NRCC Statement on Too-Close-to-Call NE-2 Democratic Primary

January 1, 1970

Washington – The NRCC released the following statement after the Democratic primary in Nebraska’s Second District was too close to call tonight:

“Brad Ashford’s anemic performance demonstrates Nebraskans see through his charade of saying whatever he thinks they want to hear. Win or lose tonight, Brad will soon realize what everyone already knows: his long career in politics is far beyond its expiration date.” -NRCC Spokesman Jack Pandol

Notably, Brad Ashford outspent his progressive primary opponent more than three-to-one ($170,743 – $49,987) on television advertisements just to survive the primary, even while enjoying a significant name ID advantage as well as the full support of Nancy Pelosi and the Washington establishment.

Additionally, Ashford flip-flopped on several issues, adopting the more progressive politics of Kara Eastman even while heavily outspending her on air:

Ashford Has Flip-Flopped On Keystone XL:

Ashford Was A Supporter Of The Keystone XL Pipeline While In Congress. “Ashford supported the [Keystone XL] pipeline that many of his fellow Democrats opposed. As a Democrat in Congress, Ashford even backed a GOP measure to force approval of the project in the face of President Barack Obama’s successful veto of the bill.” (Joseph Morton, “In Battle For 2nd Congressional District, Climate Change Is Becoming A Hot Topic,” Omaha World-Herald, 6/7/17)

In 2017 Ashford “Abandoned” His Support For Keystone XL. “Consider former Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., who recently abandoned his support for the Keystone XL pipeline as he mulls another run for Congress.” (Joseph Morton, “In Battle For 2nd Congressional District, Climate Change Is Becoming A Hot Topic,” Omaha World-Herald, 6/7/17)

Ashford Has Flip-Flopped On The Iran Deal:

In 2015 Ashford Said The Iran Deal Was Not Good Enough. “Not good enough. Fresh off a trip to Israel that was clearly influential in his thinking, U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford repeated those words more than a dozen times Wednesday to describe President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran.” (Henry J. Cordes And Joseph Morton, “Brad Ashford Says Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Not Good Enough’,” Omaha World-Herald, 8/13/15)

Ashford Congressional Website Headline In 2018: “Ashford: Exiting Iran Nuclear Deal Is Bad Policy” (Brad Ashford For Congress, 5/8/18)

Ashford Has Flip-Flopped On DACA:

In 2015 Ashford Voted To Defund DACA. “A second amendment would halt the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA), which lifts deportation for some illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children. The defunding amendment was adopted in a 237-190 vote, with seven Republicans voting no, while the DACA amendment was approved 218-209, with 26 Republicans defecting. … The two Democrats voting in favor were Reps. Brad Ashford (Neb.) and Collin Peterson (Minn.).” (Rebecca Shabad And Cristina Marcos, “House Passes Bill To Defund Obama’s Immigration Orders,” The Hill, 1/14/15)

Ashford Now Supports Maintaining DACA. “He will also support a ban on assault rifles and continue to fight for immigration issues, such as DACA. Ashford will face Kara Eastman in the Primary Election November 15th.” (Michelle Bandur, “Brad Ashford Wants You To Send Him Back To Congress,” KETV-TV, 5/9/18)

Ashford Has Flip-Flopped On Abortion:

As A State Legislator, Ashford Supported A Litany Of Pro-Life Bills, Including Banning Abortions After 20 Weeks, Mandating Parental Consent And Requiring An Ultrasound For Women Seeking Abortions. “As a state legislator, Ashford voted for some of the same legislation that landed Mello on the business end of the choice groups. He backed bills to ban abortions after 20 weeks, require a doctor to perform an ultrasound on women seeking an abortion, require physicians to obtain a form notifying them of parental consent for minors seeking an abortion, and require that women seeking an abortion undergo a risk screening for any potential ‘demographic’ or ‘emotional’ factors that may complicate an abortion procedure.” (Lee Fang, “A Pro-Choice Woman Is Running Against A Male Democrat Who Voted To Restrict Abortion. Why Are Women’s Groups Silent?,” The Intercept, 5/8/18)

Ashford Now Touts His 100 Percent Rating From Planned Parenthood While In Congress. “Ashford has long supported abortion rights, even when he was a registered Republican. And in his two years in Congress, he voted with Planned Parenthood 100 percent of the time, according to VoteSmart.” (Roseann Moring, “Ashford And Eastman’s Different Platforms On Abortion Mirror National Debate Among Democrats,” Omaha World-Herald, 1/29/18)

Ashford Has Flip-Flopped On Nancy Pelosi:

“When He Served In Congress, Ashford Supported Pelosi, The Former House Speaker From California Who Is Now The Minority Leader.” (Roseann Moring And Aaron Sanderford, “In Debate, Eastman Describes Herself As A Fighter, Ashford Says He’s A Consensus-Builder,” Omaha World-Herald, 4/26/18)

In 2018 Ashford Refused To Commit To Supporting Nancy Pelosi To Lead The House Democratic Caucus. “Neither would commit to voting for Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Democratic caucus. … Ashford said he didn’t want to commit to voting for a particular person, though ‘I certainly won’t commit to not voting for her,’ he said.” (Roseann Moring And Aaron Sanderford, “In Debate, Eastman Describes Herself As A Fighter, Ashford Says He’s A Consensus-Builder,” Omaha World-Herald, 4/26/18)