October 30, 2020 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: CLOSING GOP MESSAGE: HEALTH CARE ATTACKS, FAILED COVID RESPONSE—DEMS EXPANDED MAP, REPUBLICANS FAIL TO TAKE RACES OFF THE TABLE

This week’s Friday Takeaways is our last one before Election Day. Here’s what you need to know:

SENATE GOP CLOSING ARGUMENTS: CONTINUING ANTI-HEALTH CARE CRUSADE, ABANDONING CORONAVIRUS RELIEF. Senate Republicans made their priorities crystal clear this week by rushing to fill a Supreme Court vacancy and threatening their health care, and then leaving Washington without passing more urgently needed coronavirus relief.

On Monday, Senate Republicans cemented their legacy as the anti-health care party. GOP senators voted to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, who has a long track record of hostility to the Affordable Care Act — putting protections for people with pre-existing conditions at greater risk than ever before. Just one week after Election Day, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Republican lawsuit to overturn the ACA and end coverage protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Reminder: all Senate Republicans are on record supporting or enabling this lawsuit and have been in favor of gutting these core health care protections. Their election-year attempts to mislead voters on their own voting records and downplay the chances of the lawsuit succeeding underscore how health care has become the “party’s albatross” and a “political liability” for the GOP that “could help determine control of the Senate.”

After endangering health care for millions of Americans, Senate Republicans skipped town without passing urgently needed additional coronavirus relief. For months now, Senate Republicans have turned their backs on hardworking Americans by refusing to negotiate on a serious relief effort that could pass Congress and help Americans. Instead, they’ve taken a month-long vacation and pushed stunt bills that were nothing more than political cover for their vulnerable incumbents. This week, as the public health and economic crisis worsens, Republicans admitted defeat and said “we’re not going to control the pandemic.” It’s no wonder that “voters are putting the blame on Republicans” for Congress’ failure to deliver additional coronavirus relief.

WHILE REPUBLICANS HAVE SETTLED ON THEIR “MESSAGE OF GRIEVANCE,” DEMOCRATS ARE FOCUSING ON HEALTH CARE. A New York Times deep dive into Senate races across the country found that while Republicans “have settled on a message of grievance,” Democrats are focusing on the issues voters care about, like health care and the coronavirus response. Republican incumbents can’t defend their own records, so they’ve resorted to misleading negative attacks in a desperate attempt to save their flailing campaigns — but voters can see right through these desperate stunts.

INCREASE IN MAIL VOTING “EXPECTED TO PUSH BACK THE RELEASE OF FULL RESULTS IN MANY KEY STATES.” The New York Times compiled a helpful guide explaining why “the increase in mail voting because of the pandemic is expected to push back the release of full results in many key states.” Take a look at the timing of results in each state → New York Times: How Long Will Vote Counting Take? Estimates and Deadlines in All 50 States

RATINGS CHANGES MOVE MORE RACES TOWARDS DEMS ON EXPANDED MAP. Three nonpartisan election analysts shifted another six ratings in four races in Democrats’ favor, the latest sign of growing momentum to end Republicans’ Senate majority in the final days of the election. Jessica Taylor of Cook Political Report declared that “Democrats have expanded the map while Republicans haven’t really taken many, if any, races completely off the table.” Inside Elections noted that the Senate battlefield has widened and Democrats have “multiple paths to the majority.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted both Senate races in Georgia to a toss-up rating.

Take a look at what these election analysts are saying about the Senate map:

Cook Political Report: Final 2020 Senate Overview: Democrats Remain Favorites to Take Senate, Mississippi Shifts to Likely Republican
Inside Elections: 2020 Election Preview: Bracing for History
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Georgia’s Senate Races Both Move to Toss-up

REPUBLICANS PANIC AS GOP MEGA-DONORS STEP IN TO TRY TO SAVE MCCONNELL’S SENATE MAJORITY. As Republicans panic over Democratic candidates’ record-shattering Q3 hauls fueled by grassroots donors and the “wide competitive Senate map” they face, GOP mega-donors “have stepped up their 11th-hour fundraising efforts” to try to save their endangered Senate majority. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted this week that Republicans have been forced on defense across an expanded map because of strong Democratic candidates, confessing, “we always knew we were going to have spirited races in Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina and Maine. They’ve been able to make it competitive in Kansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Alaska.” Now a handful of billionaires are writing multi-million dollar checks to Mitch McConnell’s super PAC to fund a surge of late ads in the “hopes the late cash surge will help its candidates counter record-breaking fundraising by Democratic challengers.” With Republicans in Washington worried about their weak and struggling incumbents, it’s no surprise that the billionaires who have benefited from GOP control of the Senate have stepped in to try to rescue their flailing campaigns.

