NRCC ad praises Republican congressman for saying Trump 'disqualified himself

The National Republican Congressional Committee cut an ad for one of its endangered congressional candidates, touting him as an "independent voice" who "stood up to" Republican nominee Donald Trump "months ago."

Rep. Bob Dold, who represents a heavily Democratic district in northeastern Illinois, is in danger of losing his House of Representatives seat to former Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider. This is the third time in three cycles the two politicians have faced off in the pendulum-like district — first Schneider unseated Dold in 2012, then Dold unseated Schneider in 2014.

Dold has spent much of the election running away from his party's nominee — but the NRCC touting him as a force against Trump is a step farther than the group has gone yet this cycle and shows the Republican establishment's willingness to part ways with Trump when need be.

The NRCC ad criticizes Schneider for voting the Democratic Party line 90 percent of the time and praises Dold as "one of the most bipartisan members of Congress."

But the most notable moment in the ad is a clip from a March 2016 interview with CNN in which Dold says: "I think Donald Trump has disqualified himself."

Dold said he instead plans to vote for a write-in candidate.