DeVos used as a villain to rally Democrats in midterm ads - POLITICO

DeVos used as a villain to rally Democrats in midterm ads - POLITICO

DeVos used as a villain to rally Democrats in midterm ads

Democrats intent on making this year's elections a referendum on President Donald Trump's policies are targeting a Cabinet member who galvanizes their base: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

DeVos is cropping up in Democratic TV spots, Facebook ads and debate one-liners in 2018 races, including in her home state of Michigan. Nearly two years after a bruising confirmation battle — and several high-profile stumbles — she remains as polarizing as ever. Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke last week became the latest Democrat to invoke DeVos as he campaigns to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.

While Republicans hammer on fears of immigrants and Nancy Pelosi as speaker of the House, Democrats have been using DeVos as a symbol of what's wrong with Trump policies — mentioning her in more than $3 million worth of TV ads that aired more than 6,200 times, according to data provided to POLITICO by Advertising Analytics. The analysis included ads during Democratic primaries earlier this year as well as those being aired in general election contests.

Democratic strategists say DeVos resonates with base voters because she’s perceived as an opponent of public education and a billionaire who’s out of touch.

“Betsy DeVos is basically the embodiment of everything that Democrats were afraid the Trump administration was going to be — from right-wing fanaticism to blatant conflicts of interest to laughable stuff like owning however many yachts she has,” said Stephanie Grasmick, a partner at the Democratic consulting firm Rising Continue reading: DeVos used as a villain to rally Democrats in midterm ads - POLITICO