MORE EDITORIAL BOARDS OVERWHELMINGLY ENDORSE DEMS. Democratic Senate candidates and incumbents continue to rack up editorial board endorsements from their local newspapers in the final days:

#COSEN: The Aspen Daily News and Boulder Daily Camera endorsed former governor John Hickenlooper, making 13 total endorsements for Hickenlooper from Colorado editorial boards. The Daily News declared the choice “a relatively easy one” and the Daily Camera wrote that Hickenlooper is “committed to the issues that matter most to Coloradans.”
#IASEN: The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque endorsed Theresa Greenfield, declaring “Greenfield brings ideas to the table about addressing the current challenges facing the state.” The Storm Lake Times also endorsed Theresa, writing that “Greenfield will work harder and smarter, and will not forget her principles. We need a senator who will stand up for Iowa. Ernst refused to. Greenfield will.”
#KSSEN: The Kansas City Star Editorial Board endorsed Dr. Barbara Bollier for U.S. Senate, declaring that “her priorities are clear, and her commonsense approach aligns with Kansas voters’ views.”
#MISEN: The Michigan Daily Editorial Board endorsed Senator Gary Peters, writing that “while Peters keeps his head down, passing legislation and working on behalf of his constituents, James has boasted that he is “2000%” for Trump.”
#MTSEN: The Missoulian, the Billings Gazette, and the Montana Standard all endorsed Governor Steve Bullock for U.S. Senate this week. All three endorsements pointed to Bullock’s commitment to bipartisan solutions through coalition-building to put the interests of Montanans first.
#NHSEN: The Conway Daily Sun endorsed Senator Jeanne Shaheen for re-election in New Hampshire because her “influence is not easy to replace and shouldn’t be.”
#SCSEN: The State endorsed Jaime Harrison for U.S. Senate, writing that Harrison “has the potential to be a transformative political figure who will represent our state in a manner that mirrors the solutions-oriented mindset of most South Carolinians.”

FEDERALIST SOCIETY CO-FOUNDER FUNDED VULNERABLE GOP INCUMBENTS AMID SCOTUS HEARINGS. A damning report from HuffPost revealed that vulnerable Senators Martha McSally, Cory Gardner, David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, Thom Tillis, and Lindsey Graham “all received a maxed-out donation from Federalist Society co-founder and board chairman Steven Calabresi during Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation process.” The timing of the donations to these six senators locked in tough re-election campaigns “certainly sent them the message that the Federalist Society had their backs and expected them to respond in kind by confirming Barrett.” HuffPost: Federalist Society Board Chair Funded At-Risk GOP Senators Amid Barrett Hearings

SEEING DOUBLE? GOP SUPER PACS CAUGHT USING THE SAME PAID ACTORS IN ATTACK ADS IN #IASEN, #KSSEN AND #MESEN. Two Republican super PACs got caught this week using “the same supposed voter in newly released ads for at least three different Senate races, including those in Maine, Iowa and Kansas.” It’s pretty clear that GOP outside groups aligned with Mitch McConnell can’t defend Republicans’ toxic records, so they’ve resorted to misleading attack ads –– and they can’t even find real constituents to spread their lies. HuffPost: GOP Ads Use The Same ‘Voter’ To Bash Dems In Three Different Senate Races

DARK MONEY GROUP FUNNELS MONEY TO ERNST SUPER PAC. A new Iowa Starting Line report today reveals that the dark money group “accused of illegally coordinating with Sen. Joni Ernst’s reelection campaign” is now “funnel[ing] money to Iowa Values Action, a new super PAC set up to boost Ernst.” The new super PAC has raised $1.6 million — with $1 million coming from the dark money group at the center of Ernst’s campaign finance scandal. Ernst still hasn’t answered for her previous “egregious” violations and now her potentially illicit actions are funding this “campaign finance workaround,” allowing her big money donors “‘to spend unlimited money in the race while hiding their identities from the public.’” Iowa Starting Line: ‘Dark Money’ Group Funnels Money To Super PAC Boosting Ernst

AFTER COLLINS “BACKED DOWN FROM A FIGHT” WITH THE PRIVATE EQUITY INDUSTRY, THEY’RE “UNDERWRITING” HER CAMPAIGN. A bombshell POLITICO/ProPublica investigation this week revealed that Senator Susan Collins backed down from a fight over an amendment in the 2017 Republican tax bill that would have taken “aim at a tax break cherished by the private equity industry.” Now, just three years later, the industry that benefited from Collins’ quick about-face “has become her most reliable source of donations.” She’s taken over half a million dollars in campaign contributions from the private equity industry this cycle –– more than any other senator –– and one chief executive has even given millions of dollars to a personal super PAC backing her. It’s just another example of how Senator Susan Collins has changed after 24 years in Washington, putting her special interest donors ahead of hardworking Mainers. POLITICO: Susan Collins backed down from a fight with private equity. Now they’re underwriting her reelection.

