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As Impeachment Vote Nears, Republican Groups Aim At Lawmakers On Both Sides

Repubican groups are targeting certain lawmakers with ads in the run-up to this week's expected impeachment vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
illustration by Brian Mackey
/
NPR Illinois
Repubican groups are targeting certain lawmakers with ads in the run-up to this week's expected impeachment vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As members of the U.S. House of Representatives prepare to vote on whether to impeach President Trump this week, Republican interest groups have been waging an ad war in selected districts across the country, including in Illinois.

Brian Mackey reports.

There are at least two competing ads. One is a campaign run by a group called Republicans for the Rule of Law. It’s targeting Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of the few Republicans who’s been even occasionally critical of the president (though he’s also called the impeachment process “broken”).

A spokesman for the group says it wants Kinzinger and others to call on the White House to let top officials with firsthand knowledge of the Ukraine matter appear before Congress.

This new ad from Republicans for the Rule of Law will air in key states and districts on TV and will be promoted digitally. pic.twitter.com/XeOOUS6xKo— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 27, 2019

That was a small but targeted ad buy — appearing several days in a row on Fox News Channel’s morning show.

Meanwhile, a much broader campaign from the Trump-aligned America First Policies is going right at Democratic freshman Rep. Lauren Underwood, who won in a previously Republican district.

Underwood did vote to approve the impeachment inquiry, but at least as of late last week, she was still undecided on whether to actually impeach the president.

The ads in Underwood’s district are airing more frequently and on more channels, including ESPN, the Food Network, HGTV and Fox News.

Copyright 2021 NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS. To see more, visit NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS.

Brian Mackey formerly reported on state government and politics for NPR Illinois and a dozen other public radio stations across the state. Before that, he was A&E editor at The State Journal-Register and Statehouse bureau chief for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.