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Candidates and outside groups hit the airwaves this week, launching ads on a range of issues from inflation to abortion, as more primary races continued to heat up ahead of several hotly contested races next month.
Here are five campaign ads that grabbed our attention:
1. Lamon counters Trump’s endorsement
Former President Donald Trump’s decision to back Blake Masters, an associate to billionaire Peter Theil, in the Arizona GOP Senate primary didn't stop one of Masters' chief opponents from appealing to Trump voters.
Energy executive Jim Lamon launched a TV ad this week ahead of the Aug. 2 primary that features multiple Trump supporters saying the former president was wrong to pick Masters.
"Trump made a mistake in Arizona fake Black Masters is owned by California Big Tech. The only real Conservative choice is Jim Lamon," one Trump supporters says in the ad.
2. Whitmer addresses inflation
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched a new TV ad this week demonstrating how one Democrat in a competitive race is addressing voters' anxiety over rising prices.
"Look, I can’t solve the inflation problem, but we’re doing things right now to help," she says directly to the camera.
3. Bennet distances from D.C.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., could face a competitive race in the fall. And the two-term senator used his first TV ad this week to put some distance between himself and politicians in Washington.
The ad focuses on Bennet's efforts to combat corporate influence in D.C., and features Bennet saying “common sense … has been lost in Washington."
4. Johnson takes aim at Biden
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., doesn't have an opponent yet (Democrats will choose their nominee on Aug. 9), but he isn't waiting to criticize Democrats.
Johnson's campaign teamed up with the National Republican Senatorial Committee this week to launch a new ad taking aim at President Joe Biden and highlighting inflation.
5. Meijer makes his case
Michigan GOP Rep. Peter Meijer is facing a Trump-backed primary challenger on Aug. 2 after voting to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Meijer's latest ad this week again leans on his military service, telling voters, "In the Army, I learned that when something needs to be done, it's better to seek forgiveness than to ask permission. Meijer goes on to highlight his secret trip to Afghanistan during the troop withdrawal, saying the trip "made Biden furious."
