The Daily Caller News Foundation has uncovered that the supposed “constituent” featured in a recent ad campaign targeting a vulnerable House Republican is actually a left-wing activist who publicly backed his former Democratic opponent.
The ad, part of a $1 million campaign launched on July 8 by the progressive advocacy group Unrig Our Economy, attacks Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania for supporting President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
In the 30-second spot, the woman portrayed as a concerned constituent criticizes Bresnahan for “gutting” Medicaid—but the ad fails to disclose that she is a registered Democrat with a documented history of supporting Democratic candidates and causes.
“He stated to me that he would not make cuts to Medicaid,” a woman referred to as Krysten says in the ad, referring to an alleged meeting between the Democratic activist and the Republican congressman. “Afterwards, when the votes were done, when I found out how he voted, I was very upset to hear that Congressman Bresnahan voted for the largest Medicaid cut in history to give tax breaks to billionaires.”
The claim is false, by the way: The Medicaid portion of the law is not a “tax cut for billionaires” but rather trims waste, fraud, and abuse and specifically removes much taxpayer-funded assistance to illegal migrants. “Bresnahan voted for the largest Medicaid cut in history to give tax breaks to billionaires,” she goes on to say, echoing a familiar – and equally false – Democrat talking point.
Krysten Xanthis, the so-called “constituent,” is a registered Democrat, according to a review of her voter registration by the Daily Caller News Foundation. In 2022, she was elected to a local leadership position within the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and has publicly supported Bresnahan’s predecessor, former Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright.
According to her Facebook page, Xanthis claimed she began working for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) in January 2025. However, a DNC spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation they have no record of her employment. Xanthis did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment, the outlet reported.
Bresnahan narrowly unseated Matt Cartwright in November, ending the Congressional Progressive Caucus member’s decade-long tenure in the House. Now a freshman lawmaker, Bresnahan represents a competitive swing district, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rating his 2026 reelection race as “Lean Republican.” Cartwright announced in June that he will not attempt a comeback.
Unrig Our Economy is fiscally sponsored by the Sixteen Thirty (1630) Fund, a major dark money operation on the left. The nonprofit acts as a financial hub for Democratic megadonors and a network of opaque groups, allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to flow to organizations promoting liberal causes, the outlet reported.
