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.
Final Week Spin
Person: Bruce Braley
2014 Campaign Whoppers
No shortage of tall tales in the midterm elections, from both parties.
NRA’s ‘Slick’ Ad Links Braley to Bloomberg
The National Rifle Association implies Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley lied when he said he “never met Michael Bloomberg,” but there’s no evidence of that.
FactChecking the Iowa Senate Race
Longtime Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin is retiring, and Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley and Republican Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst are each hoping to be the one to replace him.
NRSC Distorts Braley Tax Record
In Iowa, a Republican ad claims that Democratic Senate nominee Bruce Braley “voted to raise taxes on every single Iowa taxpayer.” That badly distorts Braley’s clearly stated position.
Ernst and ‘Privatizing’ Social Security
Democratic TV ads in Iowa have repeatedly misrepresented Republican Joni Ernst’s position on Social Security, claiming she “would privatize Social Security” or that she has “proposed privatizing Social Security.”
Special Interest Battle in Midwest Races
Two ads from the conservative Crossroads organizations claim Democratic Senate candidates in Iowa and Michigan who oppose the Keystone XL pipeline are backed by an environmental activist who “stands to profit by blocking Keystone.”
Braley’s VA Hearing Attendance Under Attack
A veterans advocacy group is making false and misleading claims in a TV ad attacking U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley on his commitment to military veterans.
Pork, Served Two Ways, in Iowa
A TV ad from Rep. Bruce Braley says his Republican opponent in the Iowa Senate race “never wrote one measure to slash spending” as a state senator — implying her record is devoid of any effort to cut spending. But that’s not the case.
ACA ‘Hurting’ Families
Ads criticizing the Affordable Care Act make the general claim that it’s “hurting” families. Some families could pay more for insurance, but millions of the uninsured will gain coverage. And millions will get subsidies to help pay for coverage.