New ad from GOP group slams MNsure, Dayton fires back

In its first television ad of the election, the Minnesota Jobs Coalition is slamming Gov. Mark Dayton and the state's new health insurance exchange, MNsure.

"Obamacare has been a disaster and Mark Dayton's MNsure has made it even worse," the ad states.

The Jobs Coalition is among several groups and GOP candidates linking Democrats to the Affordable Care Act and trying to use the troubled health insurance website to motivate and persuade voters to support Republicans on Election Day.

Typically, the state Republican party and outside spending groups like the Jobs Coalition don't tout each other's ads. But shortly after the Jobs Coalition announced their buy, the GOP sent out a press release promoting the spot and asking voters to support the party's endorsed candidate for governor, Jeff Johnson.

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Dayton's campaign says the ad is bogus. They point to a study released this week that shows that the number of uninsured Minnesotans dropped by nearly 41 percent since MNsure started selling insurance policies last fall. The statistic is good news for Democrats after the website's rocky roll out.

“This is a reminder of the Republican approach that would bring Minnesotans back to the days of out of control healthcare costs, discrimination against preexisting conditions, and lack of coverage for basic services like mammograms," said Dayton campaign manager Katharine Tinucci.

The Jobs Coalition says the spot will run on cable, broadcast and digital platforms, and says it is spending about $50,000.

Here's the Jobs Coalition ad: