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The conservative group Americans for Prosperity tells NBC News it’s launching a $4 million-plus ad campaign in nine states, including in displays at 165 gas stations, arguing rising gas prices are the result of increased spending in Washington — all in order to stop renewed Democratic efforts to pass a reconciliation bill through the Senate.
The nine states are Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as the Washington, D.C. metro area. (All of those states — with the exception of West Virginia — feature competitive general-election Senate contests, while West Virginia is home to Sen. Joe Manchin, W-Va., who is the key vote to pass any reconciliation bill.)
“Gas — I can’t believe my eyes, and it keeps going higher and higher,” says one woman in these ads.
“I just feel like we’re printing out new money. It’s just kind of bringing the value of the dollar down,” says another woman.
“Americans are feeling the squeeze of the worst inflation crisis in 40 years, yet Democrats and the Biden administration seem intent on making a last-ditch effort to push through more spending and a trillion-dollar tax hike,” said Emily Seidel, CEO of Americans for Prosperity, in a statement.
This ad campaign by Americans for Prosperity is part of its “True Cost of Washington” campaign against spending and regulatory policies.
It comes at a time, however, when gas prices have dropped from their average high of $5.00 a gallon to less than $4.70 now.
And while an NBC News poll from earlier this year found that 38% of Americans blamed President Biden and his policies the most for the rising costs of goods and services, another 28% blamed the Covid pandemic, 23% blamed corporations and 6% blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.