The Republican candidate for Nevada’s open Senate seat faced a predictable attack ad this week that went after his pro-life voting record.
Republican Joe Heck and Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto are vying for retiring U.S. Senator Harry Reid’s seat in one of the most watched Senate races in the country.
Cortez Masto, who is pro-abortion, launched the political ad against Heck earlier this week, focusing on his record of votes to de-fund Planned Parenthood in Congress, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Cortez Masto received Planned Parenthood’s endorsement in May, according to the report.
The ad says Heck, a U.S. Congressman, is “against a woman’s right to choose.” It lists 10 times when Heck voted to de-fund the abortion group Planned Parenthood and claims he tried to shut down the federal government because of the funding. It also says he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, which opened the doors to abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy.
Heck’s campaign manager Brian Baluta told the newspaper that Heck believes federal tax dollars should go to community health centers that provide women with comprehensive health care, not to abortion groups like Planned Parenthood.
“While recognizing that Planned Parenthood does provide health care services to women, he believes that same ban on taxpayer funds should extend to Planned Parenthood as there is not always a sufficient ‘fire wall’ between abortion services and health care services,” he said.
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Baluta also said Heck supports the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits tax dollars from directly funding abortions. Repealing the Hyde Amendment and forcing taxpayers to fund abortions is one of Planned Parenthood’s top political goals; and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has promised to help them do it.
Heck’s campaign said the claim about shutting down the government is “false.” According to the Associated Press, his campaign also said he opposes abortions except in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother, but he has never said that he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The ad is running in Las Vegas and Reno, the AP reports.
The Nevada Senate race has become one of the most competitive in the country. According to Opensecrets.com, which tracks political spending, the race ranks fourth for outside spending in current Senate races.
