New Republican ad challenges Stephanie Murphy to stay a ‘no’ on budget bill

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Republicans are spending six figures on a new social media and television ad in Florida’s 7th Congressional District challenging Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy to remain a “no” vote on the proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill.

The 30-second ad, from the Republican ally American Action Network, is set to run for up to three weeks.

The ad features a senior citizen named Ty Patten mulling how federal spending is driving inflation, making it tough for him to make ends meet in retirement.

“I don’t think Stephanie Murphy is considering this. She fell right in lock-step with (Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and she’s voting for increases in taxes, increases in spending, trying to spend more than $3 trillion on her socialist agenda,” the man says.

The ad might already appear a little out of date for two reasons.

On Wednesday Murphy announced she had concerns about spending and tax provisions on President Joe Biden‘s so-called “Build Back Better Act” and she intended to vote no. However, she has used opposition before as leverage to negotiate legislative changes from Democratic leadership, and then voted yes on a previous procedural vote involving the budget, saying she had received necessary concessions.

The AAN ad also focuses on inflation as a direct result of Democrats’ spending this year. While inflation raged for several months this year, the latest economic reports released earlier this week showed it dropped off considerably in August.

Republicans have been running attack ads on Murphy and other moderate Democrats in swing districts throughout the country for weeks, seeking to pressure them to oppose Biden’s spending plans, making the argument that inflation will run rampant if Congress approves the Democrats’ spending plans.

Murphy has received strong support in two previous reelections in her Florida’s 7th Congressional District, which covers Seminole County and parts of Orange County. But the district will be redrawn before the 2022 election, and she could lose some of the Democratic base centered in Orange County.

“It’s doubtful Stephanie Murphy’s promise to oppose this bill is anything more than just empty rhetoric. Murphy caved to Pelosi and helped the Speaker advance her massive tax and spending spree once already,” said AAN Communications Director Calvin Moore. “Murphy needs to hold fast, and vote no or risk proving that Floridians shouldn’t trust a single word she says.”