Super-PAC America First Policies launched an ad Tuesday that highlights Sen. Doug Jones’ (D-AL) refusal to oppose the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
The ad frames impeachment as a project of the “radical left” and uses a clip of Jones saying “this is not a witch hunt, this is not a hoax” as evidence that he stands with controversial figures like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA). Both Omar and Schiff are used as examples of the “radical left” in the ad, and both heavily pushed the Democrats’ impeachment effort.
Jones has maintained that he is undecided on whether he will vote to convict Trump on the articles of impeachment passed by the House.
Recently, Jones railed against the proposed rules for the Senate trial. Alabama’s junior senator said in a tweet, “The American people deserve a fair trial, and so does President Trump — but this ain’t it, folks.”
Jones is seen by most political observers as the least likely Democratic senator to win reelection in 2020.
The junior senator remains bullish on his reelection chances. He recently told CNN that he believes he will be reelected even if he votes to remove Trump.
Jones has a history of confident statements with regard to his election chances. He told political website fivethirtyeight.com he “would have won by a larger percentage had those allegations not come out,” in reference to the sexual misconduct allegations against his 2017 opponent Roy Moore.
America First Policies, which is run by Republicans loyal to Trump, apparently sees an opportunity to use the heightened attention brought by the impeachment trial to further damage Jones’ chances at winning election to a full term.
The end of the ad urges Alabamians to call Jones’ Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-4124 to urge him “to stop standing with the radical left and end impeachment.”
Watch:
UPDATE 9:30 p.m.
Caroline Stonecipher, the spokesperson for Jones’ Senate office, responded to the ad in a statement to Yellowhammer News.
“This ad is an attempt to distract from Senator Jones’ record of getting things done on behalf of the people of Alabama,” she stated. “Anyone who has followed Senator Jones in recent months knows that he is committed to upholding his oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and he has approached this impeachment trial with the seriousness it demands. Contrary to the blatant lies in this ad, he has also supported over 70 percent of President Trump’s judicial nominees and has voted at least five times for additional border security funding. Regardless of pressure from outside groups, Senator Jones will remain focused on being an independent voice for Alabamians.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
