April 1, 2022 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: NEW DSCC AD BLASTS GOP PLAN – ANOTHER BRUTAL NEWS CYCLE FOR RICK SCOTT – MCCORMICK, OZ FIREWORKS – HERSHEL LIES AGAIN

“IT’S IN THE PLAN” – DSCC LAUNCHES NEW AD FEATURING FOX NEWS SLAMMING GOP’S TAX-HIKE AGENDA. The DSCC launched a new advertisement this week – “It’s In The Plan” – featuring footage from a recent Fox News interview with NRSC Chair Sen. Rick Scott where he is called out for Senate Republicans’ agenda that would raise taxes on “over half of Americans” and put “an end to Social Security, Medicare.” The spot will reach older voters in AZ, GA, NH, NV, WI, PA, NC and FL through a five figure digital advertising campaign.

Washington Examiner: “Democratic ad targets policy plan by Sen. Scott.” “Fox News said it best: Senate Republicans’ plan raises taxes, ends Social Security and Medicare and spikes the cost of healthcare for hard-working Americans — and in 2022 voters will hold every GOP Senate candidate accountable for their unpopular agenda,’ DSCC spokeswoman Nora Keefe said in a statement.”

Florida Politics: Democrats continue assault on Rick Scott’s ‘Rescue America’ plan. “The Democratic Party continues to smell blood in the water when it comes to Sen. Rick Scott and his plan to “‘rescue America.’”

…AND DEMOCRATS “GO ON THE ATTACK” AS SCOTT GIVES HERITAGE FOUNDATION SPEECH PROMOTING GOP TAX-HIKE PLAN. Ahead of NRSC Chair’s Rick Scott’s speech at The Heritage Foundation, the DSCC expanded its digital advertising campaign featuring the spot “It’s In The Plan” to reach individuals in the area around Scott’s speech.

POLITICO Playbook (March 31, 2022): DSCC is going up here in Washington right as Scott takes the stage, “geo-targeting” the conservative think tank and areas around it. “We welcome Rick Scott to continue talking about Republicans’ plan to raise taxes, end Social Security and Medicare, and spike the cost of healthcare for hard working Americans,” DSCC spokesperson Nora Keefe says in a statement that will be released today. “Voters will hold every GOP Senate candidate accountable for their party’s unpopular, toxic agenda.”

Business Insider: GOP Sen. Rick Scott says Republicans are ‘parroting’ Democratic attacks on his tax plan only hours after McConnell criticized it. “The DSCC had its own presence outside the Heritage event on Thursday, with people holding signs calling attention to the ‘GOP tax hike’ in his plan.”

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER BRUTAL NEWS CYCLE FOR SENATE REPUBLICANS & THE NRSC. Reporting continues to highlight how Senate Republicans’ campaign Chair Sen. Rick Scott “is refusing to abandon” the GOP plan that would raise taxes and end Social Security and Medicare – leaving the GOP worried “that Scott’s policy agenda is giving Democrats a powerful talking point” as Democrats continue to “tag Republican Senate candidates with Scott’s plan.”

New York Times: Income Taxes for All? Rick Scott Has a Plan, and That’s a Problem. “The ‘Plan to Rescue America’ is dividing the party and cheering Democrats, and its author, Senate Republicans’ top campaign official, won’t stop talking about it.”

The Hill: Rick Scott agenda push baffles GOP. “Aides say that Scott is harming Senate GOP incumbents and challengers in battleground states.”

MSNBC: On proposed tax hikes, GOP’s Rick Scott just can’t help himself. “The problem for Republicans isn’t just that Scott wants to raise taxes on millions of Americans, it’s that he won’t stop talking about it.”

Axios: Democrats target new GOP election foils. “The work that is being done on the ground in Senate battleground states will ensure the GOP’s toxic agenda is front and center for voters,” Nora Keefe, spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Axios.

AP: GOP’s Senate campaign chief won’t back down from party fight. “Republican Senate candidates privately worry that Scott’s policy agenda is giving Democrats a powerful talking point to use against them this fall.”

Miami Herald: Rick Scott challenged on Fox News Sunday over tax hikes and sunsetting Medicare, Medicaid. “Sen. Rick Scott was challenged Sunday by Fox News host and former Miami reporter John Roberts over his recently released ‘Rescue America’ plan… ‘But Senator, it’s not a Democratic talking point. It’s in the plan,’ Roberts said.”

ICYMI – THE HILL: GOP HEADACHES GROW AS INFIGHTING ROILS SENATE PRIMARIES. “The turbulence has raised concerns that the winners of these primaries could come out bruised, giving Democrats an advantage in the general election.”

