AARP Distances Itself From Pro-Heitkamp Attack Ad

While Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s campaign puts big money behind an ad campaign touting a talking point about pre-existing conditions which has been disputed by everyone from North Dakota’s Insurance Commissioner to the Associated Press, a third party group is running an ad campaign attacking Heitkamp’s opponent which has the AARP distancing themselves.

Here’s the ad in question, paid for by Majority Forward, a non-profit spin off from the Democrat-aligned Senate Majority PAC. It accuses Congressman Kevin Cramer of having sold out North Dakotans.

In a statement, the AARP says they had nothing to do with the production of the ad.

“AARP did not authorize the Majority Forward-sponsored political ad and we did not participate in its production,” the group said in the statement.

“AARP does not endorse candidates or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. We have a proud 32-year history of non-partisan voter engagement, providing voters with information on where the candidates stand on issues important to our members and their families, so they can make their own decisions on Election Day,” the group continues.

On a somewhat related note, this ad features Mary Rennich, the Democratic operative who attempted to crash a Cramer campaign event last month, and then accused me of being a thug when I described her a political operative when writing about that stunt.

Here’s their full statement:

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