New Dem ad seeks to undercut GOP message on tax cuts

The ad, entitled "Mailbox," shows a series of middle-class taxpayers receiving notice that their tax burden will increase and they will lose some of their deductions.

"How much will the Republican tax scam cost you?" the ad's narrator says.

That message hints at Democrats' political strategy on tax reform ahead of the 2018 midterm elections: to cast doubt on promises by Republican lawmakers and President Donald Trump that their reform efforts would save taxpayers money, especially those individuals and families paying less than the top tax rate.

"Washington Republicans are so determined to put more money in the pockets of the wealthy and the well-connected that they're willing to raise taxes on hard working Americans on everything from medical expenses to student loans," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "These wrong and self-serving priorities are guaranteed to turn off voters of every political persuasion, and every GOP Senate candidate will be held accountable for their toxic and unpopular tax scam."

Polling suggests voters already have some concerns about the Republican tax plan: A CNN survey last month showed a slim majority of Americans oppose the proposal. Sen. Cory Gardner, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was recently booed by constituents at a town hall meeting when he defended Republicans' tax plan.

But Republicans believe their efforts on tax reform will be a key selling point for their party during the midterm elections -- and Democrats are hoping to lay the groundwork now to undercut Republicans on their signature policy issue. The DSCC will incorporate its new spot, "Mailbox," as part of an existing digital buy.

The spot borrows stylistically from a series of Republican ads that aired during the 2014 midterm elections, in which families received notice that they would lose their insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.