CINCINNATI — In his first TV ad of the 2022 election cycle, longtime Cincinnati congressional representative Steve Chabot is targeting his Democratic opponent on the economy.

Chabot, a Republican who has served in Congress for almost three decades, is facing a tough challenge from Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman.

Thanks to redistricting, Ohio’s 1st Congressional District has gone from being slightly Republican-leaning to slightly Democratic-leaning. 

“Nancy Pelosi’s extreme agenda hit our families with rising costs. My opponent, Greg Landsman? He worked for Pelosi and supports more of her tax-and-spend agenda,” Chabot says in his ad, as he stands at a gas pump.

The TV spot will start airing in Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Landsman, a former public school teacher who is in his fifth year as a city councilman, worked briefly for Pelosi in her Washington office in 1999. 

The Chabot campaign knocks Landsman for expressing support for the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping climate, health care, and tax package that Democrats passed earlier this summer.

Landsman is hoping to capitalize on the 1st District’s new voter makeup by pointing out that Chabot voted against both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will help fund a companion bridge to improve Cincinnati’s Brent Spence Bridge, and certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral votes after the U.S. Capitol was attacked on Jan. 6, 2021.

Chabot was first elected in 1994 and has faced hard races throughout his political career, including in 2008 when he lost his seat before winning it back the next cycle.

Ohio’s new congressional map has, for the first time, the entire city of Cincinnati as part of the 1st District. Democrats are hoping Landsman can increase voter turnout there to compete with Chabot’s stronghold in Republican-leaning Warren County.

In Chabot’s ad, he also goes after Landman’s votes on city council to raise local taxes to fund various programs and projects.

“I’m working hard to bring down gas and grocery costs, support our small businesses, and lower taxes for hardworking families,” Chabot says in the spot. 

When the coronavirus pandemic first started, Chabot was the top Republican on the House Small Business Committee and helped establish the Paycheck Protection Program. Since President Joe Biden took office, Chabot has been deeply critical of his economic agenda.

Republicans and Democrats at the national level are watching this race closely to gauge how each party may fare in November.