Days after an Iowa poll showed Senator Joni Ernst’s approval rating has plummeted 10 points with voters, Mitch McConnell’s dark money group “One Nation” has launched a near-million dollar ad campaign to rewrite Ernst’s record of blocking efforts to lower prescription drug costs. The dark money ad continues the same effort in vain that Senator Ernst’s own illicit dark money group is peddling to Iowans, masking Ernst’s five years of opposing meaningful reforms that would help Iowans afford the medicine they need.

The McConnell-backed ad touts Senator Ernst’s support for a Pharma-friendly charade bill, backed only by Republicans who are drug industry allies, that undermines fellow Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley’s bill to cap the rising cost of prescription drugs at inflation. In its effort, the ad actually exposes how Senator Ernst continues to side with Big Pharma, who has contributed $120,000 to her re-election, and underscores her allegiance to Mitch McConnell, who she has voted with 98% of the time.

“The fact is, Senator Ernst has spent half a decade blocking efforts to lower prescription drug costs, and Mitch McConnell’s near-million dollar rescue mission won’t fool Iowans,” said Jeremy Busch, Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson.

Senator Ernst’s half-decade of blocking prescription drug reform and protecting the profits of her Big Pharma backers could not be more clear to Iowans:

  • Ernst voted for the reckless GOP Tax Scam in 2017, giving enormous tax giveaways to pharmaceutical corporations while threatening massive cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

  • Ernst sided with Big Pharma by voting against a bipartisan bill to allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, an effort supported by her fellow Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley.

  • Ernst led the fight to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its protections for pre-existing conditions. To try and cover up her record, Ernst  sponsored a bill that would allow insurers to charge higher prices for prescription coverage, making “plans effectively useless for people who need ongoing treatment.”

  • Ernst supported repealing the Medicare prescription drug donut hole that was closed by  the ACA and has saved Iowa seniors nearly $76 million on prescription drug costs.