COLLINS *STILL* WON’T SAY IF SHE SUPPORTS TRUMP. In the final Maine Senate debate this week, Senator Susan Collins once again refused to say if she’s voting for Trump, keeping up her streak of 684 days and counting of keeping Mainers in the dark. Reminder: Collins has voted with the president 94% of the time and Trump himself has said he’s “100%” behind Collins’ campaign. Salon: Susan Collins still won’t say if she’s voting for Donald Trump with less than a week until election

JOHN JAMES CALLED OUT FOR LYING ABOUT HEALTH CARE. Detroit Free Press editorial page editor Brian Dickerson eviscerated failed politician John James in a column today for lying about health care to Michigan voters. Dickerson skewered James, writing “no one has been more chronically deceitful about health care than GOP senatorial candidate John James.” James “favors the repeal of Obamacare” and “still hasn’t concocted a coherent response” when asked how he’ll provide protections for pre-existing conditions if the law is repealed. Meanwhile, “Peters and his Democratic colleagues actually have a plan to pay for pre-existing conditions.” After James’ stumble when asked how he’d protect people with pre-existing conditions in an interview earlier this month, it’s clear that James’ lack of a health care plan is an indefensible liability. Detroit Free Press (Opinion): Why Republicans lie about pre-existing conditions

GRAHAM AND TILLIS CAUGHT “IN AN APPARENT PAY-TO-PLAY SCHEME.” New reporting from Salon this week found that Senators Thom Tillis and Lindsey Graham “coordinated in an apparent pay-to-play scheme that rolled out for several years” as they “changed their views” on a controversial casino “after taking big bucks from casino interests and lobbyists.” Graham and Tillis both originally opposed the project, but after an aggressive lobbying effort that involved “tens of thousands of dollars in contributions from industry lobbyists and the casino developer,” the vulnerable incumbents changed their positions. Salon: Lindsey Graham, Thom Tillis pushed for controversial casino after donations from gambling mogul

DAINES’ “VANISHING BEEF DEAL”: A DISAPPEARING ACT OF MON-MOO-MENTAL PROPORTIONS. Senator Steve Daines’ toxic record as “China’s ambassador in Congress” was in the spotlight again this week after the Washington Post published a deep dive into Daines’ “vanishing beef deal.” Daines was happy to claim “credit for brokering the beef deal” between Montana ranchers and Chinese retailer JD.com in 2017, but three years later little evidence has materialized that Montana beef was sold to China through that deal. When asked to comment, “spokespersons for Daines’s Senate office and his campaign also did not respond.” Washington Post: Republicans could suffer from Chinese company’s failure to buy Montana beef

GEORGIA REPUBLICANS GO VIRAL FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS. Georgia’s endangered Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, went viral for all the wrong reasons this week as they are both down in the polls. In a debate Wednesday, Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff eviscerated Perdue for prioritizing his personal stock portfolio during the pandemic and his long record of working to gut health care protections for Georgians with pre-existing conditions. Watch the viral clip, which already has over 12 million views on Twitter. Less than 24 hours later, Perdue decided to pull out of the final scheduled debate to take cover with a friendlier crowd at a Trump rally. Meanwhile, Loeffler garnered scathing coverage of her own for unbelievably claiming she’s “not familiar” with the infamous Access Hollywood tape after she insisted there’s absolutely nothing on which she disagrees with Trump.

SENATOR TINA SMITH RELEASES NEW AD URGING VOTERS TO RETURN BALLOTS. Senator Tina Smith released a new ad today to ensure that voters in Minnesota have the information needed to make their votes count. The ad follows the last minute 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling yesterday and urges Minnesotans to hand deliver their mail-in ballots by 3:00 p.m. on Election Day, or vote in person on or before Election Day. Watch.

IN THE STATES

AL – Montgomery Advertiser (Opinion): Labor federation: Doug Jones is the right choice for Alabama’s working people

AK – Anchorage Daily News: Sullivan and Gross clash on health care and Supreme Court in Alaska US Senate debate

AZ – Arizona Republic (Opinion): I won’t be a Democratic or Republican senator if elected, Mark Kelly says

AZ – NBC News: ‘Quick, quick, quick’: Trump rushes McSally at rally as she fights to hold her Senate seat

CO – Denver Post (Opinion): Schrader: Cory Gardner, the great pretender, can fool moderate Coloradans no more

GA – Rolling Stone: Watch Georgia Senate Candidate Jon Ossoff Destroy Republican David Perdue Over Health Care Failures

GA – POLITICO: The preacher who might finally turn Georgia blue

GA – AP: Loeffler charts path to the right in Georgia Senate race

GA – Capitol Beat News Service: Joe Biden endorses Warnock, Ossoff in Georgia’s U.S. Senate races

IA – Globe Gazette: Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield in Clear Lake to talk COVID, jobs

IA – Carroll Times Herald: Greenfield says childhood on farm prepped her for corn-and-bean price question