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Wexton Ties Comstock to Trump in First Negative Ad

Ad accuses Comstock of siding with Trump on health care

Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock is running for re-election in a district Hillary Clinton carried by 10 points. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock is running for re-election in a district Hillary Clinton carried by 10 points. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

State Sen. Jennifer Wexton, the Democrat running in Virginia’s 10th District, is airing her first negative ad against GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock Saturday.

The ad, shared first with Roll Call, tries to tie the two-term Republican to President Donald Trump, who lost this suburban district by 10 points in 2016.

Barbara Comstock might as well be Barbara Trumpstock,” the narrator says in the opening of the spot.

The theme is health care. The narrator accuses Trump of being against expanding Medicaid in the state, against protections for pre-existing conditions and of having “sabotaged the health care market.” The narrator then points out that Comstock has voted with Trump 98 percent of the time, citing her presidential support score from FiveThirtyEight.

Comstock voted against the Republican health care plan in 2017, but that hasn’t stopped Democrats from attacking her for her party’s efforts to dismantle the 2010 health care law. 

The Comstock campaigned criticized the ad Saturday.

“Barbara has been an independent voice who voted against the Obamacare repeal last year because of her commitment to protect those with preexisting conditions,” campaign manager Susan Falconer said in a statement. 

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race

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