A Senate candidate’s new ad is latest example of Republicans attempting to deflect abortion attacks

In Nevada, Senate Republican candidate Adam Laxalt wrote an op-ed this month stating he would not support a national abortion ban but would support limiting abortion to the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.

And in Arizona, Senate Republican candidate Blake Masters appeared to take a more congenial tone on the hot-button issue after he won his party’s primary in an interview with the Arizona Republic, calling the state’s 15-week law “a reasonable solution.” He previously called abortion in America a “genocide” and expressed support for stronger restrictions.

Democrats in swing states have hammered Republicans over abortion. According to AdImpact data, campaigns and groups have spent about $73 million referencing abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24; Democrats have accounted for about $57 million, or about 78%, of the spending. Like other Democrats, Murray has made the Supreme Court decision central to her campaign.

Months before Washington’s August 2 primary, Smiley signaled her support for Texas’ near-total ban on abortion, and said it’d be “awesome” to have former President Donald Trump’s support.

But in her ad, Smiley tried to undermine Murray’s effort tying her to Trump, who lost Washington state in 2020 by 19 points to Biden, as well as make clear her position on a federal abortion ban. Smiley explained that a picture of her and Trump used in Murray campaign advertising was for an event promoting advocacy for veterans health care — and aired another photo of her and Murray standing together.

“She shows you this picture of me and Trump, but doesn’t show you this one,” said Smiley.

Even though Democrats face a poor midterm environment as the party in power, Murray is the favorite in her race this fall. Washington last voted for a Republican for Senate in 1994, and Murray, a member of the Senate Democratic leadership and chair of the committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, is seeking a sixth term.

Smiley worked as a triage nurse until her husband Scotty, a military veteran, was blinded while serving in Iraq. The mother of three then helped him become the Army’s first blind active-duty officer.

“This ad reflects what this campaign will be about: The vision of a veterans advocate and nurse vs. the record of a career partisan politician,” said Smiley spokesperson Elisa Carlson.