America Rising Squared — an arm of the Republican super PAC America Rising — on Monday launched an online advertising campaign defending DeVos as someone who “knows what it takes to repair our failing schools.”
The 30-second video accuses Democrats of bowing to the will of teachers unions and “playing politics as usual” with DeVos’s nomination. It will run on social-media platforms nationally but will target residents of five states with Democratic senators: West Virginia, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri and Indiana.
“By trying to block this extremely well-qualified nominee, Senate Democrats are once again putting the interests of their big labor allies ahead of the needs of millions of American kids trapped in the failing status quo,” said Brian Rogers, executive director of America Rising Squared. “Betsy DeVos is a critical part of the change America voted for this election, and we look forward to her serving with great distinction as Secretary of Education.”
America Rising Squared has been involved in promoting other Cabinet nominees, including Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Scott Pruitt for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Puzder for labor secretary, and Tom Price for health and human services secretary. But a spokesman said the five-figure ad buy on DeVos’s behalf is the organization’s “most significant involvement to date.”
January 30, 2017