Karl Rove’s crusade against Lois Capps

July 18, 2011

A conservative group linked with Republican strategist Karl Rove has launched an ad campaign targeting 10 vulnerable House Democrats, including Congresswoman Lois Capps, who are up for reelection in 2012. [WallStreetJournal]

Crossroads GPS plans to run ads for the next two weeks targeting Reps. Mike Ross of Arkansas, Jim Matheson of Utah, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Heath Shuler of North Carolina, Bill Owens and Tim Bishop of New York, Ben Chandler of Kentucky, Leonard Boswell of Iowa, Jerry Costello of Illinois and Capps.

The ads target lawmakers on tax and spending issues and for their support of President Barack Obama’s policies, including the stimulus package passed in 2009. Crossroads is spending $1.4 million on the campaign, or a little more than $100,000 per district — a significant ad buy in a House race for a third-party group this early in the election cycle, the Wall Street Journal said.

Anti-Capps ads are running on television stations in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

With the exception of Capps, who won her district with 57 percent of the vote in 2010, each of the Democrats being targeted is considered a top target by national Republicans, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In 2010, Crossroads and an affiliated organization, American Crossroads, spent $38.6 million running ads against Democrats running for the House and Senate in tight races across the country.

The group announced plans to spend $20 million this summer on an advocacy campaign targeting “runaway government spending.”

“President Obama and his congressional allies have already wasted hundreds of billions of our tax dollars, and we need to send them the message that they don’t deserve another penny in taxes,” Steve Law, president of Crossroads GPS said.