Sen. Raphael Warnock (center) at the Capitol. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A new Republican ad that began airing Friday ties Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) to President Joe Biden, saying Warnock "means well, but it's not really working."
Why it matters: It's the latest example of a revised GOP strategy to undercut Warnock, which acknowledges that past attacks on his biography have fallen flat. Republicans now see Biden's dismal approval ratings as one of their strongest November advantages in swing states like Georgia.
Driving the news: For the next two weeks the independent expenditure arm of the National Republican Senatorial Committee is spending $1.6 million on television and $260,000 on digital versions of the ad.
- "Warnock votes with Biden 96% of the time," it says.
Yes, but: Warnock, who was elected in 2021 in a special election and is seeking a full term in November, has taken some stands against the Biden administration's agenda, including a dispute over the Title 42 immigration policy.
- He's been highlighting bipartisanship and distancing himself from the president in public remarks and has dodged questions about Biden's 2024 outlook.
As evidence of a newly aggressive strategy in Georgia and other battleground states, the group aired its first $1.7 million worth of ads in late May, earlier than ever before.
What's next: In total, the committee's independent expenditure arm reserved $9.5 million worth of Georgia airtime in 2022.
The other side: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee previously announced a $7 million Georgia ad buy for the cycle.