WASHINGTON — With Election Day about three weeks off, Democrats and their allies are making the war with Iran a centerpiece of their closing television pitch, pairing votes on the conflict with complaints about rising household costs.
Ad tracking data covering Sept. 1 through Oct. 14 shows Iran-themed spots ran in at least half of the 50 most competitive House and Senate contests, airing more than 43,000 times at an estimated cost of $42 million. Nearly every one of those ads, 61 of 65 distinct versions, leaned on pocketbook themes such as fuel prices.
The push now reaches marquee Senate races. Fresh spots in Kansas, Michigan, Maine and Georgia put the war front and center, building on a wave Democrats first rolled out in battleground House districts.
Many of the ads point to war powers resolutions Democrats forced to the floor starting in the spring. The Senate has held 14 votes to halt or limit the military action, and the House six, since fighting began in late February.
Republicans have mostly steered clear of the subject in their own advertising, focusing instead on taxes and crime.
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