WASHINGTON -- A U.S. House leadership-tied advocacy group is airing television ads thanking Georgia freshman Republicans Rick Allen and Buddy Carter for their recent votes to extend the highway trust fund, as a tougher transportation vote looms.
The American Action Network is spending $60,000 on broadcast and cable in Augusta for Allen and $110,000 on broadcast and cable in Savannah for Carter. Because the markets are relatively cheap, AAN says the ads each will air more than 400 times.
AAN is trying to provide the freshmen cover on the right -- touting the House's earmark ban and calling extending the trust fund a "conservative" solution -- as the transportation debate gets trickier. Carter and Allen voted to extend the trust fund for two months, on existing money, but that money runs out next month.
Congress will have to come up with a way to pay for road projects, possibly via a mechanism that could be construed as a tax increase.
Said AAN president Mike Shields in a phone interview Monday:
"They are two members of Congress who are conservatives, no question, and they took a vote to continue the highway funding. And we want to make sure they understand that we agree with that vote and we hope they continue to pursue a conservative perspective on ensuring that the economy is improved and commerce can continue to flourish."
Shields came over from the Republican National Committee this year to the outside group, which has been endorsed by Speaker John Boehner and pushes the leadership's goals. Shields said AAN has also waged a campaign on the new trade deal. Carter and Allen are among four members being singled out in this round, a "conversation" Shields said could grow in the coming months as the transportation debate heats up.
Here's Allen's ad:
Here's Carter's ad:
One element worth noting here: Fellow Georgia GOP freshman lawmakers Barry Loudermilk and Jody Hice voted for the two-month extension, too. But Loudermilk and Hice are members of the House Freedom Caucus, which often finds itself at odds with leadership.
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