House Democrats will launch a series of attacks on Republicans over college affordability over the next two weeks, when members of Congress will fan out across the country for the Easter recess.  

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will hit 15 Republicans via advertisements in student newspapers at colleges and universities in their districts, according to a release provided first to CQ Roll Call. The ads attack these Republicans for not supporting Pell Grants — which provide funding for low-income students working toward undergraduate degrees.  

The 15 members either voted for the House Republican budget — which calls for 10-year freeze to the maximum Pell Grant award, currently set at $5,775 — or, they voted against both the GOP budget and the budget submitted by House Democrats, which maintained funding levels for the Pell Grant program.  

“The Republicans made a clear statement of their priorities by casting votes that would make it more expensive for young people to attend college — priorities that stand in stark contrast to Democrats,” DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján said in the release. “We will be using the first week of Congress’s April recess to remind voters just how out of touch Republicans are on college affordability.”  

These are the Republicans targeted, and the schools where students will see ads.

• Rep. Martha McSally, who will be attacked in an ad in campus publications at the University of Arizona, located in the Tucson-based 2nd District.
• Rep. David Jolly: University of South Florida, located in the Tampa-based 13th District.
• Rep. Carlos Curbelo: University of Miami and Florida International University — both located in the Miami-based 26th District.
• Rep. Rod Blum: University of Northern Iowa, located in Iowa’s 1st District.
• Rep. David Young: Iowa State University, located in Iowa’s 3rd District.
• Rep. Mike Bost: Southern Illinois University, located in Illinois’ 12th District.
• Rep. Bruce Poliquin: University of Maine, located in Maine’s 2nd District.
• Rep. John Kline: University of Minnesota Twin Cities, located in Minnesota’s 2nd District.
• Rep. Frank C. Guinta, who will be attacked in an ad in campus publications at the University of New Hampshire, located in the Manchester-based 1st District.
• Reps. Joe Heck and Cresent Hardy, two Nevada Republicans who will be attacked in an ad in campus publications at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
• Rep. Lee Zeldin: Stony Brook University, located in the eastern Long Island-based 1st District in New York.
• Rep. John Katko: Syracuse University, located in the Syracuse-based 24th District in New York.
• Rep. Ryan A. Costello: Temple University and Lincoln University, located in and near Pennsylvania’s 6th District.
• Rep. Barbara Comstock: George Mason University, which has students who commute from Virginia’s 10th District.

All 15 of these members are top Democratic targets in 2016 — when the party is looking to net 30 seats to win House control.  

Related:

The One-Term Caucus? Top House Targets in 2016


The 114th: CQ Roll Call’s Guide to the New Congress


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