Democrats have vastly outspent Republicans in broadcast ads trashing the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Democratic groups have spent nearly $1 million on ads trashing the sprawling package from July 4 until July 11, per data from AdImpact. That’s almost double the amount — just under $600,000 — that Republican groups have spent to sell their signature legislation.
The numbers reveal the issue facing Republicans as they try to convince the American public that the One Big Beautiful Bill is a good thing for them. Democrats have gotten the word out early and often across the airwaves that the package will cost jobs while ripping health care and nutritional benefits away from millions of Americans. Polling for the bill is underwater.
The Republican counter-argument focuses on massive tax cuts and the increase in border funding. But it can be difficult to break through as Democratic groups flood the zone.
The Democratic ads. Democrats are relying on two main lines of attack in their ads: Medicaid cuts and clean energy rollbacks.
Protect Our Jobs has spent heavily since July 4 targeting vulnerable House Republicans.
In this Protect Our Jobs ad against Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), the spot’s narrator says the lawmaker’s vote is directly to blame for higher electricity bills. The messaging is part of a left-wing push to connect the phasing out of clean energy tax credits to increased costs.
House Majority Forward — the group associated with the top House Democratic super PAC — is also airing ads bashing the OBBB while simultaneously boosting their vulnerable incumbents.
“’When corrupt politicians cut Medicaid to pay for billionaire tax breaks, Harder voted to protect our Medi-Cal,” the narrator says in a spot supporting Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.).
As we’ve covered extensively, other liberal groups like Unrig Our Economy are going after GOP lawmakers for cutting Medicaid.
The GOP sell. The biggest Republican spender in the aftermath of the bill’s passage has been Americans for Prosperity, the GOP group aligned with the Koch family.
In a nationwide ad, AFP hails the package as a “historic win” that “makes tax cuts permanent, strengthens the middle class, supports border security and unleashes American energy.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters last week that “the individual components of [OBBB] are incredibly popular.” But Thune admitted damage has already been done to the bill’s optics.
“The way it’s been characterized now is this big bill where the people are picking out the parts of it and the Democrats are attacking the parts they don’t like,” Thune said.
