launch ads touting tax law in competitive House races

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is set to launch ads starting Monday touting the tax law in competitive House races, as Republicans hope that promoting the tax cuts will help them limit their losses in the midterm elections.

The ads are supporting GOP Reps. Barbara Comstock (Va.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Erik Paulsen (Minn.) and Martha Roby (Ala.). Comstock, Bacon and Paulsen are all in districts that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates as toss-ups, while Roby faces multiple Republican primary challengers.

While each ad mentions the candidates’ support for the tax bill President Trump signed into law in December, the ads are tailored for each district.

{mosads}

The ad for Comstock features women talking about the congresswoman’s record of bipartisanship, while the ad for Bacon hits House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for expressing interest in repealing parts of the tax law. The ad for Paulsen mentions his upbringing in his district and the ad for Roby describes her multiple times as “conservative.”

The Chamber’s ads are the business group’s first this cycle backing House incumbents. They’ve also run ads supporting recently appointed Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) in his Senate race, and for former college football star Anthony Gonzalez (R) for an open House seat in Ohio.

The new ads come as Republicans and Democrats spar over the tax law ahead of the midterms.

Republicans hope that the tax law will help them fare well in the midterms despite the fact that the president’s party typically loses seats. They have been making the new law a key part of their campaigns, arguing that it is spurring economic growth.

Still, Democrats, insisting a blue wave is on the horizon, are arguing that the law mostly benefits wealthy people and large corporations.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the ads Friday.