A gun safety organization founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz. launched a $10 million advertising campaign against Republican candidates in three critical races, with plans to expand to four additional House contests in the coming weeks.
The group is directing $1 million against former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, $850,000 for an initial ad buy targeting Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va. and $350,000 against Rep. Tom Kean Jr. R-N.J.
The advertisements criticize the Republicans for being soft on gun crime and aligned with the gun industry. An ad targeting Rogers displays headlines from a Michigan mass shooting and states that Rogers "took over $100,000 from the gun lobby and sided with them over our safety."
For Kiggans, a retired police officer appears in an ad saying Kiggans "claims to back the blue and then votes against tougher gun laws." The campaign labels Kean as "putting our police in danger."
Emma Brown, executive director of the Giffords group, said the organization plans to use the $10 million "to define Republicans across the map who have been really weak on this issue, as well as support Democrats who have been strong on it."
The group's strategy directly targets a Republican advantage on public safety identified in polling earlier this year. Giffords employed a data-driven approach, using national polling from the Democratic firm Global Strategy Group to identify where its spending could have the greatest effect.
Brown acknowledged that pro-gun rights groups will likely spend more money but said the Giffords group intends to "punch above their weight by being smarter with our investments."
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is challenging Rogers for the Senate seat. In the House, Democrats need victories against incumbents such as Kiggans and Kean to secure a majority.
Gabby Giffords, shot during an assassination attempt in 2011, remains active in politics and is the central figure in the campaign. She has already supported more than 20 candidates this election cycle. This week she is campaigning for former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina's Senate race and has appeared with battleground candidates, including Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz. and Democratic House candidates in Michigan, Colorado, Arizona and New York.
