Senate Democrats Launch Ad Campaign Against Joni Ernst's Medicaid Remarks

Strategic Insights -

Senate Democrats, seeking to capitalize on Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) recent comments about Medicaid cuts, are launching an online ad campaign this week, featuring her viral "we all are going to die" quote. As Iowa has been a solidly red state for years, Democrats aim to weaken Ernst ahead of her 2026 re-election campaign. The campaign, led by Majority Forward, a nonprofit affiliated with Senate Majority PAC, will spend $200,000 on advertisements running on streaming services, YouTube, and social media for the next couple of weeks.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ad campaign features Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-Iowa) viral "we all are going to die" quote from a town hall meeting in May.
  • Democrats aim to weaken Ernst ahead of her 2026 re-election campaign in a state that has been solidly red for years.
  • Majority Forward, a nonprofit affiliated with Senate Majority PAC, is spending $200,000 on the ad campaign.
  • The campaign will run for two weeks on streaming services, YouTube, and social media.
  • Democrats have made Medicaid a focus of their counterattacks against the GOP's congressional control, accusing vulnerable Republicans of working to strip health care coverage from potentially millions of Americans.
  • Ernst's comment has shaken up her campaign, with her drawing a GOP primary challenger and national attention to what was previously a sleepy, safe race.

Statistics:

  • Ernst's campaign has been affected by her comment, with a GOP primary challenger emerging.
  • The ad campaign will spend $200,000 on streaming services, YouTube, and social media.
  • Iowa has been a solidly red state for years, but Democrats see an opportunity to weaken Ernst ahead of her 2026 re-election campaign.
  • The campaign will run for two weeks.

Sources:

  • https://www.axios.com
  • https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS_DYl5Q940&ab_channel=MajorityForwardIowa