DNC targets swing Republicans with digital ads slamming Trump's 'attacks on free speech' after Kimmel suspension
Campaign targets Reps Wittman, Kiggans, Fitzpatrick and Kean Jr., airing on Rogan and Shapiro podcasts as ABC reinstates Jimmy Kimmel Live
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday launched a new digital ad campaign accusing President Donald Trump of ongoing attacks on free speech, in the wake of ABC's decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live last week.
Stated in the campaign's rollout, the spots will run in swing-district House districts and will air on conservative and independent media, including the podcasts hosted by Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro. The ads are backed by a modest five-figure contribution. The targets include Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia, Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey.
According to the DNC, the spots feature a clip of Trump during the first week of his second term announcing that on day one I signed an executive order to stop all government censorship, followed by a narrator saying that Trump wants to control what you see so he can control what you think.
The campaign unfolds as ABC reinstated Kimmel on Monday and his program returned Tuesday night, after roughly 60 affiliated stations owned by Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group preempted the show in key markets. The suspension drew outrage from Democrats and progressives and sparked criticism from some conservatives who said Kimmel was punished for exercising free speech; Republicans argued the remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk were outrageous and false.
DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Donald Trump’s administration has amassed a chilling record of restricting speech, extorting private companies, and dropping the full weight of the government censorship hammer on Americans simply exercising their First Amendment rights. This is no exaggeration, and Democrats won’t stand for it.
Trump and his allies, long advocates of free speech, have criticized critics of the administration while some Republicans have argued that cancel culture is overblown and that consequence culture is replacing it.
Observers note the ad campaign is part of a broader strategy in the lead-up to next year's midterms to mobilize independents in swing districts around concerns about speech and media.
