Republicans are looking for a “reset” on their 2022 campaign, which means they’re probably whipping up tales of a new migrant caravan at this very moment. Once confident of their 2022 prospects—House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy predicted that his party would gain 60 seats in the House—Republicans are now searching for a message that will stick and worrying about money.
Gas prices and inflation were going to be the message, but then gas prices started dropping and months later, haven't stopped. As a result, The Washington Post reports, “About 1 in every 6 ads mentioned ‘gas prices’ in July, but only 1 percent of ads mentioned the words in early September, according to AdImpact data.” Instead, Republicans have turned to “crime” as the key talking point for their ads, with 29% of Republican ads now mentioning crime, up from 12% in July. And when Republicans are talking about crime, you know the ugly racist dog whistles are going to be blowing furiously.
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