Democrats roll out Justice Jackson ads in fight to maintain Senate control

A day after a historic vote confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will launch a hypertargeted digital ad campaign aimed at Black potential voters in five battleground states. 

The ads, which are set to begin Friday in Black media in states with competitive Senate races, advocate for Democrats to maintain Senate control. The messaging hits Republicans for trying to block Jackson’s confirmation.

“Senate Republicans tried to stop her. We must defend the Democratic Senate,” reads the ad, first provided to NBC News.

The ad buy, which is small — four figures — includes homepage ad “takeovers” on Black media websites. It is set to begin Friday in The Atlanta Voice in Georgia, The Jacksonville Free Press in Florida, The Triangle Tribune in North Carolina, The Philadelphia Tribune in Pennsylvania and the Milwaukee Courier in Wisconsin. The ads are to run for two weeks, a campaign committee spokesman said. 

“If Senate Republicans had their way, Judge Jackson, an exceptionally qualified jurist and the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, wouldn’t have even been given a hearing,” spokesperson Freedom Alexander Murphy said in a statement. 

Murphy called Republican attacks during the confirmation process “ridiculous” and said Thursday's vote underscored the stakes of the midterm elections.

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“They will only energize Black voters to help protect and expand Democrats’ Senate majority in November," he said. 

The Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Jackson. All 50 Democratic caucus members supported Jackson, as well as three Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the first Black woman elected to her job, presided over the vote.

Jackson is to be seated sometime this summer after Justice Stephen Breyer formally retires.