Bloomberg spent $9.5M on ads against two California Republicans, data show

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at a Moms Demand Action gun safety rally at City Hall in Nashua, N.H., in an undated photo. (Associated Press)

A political action committee funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has poured $9.5 million into TV ads to unseat two Republican congressmen in Southern California, federal records showed Thursday.

Independence USA PAC has reportedly spent $9.5 million on advertising against U.S. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Steve Knight of Palmdale, the Los Angeles Times reported.

FILE: Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher at party offices in Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Associated Press)

A TV ad that aired this week chastised Rohrabacher for not believing in global warming.

“It’s getting hotter, but while fire and smoke choke our air, Dana Rohrabacher is radically opposed to efforts to fight climate change,” said a narrator amid flashing images of forest fires.

Though the GOP leads Democrats by 10 percentage points in Rohrabacher’s Orange County district, the 15-term incumbent falls far behind his Democratic challenger, Harley Rouda, in terms of ad spending.

FILE: Harley Rouda, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 48th District in Orange County, poses during interviews in Newport Beach, Calif. (Associated Press)

Another propped-up Democrat is Katie Hill, in her bid to oust Knight in the 25th District north of Los Angeles.

California is widely seen as a crucial state that will decide which party will control the House after the midterm elections. Bloomberg’s investment comes as money floods into competitive House districts in California from both Democratic and GOP groups.

TRUMP DISMISSES BLOOMBERG'S POSSIBLE 2020 BID, SAYS DEMOCRATS 'WILL EAT HIM UP' IN PRIMARIES

Bloomberg, who was a Republican and later an independent while running New York City from 2002 to 2013, is one of several Democrats weighing a presidential run in 2020. He disclosed earlier this year he intended to spend tens of millions to help Democratic congressional candidates seize control of the House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.