Another member of Congress is misleading constituents about past support for the Violence Against Women Act, a law whose protections Republicans allowed to briefly expire in 2013 for the first time since its passage two decades ago.
An ad released by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) on Tuesday claims the congresswoman "stood up to her own party to champion the Violence Against Women Act to make women safer and she won."
The 30-second spot, which centers on women's issues, appears to embellish Jenkins' role in the matter. It cites Jenkins' vote for a bipartisan Senate bill that reauthorized the law and expanded protections for victims of domestic violence who were Native American, undocumented immigrants, or lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. In that vote, Jenkins joined a relatively large number of Republicans, 87, who also apparently "stood up" to their party. But while she may have "championed" that vote, Jenkins' record on the matter suggests otherwise. In 2012, she voted to prevent consideration of VAWA reauthorization bills in the House.
Jenkins isn't the only Republican up for re-election who is touting support for the Violence Against Women Act without mentioning previous stances against the law. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Rep. Steve Southerland II (Fla.), who both face election challenges from Democratic women, also ran ads in favor of the law but failed to disclose their opposition to expanded protections for victims of domestic abuse.
Jenkins, who is No. 5 in House GOP leadership, has found herself in a precarious position ahead of the November midterm elections. Politico reported last week that GOP leaders are seeking funds to shore up her re-election bid, which has suffered amid voter backlash in Kansas.
Watch Jenkins' ad above.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly described the Senate bill that reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, which Jenkins voted for. It did expand protections for victims of domestic violence.
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