Sen. Tom Harkin may be cruising to re-election this year, and Sen. Chuck Grassley isn’t even up for re-election this year, but that hasn’t stopped a group run by union leaders and the pharmaceutical industry from spending money on television advertising praising both of them for their votes on children’s health insurance.

The group, America’s Agenda: Health Care for Kids, is funded by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in partnership with International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. It has been running ads around the country supporting Senators and Representatives from both parties who voted to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which passed Congress but was vetoed by President Bush.

According to National Public Radio and the Center for Investigative Reporting, the group has spent $11.3 million nationally the ad campaign.

The legislators benefiting from the complimentary ads were chosen because they voted for a bill expanding the children’s insurance program (which was vetoed by President Bush) but are under pressure to abandon that support, according to a spokeswoman for America’s Agenda.

“We felt these were the ones that needed to be told to continue to support SCHIP,” said Nicole Korkolis. “It’s a call to action.”

Both ads end with a narrator asking viewers to “Call Tom Harkin/Chuck Grassley today and tell him to keep fighting to insure our kids.”

Here’s Harkin’s ad:

And here’s Grassley’s: