Democrats Hit Portman Over Social Security Privatization In New Ad (VIDEO)

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In a new television ad that began airing Thursday in Ohio, the Senate Majority PAC targets vulnerable Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) on his past support for Social Security privatization.

The ad titled “Cicadas” from the Democratic group notes that Portman once supported privatizing Social Security. The ad’s narrator says that as cicadas return to Ohio every 17 years, the senator periodically “returns to Ohio and tries to rewrite his record in Washington.”

“Take Social Security: Portman supported privatizing Social Security, opening it up to Wall Street. Wall Street would get hundreds of billions in fees, even if the stock market crashes,” the ad’s narrator says, labeling Portman “a real pest for Ohio seniors.”

Back in 2010, Portman defended himself from similar attacks, saying reports that he supported privatizing Social Security were not accurate.

Portman was a congressman when President George W. Bush pushed Social Security privatization in 2005. Politifact Ohio has described him as “unquestionably a privatization champion” at that time and said that it is “indisputable that Portman supported Bush’s proposal.” Portman later served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget from May 2006 to August 2007 under Bush.

The ad launched will run in several Ohio markets through June 27. The Majority PAC will spend $1.1 million on the “Cicadas” ad and another ad critical of Portman on trace, a “significant portion” of which will be spent on the “Cicadas” ad, according to a spokesman for the PAC.

Watch the ad:

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