Vendor pulls Dem group's ad against U.S. Rep. Don Bacon after legal threat by NRCC
A screenshot provided by the House Majority Forward of the ad against Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska. (Courtesy of House Majority Forward)
LINCOLN — A national advertising vendor pulled a billboard ad targeting U.S. Rep. Don Bacon from a Democratic-aligned group after the National Republican Congressional Committee, or NRCC, pressured them with a threat of legal action.
Last week, the NRCC succeeded in removing some similar House Majority Forward ads running in four of six swing districts held by House Republicans that the group targeted.
The NRCC told the Examiner last week they were trying to find the vendor who handled the anti-Bacon ads and would 'get them taken down.' The group called the ads 'defamatory' because of the claim of Bacon voting to 'cut' Medicaid.
Bacon has said the ads were 'dishonest' on social media. The House Majority Forward ad referred to Bacon's vote for a proposed GOP budget, which included a level of cuts that a non-partisan federal budget office said earlier this month can't happen without cutting Medicare or Medicaid.
Bacon and others claim the cuts can happen without touching Medicaid and other social programs, but they have not specified what they would cut.
On Monday, the NRCC sent the ad vendor, Link Media, a cease and desist letter. The NRCC shared a reply to its letter saying that Link Media would 'no longer run the advertising content.'
'But [we] will allow them to submit revised content that accurately reflects the circumstances. If they decide to resubmit, I will review the content to determine that it is accurate,' a Link Media spokesperson wrote in the reply, which was obtained by the Examiner.
The vendor did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
House Majority Forward hasn't responded to requests this week for comment about pulling the ad. But a spokesperson last week said the NRCC had used 'dirty tricks' to remove the others.
The cease-and-desist letter the NRCC sent Link Media is similar to one it sent last week to Lamar Advertising Co. It shows the NRCC telling the ad vendor, 'If you proceed with displaying the false message that these six Members of Congress voted to 'CUT MEDICAID,' you will be liable for the defamatory messages spread to voters in each district.'
The House Majority Forward ad had said, 'Don Bacon voted to cut Medicaid' to give billionaires like Elon Musk tax cuts. The anti-Bacon billboards from House Majority Forward were part of a larger campaign by the DNC and other Democratic-aligned groups to soften six 'vulnerable' House Republicans representing swing districts. The ads emphasized Musk and his U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team's efforts to cut federal programs and end some federal agencies.
All three Nebraska House Republicans voted yes for the proposed GOP budget that would expand the 2017 Trump tax cuts and cut up to $2 trillion in spending.
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