The National Republican Congressional Committee has reserved $730,000 in television airtime in the Omaha, Neb., media market to help one of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents, according to two sources tracking media in the 2nd District.  

The reservation, which was placed via an independent expenditure Tuesday evening and runs through Election Day, is a sign Republicans think Rep. Lee Terry is in trouble — or will be soon. Earlier on Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee aired its first ad hitting Terry in the same market.  

Terry’s re-election prospects have dimmed in recent months. Public polling shows the incumbent locked in a dead heat with the Democratic nominee, Brad Ashford, helping to put the congressman on Roll Call’s list of the 10 Most Vulnerable Members.
Nebraska’s 2nd District has a Republican registration advantage, and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney won there in 2012 by a 7-point margin. But Terry’s comments about keeping his congressional pay during the government shutdown have dogged him. The DCCC’s ad criticized Terry for these comments on congressional pay. That independent expenditure ad is backed with a $174,000 buy for the week.  

https://youtu.be/Zh2ekYVbDYE  

House Majority PAC, a super PAC that supports Democratic House candidates, also has $410,000 reserved in Omaha. Those funds could be used for Nebraska’s 2nd District or an open-seat House contest in Iowa’s 3rd District, located just across the state border.  

Nebraska’s 2nd District is rated a Tilts Republican contest by the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.  

Related:

Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat


Vote Now in the #RCReadersChoice Runoff


The 10 Most Vulnerable House Members


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