DES MOINES, Iowa – American Action Network (AAN) that targeted U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, with an ad buy in mid-June over the Democrats’ infrastructure bill, made another ad buy worth $150,000 last week in the Des Moines market.
The new ad (watch above) is part of AAN’s initial $1 million campaign against the proposed tax hikes spotlights how raising the estate tax, also known as the “death tax,” to fund proposed new spending, can impact family farms.
The American Action Network is a 501(c)(4) ‘action tank’ that creates, encourages, and promotes center-right policies based on the principles of freedom, limited government, American exceptionalism, and strong national security.
“Nancy Pelosi wants to stop families from passing on the family farm all so she can give away trillions for liberal pet projects,” said AAN Communications Director Calvin Moore. “Pelosi’s plan would hurt farmers, hurt families, hurt our economic recovery and must be stopped before it goes any further.”
The transcript of the ad reads:
“We take pride in our land, our hogs, our harvest, but our way of life is under attack by Washington liberals proposing a death tax that targets farmers, which could force us to sell off land that’s been in our family for generations. All too fund their socialist wish list. Call Congresswoman Cindy Axne, telling her to oppose the liberals’ death tax on family farms.”
The Iowa Torch reached out to Axne’s office last week to comment on the ad and articulate her position on the estate tax. They did not reply before publication.
Messaging matters. Polls are just a snapshot in time. How questions are worded impacts the response. AAN polling demonstrates that this particular ad’s messaging could be effective among Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Their poll conducted by Remington Research shows likely voters in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District oppose raising taxes for the infrastructure bill as they describe it.
The poll asked, “Do you support or oppose raising taxes on small businesses for an infrastructure plan, only 10% of which funds roads and bridges, while the rest funds liberal priorities like housing, community college, and green energy?”
Fifty-seven percent opposed raising taxes in that scenario, while 19 percent approved.
Only 13 percent agreed that “raising the death tax is a good idea,” while 59 percent disagreed.
Their poll was conducted from June 9 through June 11, 2021, with 800 likely 2022 general election voters participating. They said the sample size was weighted to match expected turnout demographics in the 2022 general election but did not provide crosstabs. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percent with 95 percent confidence.
President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators reached a deal on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, but Biden said he would only sign the compromise bill if Congress passed another bill that focused on “human infrastruture” with programs that only Democrats support.
