U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) is being targeted by a new ad that blames him and the Tea Party for the government shutdown.
The ads are being paid for by the group Americans United for Change and are being run against ten Republicans nationwide, all of them in potential swing districts.
Here’s an excerpt of audio from the ad:
“Sean Duffy's Tea Party shutdown can weaken the economy and devastate middle class families. Call Sean Duffy. Tell him to do his job. End the Tea Party shutdown of our government.”
Duffy says he has tried to put distance between himself and at least one Tea Party favorite. “When Ted Cruz was out there saying this is such a great strategy – defunding Obamacare – I was on MSNBC and other stations saying, 'That's stupid.'”
While Sean Duffy doesn't think the Affordable Care Act should be defunded, he is demanding that the individual mandate be delayed a year, and that President Barack Obama and his family join the new insurance exchanges.
“If you're going to pass laws that you think are great for the American people, don't exclude yourself from those great laws that you say America should have,” says Duffy.
A recent poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP) and MoveOn – both left-leaning groups – shows that 17 Republicans, including the targeted 10, could lose their seats because of the shutdown. Sean Duffy says he doesn't believe it, and that PPP and MoveOn are “notorious for skewing polls and poll numbers.”
“They have me losing Republicans and winning Independents,” says Duffy. “We look at those numbers, and they're skewed.”
Another poll, by the Gallup organization, shows Republican favorability at an historic low of just 28 percent.
Duffy made his comments on the Wisconsin Public Radio talk show “Route 51.”
