{"id":1056280,"date":"2025-09-26T09:54:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T13:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1056280"},"modified":"2025-09-28T17:55:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T21:55:47","slug":"icymi-dncs-new-ad-campaign-puts-donald-trump-and-vulnerable-house-republicans-on-blast-for-their-assault-on-free-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/icymi-dncs-new-ad-campaign-puts-donald-trump-and-vulnerable-house-republicans-on-blast-for-their-assault-on-free-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"ICYMI: DNC\u2019s New Ad Campaign Puts Donald Trump and Vulnerable House Republicans on Blast for Their Assault on Free Speech\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Earlier this week, the DNC launched a new ad campaign<\/a> condemning Donald Trump\u2019s ongoing assault on free speech. The campaign targets conservative and independent voters in districts represented by vulnerable Reps. Rob Wittman (VA-01), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at some of the coverage below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News<\/strong><\/a>: Democrats target vulnerable House Republicans as they slam Trump\u2019s \u2018attacks on free speech\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Paul Steinhauser, 9\/24\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Wednesday launched a new digital ad campaign spotlighting what it calls President Donald Trump’s \u2018ongoing attacks on free speech\u2019 following last week’s suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel from his late-night TV perch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe spots, which will target a handful of House Republicans in swing districts who face challenging re-elections in next year’s midterms, will run on conservative and independent media, including the podcasts of media superstars Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro, who are very popular among younger and male audiences. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018The American people don’t support attacks on free speech, which is why Trump is losing support among independent and conservative voters,\u2019 the DNC argued in a statement. \u2018The Republican base is fracturing, with Republican figures including Megyn Kelly, Ted Cruz, and Ben Shapiro loudly breaking with the administration.\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018It\u2019s clear Donald Trump only cares about silencing his critics \u2014 and now, voters across the country and in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are going to hear about it,\u2019 the DNC claimed. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDNC Chair Ken Martin, in a statement to Fox News, said, \u2018Donald Trump\u2019s administration has amassed a chilling record of restricting speech, extorting private companies, and dropping the full weight of the government censorship hammer on Americans simply exercising their First Amendment rights. This is no exaggeration, and it\u2019s splintering the coalition that got Trump elected.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMartin claimed that Trump is \u2018attempting to silence people. It\u2019s un-American, and Democrats won\u2019t stand for it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollywood Reporter<\/strong><\/a>: \u2026 Can Jimmy Kimmel Help [Democrats]?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Peter Kiefer, 9\/25\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe night of Kimmel\u2019s return, which saw a massive surge in viewers, the Democratic National Committee launched a digital ad campaign focused on Trump\u2019s attacks on media companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs far as campaigns go, it was a small spend \u2014 just five figures \u2014 but its impact highlights how potent free speech and censorship are as issues across party lines. The 30-second ad was viewed over half a million times, and reached 40,000 unique voters, which is more than double the engagement that one would typically see on this type of campaign, says Abhi Rahman, deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee. \u2018Freedom of speech is an issue that transcends party lines,\u2019 says Rahman, who noted that much of the DNC\u2019s spend went to pay for pre-roll ads that ran on both Ben Shapiro and Joe Rogan\u2019s shows.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penn Live<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/a> \u2018Democrats launch ad campaign calling out Trump for attacking free speech\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[J.D. Prose, 9\/24\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs President Donald Trump\u2019s attacks on comedians and others for saying things he doesn\u2019t like continues, the Democratic National Committee is launching an ad campaign Wednesday spotlighting his anti-free speech rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a five-figure, Pennsylvania-wide online campaign, the DNC will focus its efforts on conservative and independent voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe DNC\u2019s 30-second ad<\/a> starts by showing Trump bragging about signing an executive order to stop government censorship before quickly segueing to news reports about the Federal Communications Commission pressuring for the removal of late-night TV hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Trump wants to control what you see so he can control what you think,\u2019 says the narrator at the ad\u2019s conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Jersey Globe<\/strong><\/a>: Democrats Target Independents, Conservatives in NJ-7 with Trump-focused ad campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Joey Fox, 9\/24\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Democratic National Committee (DNC) is wading into the race for New Jersey\u2019s 7th congressional district, targeting independent and conservative voters with a new digital ad campaign focused on free speech and President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNonetheless, the ad provides a window into how Democrats are thinking about the race for the 7th district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Donald Trump\u2019s administration has amassed a chilling record of restricting speech, extorting private companies, and dropping the full weight of the government censorship hammer on Americans simply exercising their First Amendment rights,\u2019 DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. \u2018This is no exaggeration, and it\u2019s splintering the coalition that got Trump elected.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Virginia Mercury<\/strong><\/a>: DNC ad emphasizes free speech, critiques Trump, targets Virginia\u2019s 1st, 2nd Congressional Districts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Charlotte Rene Woods, 9\/24\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Democratic National Committee launched a five-figure digital ad campaign Wednesday focused on the First Amendment\u2019s protection of freedom of speech, in a campaign targeting Virginia\u2019s 1st and 2nd Congressional districts where incumbents Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, and Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, have been perceived as vulnerable by Democrats.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new ads are geared towards voters in the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts who may be ready for a change in representation, organizers said, and tie incumbents Wittman and Kiggans to Trump amid the free speech debacle. Last year, Kiggans campaigned with Trump<\/a> in Chesapeake while Wittman campaigned<\/a> with then-Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump in Chesterfield. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Donald Trump\u2019s administration has amassed a chilling record of restricting speech, extorting private companies, and dropping the full weight of the government censorship hammer on Americans simply exercising their First Amendment rights,\u201d DNC chair Ken Martin said in a statement. \u201cThis is no exaggeration, and it\u2019s splintering the coalition that got Trump elected. That\u2019s why today, the DNC announced a new digital ad campaign in VA-01 and VA-02 targeting conservative and independent voters.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier this week, the DNC launched a new ad campaign condemning Donald Trump\u2019s ongoing assault on free speech. The campaign targets conservative and independent voters in districts represented by vulnerable Reps. Rob Wittman (VA-01), Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07), and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01). Take a look at some of the coverage below: Fox […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1056280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nICYMI: DNC\u2019s New Ad Campaign Puts Donald Trump and Vulnerable House Republicans on Blast for Their Assault on Free Speech\u00a0 - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/icymi-dncs-new-ad-campaign-puts-donald-trump-and-vulnerable-house-republicans-on-blast-for-their-assault-on-free-speech\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-26T13:54:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-28T21:55:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/icymi-dncs-new-ad-campaign-puts-donald-trump-and-vulnerable-house-republicans-on-blast-for-their-assault-on-free-speech\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/icymi-dncs-new-ad-campaign-puts-donald-trump-and-vulnerable-house-republicans-on-blast-for-their-assault-on-free-speech\/\",\"name\":\"ICYMI: DNC\u2019s New Ad Campaign Puts Donald Trump and Vulnerable House Republicans on Blast for Their Assault on Free Speech\u00a0 - 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