Left-Wing Group Launches Ad Blaming GOP for Ebola Outbreak

A new ad from a left-wing advocacy group that blames Republicans for the Ebola outbreak is set to debut in battleground states this weekend.

The Agenda Project’s ad, titled “Republican Cuts Kill,” intersperses what they characterize in their video’s description as “disturbing footage of the Ebola outbreak” with various Republicans saying the word “cut.” The ad also uses footage of officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Health detailing their budget cuts.

Erica Payne, the founder and president of The Agenda Project, told CNN that “people should be deathly afraid of Republican policies,” and that there is “no question” about the link between budget cuts and Ebola.

The ad will make its television debut this weekend in Kentucky, and prominently features Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is currently seeking re-election there.

A spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee told CNN: “It’s odd in that the Democrats blaming Washington for Ebola have controlled Washington for the last six years.”

The ad also features potential 2016 GOP presidential contenders, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Brian Darling, Paul’s spokesman, said that The Advocacy Project “should be ashamed of themselves for blaming a whole political party for the Ebola virus.”

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, also featured in the ad, has been a target of the group before. In 2011, they released an ad that depicted a Ryan look-alike pushing an elderly, wheelchair-bound woman off of a cliff.

Payne also hopes to air the ad in South Dakota, North Carolina, Iowa and Kansas.