Republican groups are working to make sure voters remember the campaign pledges not to support Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) by Democrats who wound up voting for her in Thursday's leadership vote.
Pelosi was easily elected Speaker of the House, earning support from all but 15 of the Democratic members. Many who ran on a pledge to vote against Pelosi, such as new California Rep. Gil Cisneros, ended up voting for her.
Both the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a Republican Super PAC, quickly moved to target those who reneged on their commitments to oppose Pelosi.
The NRCC immediately targeted voters in districts across the country with text messages alerting them that their representatives caved on their campaign promise, the committee said on Thursday.
CLF took it a step further with targeted digital ads in seven districts, making the case that newly elected Democrats have already "caved to party bosses."
"Newly elected Democrats told voters things would be different in Washington, but with their very first vote they caved to party bosses and supported Nancy Pelosi for speaker," said Dan Conston, who took over as president of the group last month. "While it takes some politicians years to sell out, it took these Democratic members just one day to break their bond with voters back home."
In addition to the ad against Cisneros, CLF dropped ads against Democratic Reps. Sharice Davids (Ks.), Haley Stevens (Mich.), Dean Phillips (Minn.), Andy Kim (N.J.), and Lizzie Fletcher (Texas).