As the midterms approach, ads supporting Democrats and Republicans are making competing claims about how President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy law will impact rural healthcare.
Midterm Ads Clash Over GOP Law’s Impact on Rural Healthcare
Locations: Alaska
Alaska Senate Candidates Attempt to Link Each Other to Epstein
In Alaska’s tossup Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola has put out a new ad misleadingly accusing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of casting “the deciding vote” to keep the Epstein files “hidden.” While Sullivan voted against considering an amendment to an otherwise unrelated bill that would have released the files earlier, he, like the rest of the Senate, supported a bill to make the records public.
Alaska Senate Race Ads Mislead on Peltola’s Votes on Military Pay Raise
Ads in the Alaska Senate race are trading competing claims about former Rep. Mary Peltola’s votes on military pay raises.
TV Ads Distort Tshibaka’s Position on Birth Control
A super PAC supporting Sen. Lisa Murkowski claims in several TV ads that her top challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, “wants to ban birth control in the mail.” Tshibaka has said she would ban the sale of the morning-after pill via the mail, but the ads leave the misleading impression she would ban all forms of birth control.
Misleading Attack on Murkowski’s Gun Vote
After a spate of mass shootings, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was one of 15 Republicans who voted in June for a gun bill that provides money for states that have or want to enact red-flag laws to temporarily remove firearms from people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. States that do not have red-flag laws can use their funding for other programs, such as mental health and drug courts.
Viral Photo of Russian Bomber Shows Incident from 2020
Amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, a misleading photo posted March 22 on Facebook shows an American fighter jet intercepting a Russian bomber near Alaskan airspace. But the incident was not related to the current situation in Ukraine; the photo appeared in an article published in Aero Magazine in June 2020.
False Claims about ‘Frankenfish’
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she opposes federal approval of genetically engineered salmon “for the health of both consumers and fisheries.” But there is no scientific evidence that suggests GE salmon will pose a significant risk to either.
Polar Bears Far from ‘Strong and Healthy’
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the “latest research” shows “polar bear numbers are strong and healthy” in her state. Polar bears are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. Of the two populations in Alaska, one is declining, and the status of the other is unknown.
Palin Off on Glaciers and Global Warming
Sarah Palin says man isn’t to blame for climate change, citing the fact that some glaciers in Alaska are expanding. But an individual glacier’s growth does not disprove the existence or causes of global warming. The vast majority of glaciers are losing ice rapidly.
Final Week Spin
With the midterm elections now just days away, many campaigns and outside groups are making their final appeals. And, as has been the case all election season, some of the claims miss the mark.