FIERY FORUM – MCCORMICK, OZ “TRADE FIRE” IN KEYSTONE STATE CLASH. “Fireworks took place” during the first public appearance between Oz and McCormick as the candidates “trade[d] fire” and “took aim at each other” in a “tense” and “sharp-elbowed forum.”

Associated Press: Forum gets tense in GOP’s sharp-elbowed US Senate primary. “The first public appearance between the highest-profile Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania quickly became chippy Wednesday, as themes playing out in millions of dollars in sharp-elbowed TV attack ads played out on a small forum stage.”

Fox News: Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary: Dr. Oz, David McCormick trade fire over fracking. “The verbal fistfight between Oz and McCormick is their latest confrontation over a host of issues, including China, charges that McCormick outsourced Pennsylvania jobs, and over Oz’s dual Turkish citizenship.”

Bloomberg: Dr. Oz and McCormick Squabble Over Energy in GOP Senate Forum. “Mehmet Oz was forced to defend his conservative bona fides on energy issues in his first public appearance with former Bridgewater Associates Chief Executive Officer David McCormick in their hotly contested Republican primary race for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat.”

Read More – DSCC: What They’re Saying: “Oz And McCormick Squabble” & “Trade Fire” As “Forum Gets Tense In GOP’s Sharp-Elbowed US Senate Primary”

“IT’S NOT TRUE” – HERSCHEL WALKER CAUGHT LYING… AGAIN. New reporting from CNN and The American Independent this week has caught Herschel Walker in two new lies – “overstating his academic achievements for years,” and that he has “misled the public” about his role on the presidential fitness council.

→ CNN: GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker has been overstating his academic achievements for years

For years, Herschel Walker has told the same inspiring story: that he graduated in the top 1% of his class at the University of Georgia.

The only problem: it’s not true.

A CNN KFile review found that Walker himself has been repeating the claim for years. Walker’s comments in 2017, and others made over the years, show the former football star repeatedly misrepresented his academic credentials.

→ American Independent: Herschel Walker’s misleading statements about his role on presidential fitness council

Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker was removed last week from his position on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. In addition to apparent ethical violations, it appears he repeatedly misled the public about the post over his three-plus years on the council.

DEMOCRATS OPEN FIRST FIELD OFFICES IN NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE. This week, Nevada Democratic Victory and the New Hampshire Democratic Party both opened their first field offices of the 2022 cycles – the latest sign Democrats are building a dominant ground game ahead of November.

WMUR: New Hampshire Democrats to open field office in Manchester. “’New Hampshire Democrats have a history of bucking national trends, and going into November, with the multiple municipal and special elections we have won since last June, we have the momentum to elect Democrats up and down the ballot,’ Buckley said. ‘We aren’t taking a single seat or a single vote for granted, and with the launch of this field office this early, we will have the capacity and the tools we need to continue to out-organize Republicans everywhere, from the North Country to the Seacoast.’”

Nevada Democratic Victory: “Nevada Democratic Victory Opens First Field Office in East Las Vegas” “‘Nevada Democratic Victory couldn’t be more excited to expand our presence in Clark County, reaching voters in all corners of the Las Vegas Valley will be critical to Democrats’ success in November. We at NDV will be laser-focused on continuing to build our infrastructure across Nevada to mobilize volunteers and reach voters.’”

LAXALT SLAMMED FOR “NONSTOP FOCUS ON NONEXISTENT VOTER FRAUD” – ALREADY PREPARING TO CHALLENGE ‘22 ELECTION RESULTS. Adam Laxalt continued to make headlines this week for trying to overturn the ‘22 midterm election before a single ballot has been cast.

Salon: Trump-loving Nevada Republican preparing “voter fraud” challenges — 220 days before election. “Nevada Republican Adam Laxalt, a candidate for U.S. Senate in this year’s midterms, is already ‘vetting’ outside groups to challenge supposed ‘voter fraud’ in his election — roughly 220 days before it happens.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE GOP’S ‘B-TIER’ PRIMARY FIELD GETS EVEN MORE CROWDED. The “crazy, complicated” and “messy” NH GOP Senate primary got a lot messier this week. Free State extremist Bruce Fenton announced that he is running for the US Senate. While the Republicans running for Senate struggle to gain any ounce of traction the candidates struggled to fill the “vacuum” in which “a viable GOP candidate has yet to emerge,” and they have failed to break through with NH voters. Read more from the NHDP HERE.

WISCONSIN VOTERS SLAM JOHNSON: “STILL ATTACKING MY HEALTH CARE.” Wisconsin voters are blasting Ron Johnson in their local papers after the senator pledged to once again try and overturn the ACA – spiking health care costs and stripping protections for pre-existing conditions.

Cap Times (Opinion): Ron Johnson doesn’t want you to have health care. “When Johnson was given the opportunity to stand up for the people of Wisconsin, he failed. Instead, he cast the deciding vote to move the full repeal of the ACA to the floor of the Senate.”

