Sen. Pat Toomey faces a tough re-election bid. He is the lone Republican elected statewide in increasingly Democratic Pennsylvania. And unlike his 2010 victory, he is running in a presidential election year in which Democratic turnout is expected to be higher.
So Toomey is beginning his campaign by highlighting the one time he broke ranks with his party – on gun control.
Pat Toomey Runs Left
The ad "What's Right" begins with Nancy Grogan, president of the group
CeaseFirePA, a coalition of public officials and community activists advocating for expanded background checks on gun purchasers.
Her organization is not mentioned, presumably because it does not endorse candidates. But she introduces herself as a gun control activist: "For six years, I've been an advocate for common sense gun policy. And I've seen first-hand the courage that Senator Pat Toomey has shown to stand up and do what's right."
Toomey Campaign Targets Moderate Moms
A female narrator takes over, as we see Toomey talking to moms on a playground. The heavy presence of women is a clear sign Toomey's political consultants are targeting Pennsylvania's suburban moderate mothers who are known to swing between parties.
"Pat Toomey led the fight to keep guns away from criminals," the narrator says. "Led the fight" is almost always political ad-speak for "didn't win." Toomey was only able to secure the votes of three other Republicans for his bipartisan gun bill, and it was
defeated on the Senate floor.
But the ad skips over his lack of legislative success. Grogan closes, "Pat Toomey is helping keep our families safe. On gun safety, he gets it." Pennsylvania voters will have to decide if getting the import of the issue is enough if you didn't get the votes.
