'House of Cards' Inspires Republican Ad Against Kansas Independent

A new radio ad imagines Frank Underwood as the man who 'hatched the plan' for Greg Orman.

KANSAS CITY—House of Cards is coming to the Kansas Senate race.

A new radio ad from the Republican group Now or Never PAC imagines the popular Netflix show's scheming main character, Frank Underwood, as the man who "hatched the plan" for independent candidate Greg Orman to run against GOP Sen. Pat Roberts.

"With the control of the United States Senate at stake, I simply couldn't leave this election for the voters to decide," the Underwood-esque narrator says in the 60-second spot, shared first with National Journal, as ominous music plays in the background. "So I took matters into my own hands, using whatever and whomever I had available."

The ad goes on to say that the "gullible" press helps sell Underwood's story, saying the plot is "to keep Senate control in the hands of Democrats."

"Abraham Lincoln once said public opinion in this country is everything. With it, nothing can fail," the ad continues (echoing Underwood's habit of quoting famous politicians). "I have confused the voters of Kansas into thinking their candidate Orman is an independent. Make no mistake about it, once he's elected, he belongs to me and President Obama."

The House of Cards ad echoes the argument Roberts and his allies have been making repeatedly across the state and on the airwaves: that, despite his lack of party identification, Orman will be a rubber stamp for Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The radio ad, a five-figure buy, will run in the Kansas City market and will be added in other areas throughout the state. Now or Never PAC is one of the bevy of GOP groups that are aiding Roberts in his surprisingly tight race; others include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Association, and Freedom Partners.

Recent polling shows a margin-of-error race, with Orman taking small, 1- or 2-percentage-point leads in most surveys.