Tea Party Groups to Run Ads Against GOP Lawmakers Skeptical of Defunding Obamacare

Three prominent conservative groups will make significant advertisement buys in August to pressure Republican senators and House Members in their states and districts to defund Obamacare.

Leaders of the Tea Party Patriots and ForAmerica will also go on an "Exempt America" tour across six states that will also target House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in addition to buying ads against twelve Republican senators who have opposed the defunding of Obamacare or are on the fence. Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin and ForAmerica Chairman Brent Bozell will reportedly travel to Kentucky, Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia, in addition to Boehner's district in Ohio.

Meanwhile, Heritage Action will purchase $550,000 worth of ads that will target 100 House Republicans to defund Obamacare. Their message will be simple: All Americans should be exempt from Obamacare—and if you fund it, you own it.

According to the Washington Post, ForAmerica and Tea Party Patriots will directly target Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (TX) and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Tom Coburn (R-OK), and Richard Burr (R-NC). These senators have indicated they oppose efforts to defund Obamacare, with Burr even calling the movement the “dumbest idea I’ve ever heard."

ForAmerica has already targeted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), comparing him to a chicken for refusing to commit to fully defunding Obamacare in an advertisement. The group will run a similar ad against Graham, which can be been below:

ForAmerica and Tea Party Patriots will also take aim at Republicans who are on the fence—like Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Pat Toomey (R-PA).

Senators like Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have led the effort to defund Obamacare. They have said the House should pass a bill to fund the government except for the Affordable Care Act and then convince Americans that President Barack Obama and Democrats would rather shut down the government than extend the exemptions and carve outs they gave to corporations and special interests to all Americans. Congress must pass a resolution to fund the government by September 30.

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