Billboards calling on House Republicans to ‘do their job’ follow members home for Thanksgiving

Activist groups are sending mobile billboard trucks to follow a handful of House Republicans home for Thanksgiving with a message: “Defend democracy.” 

Progressive groups MoveOn and Need to Impeach commissioned the billboard trucks to visit eight districts across seven states from Monday through Wednesday. The eight targeted Republicans include either retiring members, members who have split from President Trump in the past, or vulnerable members in more moderate districts. 

“The billboards, which comes as Congress concludes its second week of public hearings on impeachment, demand that these members of Congress stop covering for Donald Trump’s abuses of power, in which he pressured a foreign government to interfere in a U.S. election to advance his own political interests, undermined state and local elections, interfered with national security, and got caught trying to cover it all up,” the groups said in a joint announcement. 

A truck targeting Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who emerged as a staunch Trump defender during the public impeachment hearings, kicked off its tour of the upstate New York district Monday in Glenn Falls.

56% of Americans believe Donald Trump should be impeached. We’re in @RepStefanik’s district to demand she listen to the American people and #ImpeachAndRemove Trump! pic.twitter.com/bkn5CTc1uL

— MoveOn (@MoveOn) November 25, 2019

An image shared with The Hill by the groups shows a truck with Stefanik and Trump’s faces, side by side. It reads “Donald Trump Committed bribery. … Tell Rep. Stefanik: Defend democracy. Impeach Trump.” The group also launched an ad calling on Stefanik to “honor her oath and defend our Constitution.” 

The other trucks are the same, swapping out the member’s name and image next to Trump’s with the shared message. 

Other targeted Republicans are Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Scott Perry (Pa.), Mark Amodei (Nev.), Francis Rooney (Fla.), Will Hurd (Texas) and Chip Roy (Texas). 

Stefanik, first elected in 2014, represents a district Trump carried by 13.7 points. She was praised by Trump and Republican leaders for her performance during the impeachment hearings, but since then her Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb boasted bringing in more than $1 million in campaign donations. 

Hurd has announced he will not be seeking reelection. His vacated seat in Texas and Perry’s seat in Pennsylvania represent two districts that The Cook Political Report ranks as a “toss up” in 2020. Fitzpatrick and Roy’s races are ranked “lean Republican.” 

Rooney has also announced he is not seeking reelection. 

Amodei was reported to be the first Republican to back impeachment in September, but he later clarified and said he supports the oversight process but that did not mean he backed impeachment.