Republican U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson’s new ad is a hard-hitting assault on her primary opponent, Steve Pearce, that says he can’t win in November.
Here’s the ad, which began airing on Wednesday:
The ad refers to a statement the Wilson campaign says Pearce made during his failed 2000 run for the U.S. Senate. He said he would cut Social Security benefits for widows and orphans, according to the ad. The ad also criticizes Pearce for a recent vote to cut $169 million from New Mexico’s share of hospital funding. In the same bill, Pearce voted against cracking down on health-care fraud and abuse, according to a news release from the Wilson campaign.
“With that record, he can’t win in November,” the ad concludes.
“With the recent loss of three safe Republican U.S. House seats and a heated presidential campaign, primary voters are tuned in to the high political stakes this year,” Chris Collins, Wilson’s campaign manager, said in the release. “Mr. Pearce has a long history of misstatements and missteps that will come back to haunt him come November. Supporting cutting Social Security benefits for widows and orphans is just one of them. Republicans need to nominate a commonsense conservative who can win in November, and that candidate is Heather Wilson.”