Washington, D.C.— People For the American Way today released a new digital ad targeting incumbent Iowa Republican senator Joni Ernst, following Ernst’s vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. The ad features people with preexisting conditions, as well as family members, expressing their fear that the Supreme Court will strike down the Affordable Care Act and its protections for preexisting conditions — with Barrett as the decisive vote. It is unscripted and features testimonials from real people, not actors. The ad urges Iowans to vote Ernst out of the U.S. Senate on November 3.
You can see the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8mrUlRFCtM&feature=youtu.be
“Joni Ernst has repeatedly let Iowans down while in Washington, and her vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett is the latest example of her disregard for the well-being of the people who elected her,” said People For the American Way President Ben Jealous. “Ernst has become completely disengaged from the concerns of real Iowans who need access to health care. Instead she is voting with the partisan special interests who just want to destroy the health care law and see the Supreme Court as the way to do it. This could have tragic consequences, especially during a pandemic that is hitting Iowa especially hard.”
The ad will stream on digital platforms from now through Election Day.
Script:
Rachel Wall: “I was born with a preexisting condition.”
Peter Morley: “I’ve had 10 surgeries in 13 years, survived cancer twice and was diagnosed with lupus.”
Tracy Trovato: “My husband was diagnosed with leukemia.”
Kerri Evelyn Harris: “I was medically retired because of a condition that came about as a result of my service.”
Tracy Trovato: “It doesn’t take much to go through one or even two million dollars when you have a cancer diagnosis. If the Supreme Court repeals the ACA, what’s going to happen to my family?”
Rachel Wall: “Before the Affordable Care Act, I struggled to access even the most basic of health care.”
Peter Morley: “Without access that the ACA affords me to my medications, my diseases would progress and I would die.”
Kerri Evelyn Harris: “Amy Coney Barrett is opposed to the protections the ACA allows us all to have.”
Rachel Wall: “I am terrified that the Supreme Court could rule to take my health care away. Millions of lives, just like mine, are at risk.”
Tracy Trovato: “Repealing the ACA is going to have dire consequences for all of us.”
Kerri Evelyn Harris: “You never know if you too will end up with a disability.”
Text onscreen: Joni Ernst let us down
She voted to confirm Amy Coney Barrett
On November 3rd
Let’s vote her out
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About People For the American Way
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.