McCain opponent releases Spanish-language attack ad on immigration
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) is accusing Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) of turning against Hispanics to try to save his seat.
A new Spanish-language attack ad from Kirkpatrick’s campaign says McCain “has changed.”
{mosads}The ad, entitled “We Thought We Knew,” targets Arizona’s growing Hispanic population with a series of one-liners on immigration, each delivered in Spanish by a different speaker.
“We thought we knew John McCain’s position on immigration,” the clip begins. “We thought he was on our side.”
It then lists McCain’s 2010 vote against the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, support of Arizona’s strict SB 1070 immigration law, silence on immigration reform and support for building a border wall, before concluding, “He will say anything to get elected.”
McCain has long been one of the Senate’s most moderate Republicans on immigration. He was famously part of the Gang of Eight bipartisan group that passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill, although it was ultimately never brought up for a vote in the House.
But Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rhetoric on immigrants has roiled McCain’s campaign, putting the senator in what he has called “the race of my life.”
McCain has traditionally held relatively strong levels of support among Arizona’s Hispanics, but Democrats have targeted the demographic, attempting to tie him and other down-ballot candidates to Trump.
Trump’s polling numbers with Hispanics are the lowest of any presidential candidate in recent elections, with approval ratings hovering in the teens. His strong rhetoric and controversial comments — such as questioning a federal judge’s objectivity because of his Mexican heritage — have hurt his standing with the demographic.
McCain’s support for Trump has been lukewarm, and he has rebuked some of the businessman’s harsher statements, but he has toed the party line in supporting the nominee.
Kirkpatrick’s ad concludes: “And now he says he’s with Trump. He’s changed.”
Arizona’s electorate is deeply divided, with a growing, younger Hispanic population that tends to support liberal candidates, and a shrinking, older, white population that tends to skew conservative. The average age of Hispanics in Arizona is 26, compared with 46 for whites.
Arizona, long a solidly red state, has also been targeted by Democrats as a potential pickup in November. Democrats need to flip five Senate seats — or four if they keep control of the White House — to reclaim the majority in the chamber.
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