GOP strategist on DCCC digital ads: “This is a smart tactic.”
As Republicans “fret” over the political and electoral costs of persistent inflation, voters across the House battlefield were reminded that the cost of their holiday cookout was more expensive because of House Republicans’ failure to lower food and grocery prices.
In addition to the digital ads that ran in all 35 of the DCCC’s Districts in Play over the Labor Day weekend, voters saw a litany of local and national headlines amplifying the ads, which slammed House Republicans for breaking their promise to lower costs – calling out the rising prices of essential components of the great American cookout such as burgers and beers.
Cracking open a cold one could cost you more this Labor Day.
That’s the message in a new digital ad that will be released this holiday weekend by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
“This Labor Day, Republicans are making the price of beer soar,” the ad reads in white lettering over a beer can.
The DCCC is launching the five-figure ad buy in 35 districts it says are “in play.” The ads will run on Instagram and You Tube and are aimed at young men between the ages of 18 and 44 – a demographic that proved pivotal in the 2024 presidential contest.
“Labor Day is supposed to be a time to celebrate the contributions of the American worker and to relax with neighbors and families over a grill enjoying burgers and beer,” said DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton. “But House Republicans are ruining everyone’s cookouts by making the trip to the grocery store more expensive. The DCCC is going to make sure voters know House Republicans are responsible.”
Inflation remains a hot-button issue heading into the 2026 midterms. A recent CBS News poll found two thirds of Americans think prices will go up in the coming months.
Erielle Reshef [Host]: The DCCC is linking to a website where you can actually put in, you can add in groceries to your shopping cart and then compare the prices. We did our own exercise here, put in some cookout staples in the cart, and the website shows a 14% price increase compared to 2022 for today’s pricing. Is that fair? Is that a fair comparison?
Ed Olson [Co-Host, Prof G Markets podcast]: It’s 100% a fair comparison. […] It’s the affordability, it’s prices, it’s inflation. And they’re going to make the case that the reason your life is getting so much more expensive is because of the policies enacted by the Republican Party. And by the way, this is going to be the easiest argument to make in the world, because the facts are just plainly on their side here.
Reshef: Doug [Heye], […] Is it now fair to assume that people may blame the Trump administration and Republicans in the House and the Senate, the Big, Beautiful Bill, the tariffs, all for what we’re seeing now?
Doug Heye [Republican Strategist]: Well of course, it’s fair. […] It’s Trump’s economy now. […] This is a smart tactic.
The Labor Day grill is hotter than usual this year, as Democrats fire ads at swing-district Republicans, spotlighting the cost of cookout staples like beer, burgers, and buns.
The digital ads, which target, among others, Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans, depict a can of beer being opened with a click and pop, and state, “Republicans Are Making the Price of Beer Soar.”
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has launched a digital advertising campaign targeting House Republicans over rising food prices, specifically focusing on the cost of Labor Day cookouts.
The DCCC argues that current food prices are increasing without any relief for working Americans. They claim that a Republican-backed law could further inflate costs for food, utilities, and healthcare while benefiting the wealthy with tax breaks. To illustrate this point, the ads direct viewers to HouseRepublicanPriceHike.com, an interactive site where users can calculate how much more they are paying for typical cookout items like cheeseburgers and beer.
A lot of beer ads will barrage young men this Labor Day weekend. But one aims to leave viewers with a bitter aftertaste about House Republicans.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) on Thursday announced a five-figure ad buy to push a five-second video, titled “Republican Price Hike.” It will play in districts for targeted House Republicans, including those represented by GOP U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills and María Elvira Salazar.
The ad buy also includes a banner ad more focused on burger consumption. That diagrams the inflation around a single hamburger, from a 3% increase in lettuce prices to a 28% rise in the cost of ground beef since 2022.
Both ads direct users to visit a DCCC website, HouseRepublicanPriceHike.com, that showcases inflation on grocery goods since 2022, when Republicans won a majority in the U.S. House.
The website allows users to interact and put together a grocery list that suits their own holiday weekend plans. It then shows the raw price difference of what the items would have cost in 2022 and now.
Democrats are hoping to appeal to young men this Labor Day weekend by pointing out the soaring price of beer under the Trump administration.
According to MSNBC, Democrats made a five-figure ad buy to run on Instagram and YouTube in 35 congressional districts.
“We did our own exercise here, put in some cookout staples in the cart, and the website shows a 14% price increase compared to 2022 for today’s pricing,” said host Erielle Reshef, in for Katy Tur.
Republican strategist Doug Heye called it a “smart tactic.”
“And I think it’s smart not just because this is what everybody has been talking about. So many conversations this weekend will be about what the price was for beef, what the price was for, you know, if you got an imported Corona beer or something like that, that you paid a tariff on, and even back-to-school costs — those are going to be a lot of the conversations that Americans are having throughout the country.”