Milwaukee Courier (LTE): 12 Years After ACA, Johnson Is Still Attacking My Health Care. “Twelve years later, I still celebrate the ACA every day. It seems like common sense: I deserve affordable health care just as much as my peers. Unfortunately, Sen. Ron Johnson doesn’t see it that way. Just this month, Johnson reaffirmed his pledge to repeal the ACA, saying that if the Republican Party regains control of the government they should make repealing the ACA a priority.”

DESERT DUST-UP: ARIZONA REPUBLICANS HAVE KNIVES OUT FOR BRNOVICH OVER ELECTION FRAUD. New reporting from the Arizona Republic this week highlighted how Arizona’s GOP Senate primary is getting even nastier as infighting escalates over the Big Lie.

Arizona Republic: GOP Senate Rivals Rip Brnovich Over 2020 Election Probe. “Brnovich’s Republican rivals in the race for the U.S. Senate are blasting his office’s investigation into the 2020 election, citing his own role as a witness in certifying the results and accusing him of dragging out the probe for political purposes.”

NCDP LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL AD BLASTING #NCSEN GOP CANDIDATES OVER GOP AGENDA THAT WOULD RAISE COSTS ON NORTH CAROLINA FAMILIES. The North Carolina Democratic Party released a new digital ad blasting Budd, McCrory, and Walker for their party’s toxic agenda to raise costs on North Carolina families.

FOX8: NC Dems launch ad to attack Senate candidates. “‘Over the past month, Republicans in the U.S. Senate have freely admitted what a GOP majority would do, and Ted Budd, Pat McCrory, and Mark Walker are all on the hook for it,’ NCDP spokesperson Kate Frauenfelder said. ‘As voters continue to tune into the midterm elections, North Carolina Democrats won’t let up on highlighting the GOP agenda of tax hikes and higher health care premiums to the Tar Heel State.’”

JOHNSON AND RUBIO VOTE AGAINST BOOSTING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING, EASING SUPPLY CHAIN. Senators Johnson and Rubio voted against advancing the America COMPETES Act – legislation that would boost American manufacturing, ease our supply chains, and help America out-compete countries like China.

→ DSCC STATEMENT: “Senate Democrats are taking action to address working families’ most pressing priorities: lowering costs by easing our supply chains, making more goods and products here in our country, and ensuring that America can out-compete countries like China. By opposing this bipartisan legislation, Senators Johnson and Rubio have once again shown they’re refusing to get tough with China, or the big corporations that get rich by keeping prices on working families high – and voters will reject their self-serving politics in November.”

ICYMI – WASHINGTON POST COLUMN: IVY LEAGUE REPUBLICANS’ PHONY REBELLION AGAINST THE ‘ELITES’.

JUST THIS WEEK, THANKS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS

→ Senate Democrats Hold Hearings On Lowering Costs. This week Senate Democrats held hearings focused on addressing working families’ most pressing priorities, like the Economic Impact of the Growing Burden of Medical Debt. While Senate Democrats fight to lower the cost of health care, Republicans are once again promising to spike the cost of medicine and gut coverage protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Read more from the DSCC here.

IN THE STATES

CO – Colorado Newsline: Climate misinformation still reigns in GOP Senate primary amid Colorado drought, fires. “In the crowded GOP primary for U.S. Senate, misinformation, half-truths and conspiracy theories still dominate candidates’ rhetoric on climate and energy issues. State Rep. Ron Hanks of Cañon City, the race’s only sitting lawmaker, said earlier this month that climate change is a Chinese hoax designed to ‘emasculate’ the American economy.”

FL – WFTV: Rep. Val Demings reflects on time as police chief, congresswoman. “In the last two weeks, Demings secured over $6 million for Central Florida projects, including funding for things like Orlando police body cameras, youth homelessness prevention and clean water infrastructure.”

NV – Nevada Independent: Federal abortion protections at risk in high stakes congressional, Senate races. “As attorney general, Laxalt signed onto multiple legal efforts geared toward restricting abortion access and pledged to ‘look into’ overturning Nevada’s 1990 codification of Roe v. Wade… ‘The Nevada Independent found that 65 percent of respondents described themselves as ‘pro-choice’ on the topic of abortion.”

OH – Cincinnati Enquirer (Opinion): Tim Ryan benefits from GOP’s ‘cavalcade of clowns’ in Senate race. “Summing up recent developments in Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senate race, a veteran campaign strategist commented: ‘Tim Ryan is having a great week.’ The commenter was Kellyanne Conway, longtime national Republican adviser, and she was talking about the Democratic primary front-runner.”

TWEET OF THE WEEK: