Senate Democrats target Laxalt over abortion in new ad

The Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is launching its latest ad targeting Nevada Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt (R) over abortion.

The 30-second ad, called “Girls” and released by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Thursday, suggests that Laxalt would strip away abortion rights in the state if he were elected to the Senate and highlights previous comments he’s made on the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade. The ad was first shared with The Hill.

“I tell my girls if you can dream it, you can do it. I take it incredibly personally that Adam Laxalt is working to take away the rights of my daughters. Adam Laxalt actually celebrated when Roe v. Wade was overturned,” a Nevada mother says in the ad.

“He would let states outlaw abortion even for rape victims. Adam Laxalt called Roe v. Wade a ‘joke.’ And it made me feel horrified that we are going backwards in time. My daughters deserve better than this,” she finishes the ad saying.

The DSCC noted that the ad is a part of a previously reported $33 million reserved expenditure.

The ad refers to previous reporting from The Nevada Independent in which Laxalt said that the 1973 Supreme Court decision was “a joke” and that it was a “total, complete invention.” The news outlet obtained audio of his remarks, which were made at a campaign event in June in Reno.

PolitiFact ran a fact check earlier this month of a separate ad that the DSCC ran on Laxalt in September that also said he’d allow states like Nevada to ban the medical procedure without exceptions.

PolitiFact noted that it “found no examples of Laxalt stating support for laws banning abortions with no exceptions.” However, Laxalt has said that he does support turning the issue of abortion back to the states where the possibility lies for states to regulate abortion and exclude exceptions.

Abortion rights in the Silver State are unique given that Nevada has already codified protections for abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Laxalt is taking on Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) in less than three weeks in a Senate race that Republicans view as one of their best pickup opportunities in the Senate.

Democrats believe the issue of abortion could sway voters, though recent polling suggests that inflation and the economy may be more top-of-mind for voters.

A USA Today-Suffolk University poll released earlier this month showed Cortez Masto leading Laxalt 46 percent to 44 percent, polling within the margin of error. When respondents were asked about the issue they felt was most important to them as they cast their vote, economy and inflation placed first at 43 percent. Abortion placed second at 25 percent.