Democrats have enlisted Elon Musk and President Donald Trump to play starring roles in their attack ads. But in lieu of an equivalent Democratic bogeyman, Republicans are employing an all-of-the-above messaging approach to hit vulnerable members.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries still isn’t a household name and doesn’t inspire the same anger among swing voters as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) did. Just take a look at the sheer number of ads from the 2022 cycle that drew comparisons between Pelosi and vulnerable members.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s catching a lot of heat lately from the left, has been featured in some messaging but isn’t a central figure for the GOP.
And with former President Joe Biden in the political wilderness and a very under-the-radar former Vice President Kamala Harris, there are few options for Republicans right now to set their sights on.
So who are Republicans turning their attention to? Largely a B-list supporting cast of Democrats outside of powerful positions.
A recent Congressional Leadership Fund attack tied the party to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ former running mate who’s doing a town hall tour this week.
But mostly, Republicans are seizing on controversies of the day to hit Democrats.
The NRCC has tried to elevate Frontline Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) after she made derogatory remarks about Musk’s immigration status. They also took advantage of Rep. Al Green’s (D-Texas) outburst at Trump’s joint address to Congress, an incident that got the veteran lawmaker kicked out of the speech and later censured for his actions.
Plus, the House GOP campaign arm has been heavily featuring liberal firebrands like Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Yet it’s fair to note that we’re unlikely to see a continuation of messaging elevating Crockett in fall 2026. For the moment, it’s an effective release valve for Republicans — who are on the defensive as they control all levers of power — to play a little offense.
“The reason Republicans are having such trouble creating a Democratic bogeyman is because they already have a real-life supervillain on their team,” DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton said in a statement. “When the public has decided you are the party of Lex Luthor, you’ve lost the messaging war.”
Meanwhile, Republicans are aiming their focus at accusing Democrats of being leaderless.
Here’s NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella:
“If the past few months of Democrats’ embarrassing failures have taught us anything, it’s that they have no leader, no message, and no strategy. When even their own polls show this level of discontent, ‘Dems in Disarray’ isn’t just a saying — it’s a crisis.”
Republicans are also focusing their attacks on more policy-related areas. It’s hard to blame the other party for things when they have no power, so GOP groups are targeting Democrats for opposing legislative efforts.
The NRCC hit vulnerable Democrats for voting against the budget resolution, spinning the vote as opposing tax cuts. And the NRSC recently dinged at-risk Democratic incumbents for opposing the government funding bill.
Money game: The DCCC outraised the NRCC in March, $11.1 million to $9.2 million.
