Anti-abortion group targets Kelly in $1 million Arizona ad campaign

The Susan B. Anthony List, a conservative anti-abortion group, launched a $1 million ad buy in Arizona on Tuesday, targeting Sen. Mark Kelly (D) over his abortion rights stance ahead of November’s midterms.

The buy consists of two 30 second ads, titled “Show Pony” and “Too Extreme”, which paint Kelly as extreme on the issue. One of the spots hits Kelly for co-sponsoring the Women’s Health Protection Act, which abortion opponents have dubbed the “Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act.”

The ad campaign is slated to run on cable and television in the Phoenix and Tucson media markets, according to the group. 

The group also released results of internal polling conducted by the right-leaning CRC Research that showed opposition to the legislation in Arizona. 

The Hill was the first outlet to report on the buy. 

Kelly is up for reelection this fall in a race that the Cook Political Report rates as a “toss-up.” The race is already turning into one of the most expensive in the country. Kelly raised nearly $9 million in the last three months of 2021. 

The effort comes after Senate Republicans on Monday blocked the upper chamber from taking up the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would preserve access to abortion across the country and pushes back against state-level restrictions.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) joined Republicans in opposition to the measure, but the legislation was always expected to fail given it needed 60 votes to pass. The legislation passed through the Democratic-controlled House last year. 

Abortion access has come under fire in states across the country over the past year. Texas enacted a law in September that bans abortions from taking place after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which could occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court appears poised to limit abortion rights in a separate case regarding a Mississippi abortion law, which stands to impact the future of Roe v. Wade. 

Various public polls show that a majority of Americans say they are opposed to the landmark law being overturned.