DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: “UNTESTED” GOP SENATE RECRUITS NOT “PREPARED FOR THE SCRUTINY,” GOP’S CALLOUS ABORTION COMMENTS, AND THE GOP’S MESS IN MI + NV

NEW WEEK, MORE REPORTS ABOUT SENATE REPUBLICANS’ “CANDIDATE QUALITY” PROBLEMS → This week, the Associated Press added to the wave of reports detailing how Senate Republicans “elevat[ed] untested candidates who might not be prepared.” Read more:

• 📰 In Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, GOP Senate candidates are being pressed on whether they live in the state. In Montana, the party’s Senate candidate recently admitted lying about the circumstances of a gunshot wound he sustained. And in Ohio, the Republican contender pitched himself as financially independent but now may be turning to donors for help repaying loans he made to his campaign. 
  

🎙️ AND THE GOP’S CANDIDATE QUALITY PROBLEMS ARE MAKING AIRWAVES → DSCC Chair Sen. Gary Peters joined SiriusXM’s “The Laura Coates Show” to discuss flawed Republican Senate recruits whose “stories fall apart under scrutiny.” Read (and hear) more:

• 📣 Sen. Peters: Similar to what we saw last cycle when we were able to win and hold our majority and make history, the same thing is happening again this cycle with deeply flawed Republican candidates running against Democrats who have been there fighting for the people of their state.
  
  
• 📣 Sen. Peters: You just can’t trust these Republicans – what they have said about their biographies has raised a lot of questions, for example, and if they’re lying about that, can you trust them on all of the other things that matter to people? 
  

VIDEO SURFACES OF MORENO’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED ASTON MARTIN JOY RIDE → Bernie Moreno is facing more backlash after reporting revealed that he did not reimburse the North Olmsted Police Department for an escort of his $3.4 million Aston Martin Vulcan. NOW, a video has surfaced of Moreno’s joy ride. Watch it here and read more from Heartland Signal.

GOP CANDIDATES ON ABORTION: “WOMEN NEED HELP WITH STROLLERS,” “TOUGH ISSUE FOR WOMEN,” AND “CALL OUR PRESS OFFICE” → New analysis from Courier Newsroom detailed how Republican Senate candidates “have no idea what the hell they’re talking about” when it comes to abortion and continue to make “incredibly glib” and “unfeeling comments.” Some examples from the report: 

• Rick Scott (FL): Abortion is “a tough issue for women” 
  
  
• Kari Lake (AZ): Arizonans can just “go three hours” to another state to get an abortion
  
  
• Bernie Moreno (OH): Women need help with strollers, not abortion
  
  
• Larry Hogan (MD): Abortion is an “emotional issue for women”
  
  
• Ted Cruz (TX): “Just call our press office”
  
  

POLITICO REVEALS REPUBLICANS “HAVE REASON TO WORRY” ABOUT LAKE → A new report from POLITICO revealed Republicans are expressing fresh concerns about Kari Lake’s candidacy: 

• “Lake has not managed a clean pivot from her hard-right roots.”
  
  
•  “That’s all given the GOP some pause…in Arizona, they are increasingly warning that Lake’s divisive persona and instinct for provocation could sabotage them yet again.”
  
  
• “The problem for Republicans: Arizona voters already have an established idea of who Lake is.”
  

💰REVOLVING DOOR ROGERS GETS RICH FROM CHINESE BUSINESS → New analysis from Heartland Signal this week showcased that Mike Rogers has “personally benefited from his connections to China in opposition to U.S. national security interests.” Read more here.

SHEEHY A “THREAT TO PUBLIC LANDS ACCESS,” DUDE → This week, a report from NBC News revealed that Sheehy refused to provide Montanans public access to “prime elk-hunting” land around his Vanity Ranch — but was willing to charge rich tourists $12,500 for luxury hunting excursions. 

• “‘He’s not a rancher — he’s a dude rancher,’ Chris Marchion, a Tester supporter who sits on the Montana Wildlife Federation’s board of directors, said, using a term for out-of-state tourists who visit Montana.”
  

SILENT SHEEHY → Tim Sheehy is refusing to answer mounting questions after new reporting from Axios and the Daily Beast revealed his deputy political director has engaged with antisemitic social media. 

SAM BROWN’S RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT → Sam Brown is facing major backlash in Nevada over his support for a proposal to store the nation’s nuclear waste in the state, “a third rail in Nevada politics.” Local residents and media outlets are weighing in, calling Brown’s stance “not very aware,” “reckless,” and “politically damaging.”

HOVDE’S PEOPLE PROBLEM → Eric Hovde is facing blowback (again) from Wisconsinites after comments from him saying people who struggle with their weight should face “consequences” and pay more for healthcare resurfaced. Hovde has also been clear that he wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act “in its entirety.” In response, the Wisconsin Democratic Party held a press call with Wisconsinites who would be affected by Hovde’s cruel healthcare plan.

• 📺 WATCH: Wisconsin Democrats released a new video this week of Hovde talking about his shady business dealings and showing, in his own words, why he’s bad for seniors and bad for Wisconsin.
  

MESSY IN MICHIGAN → This week, new reporting piled onto the mass of analysis detailing how Michigan’s Senate Republican primary is getting “more combative” by the day, even though “Republicans were hoping to avoid a potentially costly and combustible primary.” Read it for yourself:

• Fox News: Republican Senate primary in crucial Michigan race heats up 
  
  
• Politico: New ad buy reveals Senate Republicans’ Michigan problem
  
  
• Cook Political Report: Does a Messy Michigan Republican Primary Await?
  
  

NEVADA’S “TOUGH PRIMARY” GETS NASTIER → This week, Punchbowl News added to the wave of reports detailing Nevada’s messy primary. While Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown “once shrugged off” the Nevada primary, he’s taking a different approach now as he faces “hesitancy” from his own party and brutal attacks from Jeff Gunter. 

• In response to the growing GOP chaos, the Nevada Democratic Party released a memo detailing how Sam Brown is doubling down on his MAGA agenda and disqualifying policy positions. Read it here.
  

SCOTT TAKES THE MIDNIGHT (TRUMP) TRAIN TO…NEW YORK? → This week, while the Senate considered critical legislation to protect our national security and air safety, Rick Scott skipped the vote to be in New York with Donald Trump for his hush money trial — and in the process, reminded Floridians that he oversaw the biggest Medicare fraud in history. Read more:

• MSNBC: Does Rick Scott really want to relitigate his Medicare scandal?
  
  
• Miami Herald: Rick Scott tries to rewrite history on $1.7 billion Medicare fraud controversy
  
  
• Rolling Stone: Rick Scott Suggests He Was ‘Persecuted’ Over Giant Medicare Fraud
  

📺 ADD IT TO THE QUEUE → This week, Senator Bob Casey’s campaign released a new TV ad highlighting his legislation requiring that “American steel” be used on federally funded projects. Watch for yourself:

IN THE STATES →

• WI: WXOW: Sen. Baldwin introduces CARE Act to fight fentanyl and substance abuse
  
  
• MT: Missoula Current: Federal Transportation Grants ‘Transformative’ For Missoula
  
  
• OH: WKBN: Senator backs plan to compensate Ohioans exposed to radiation
  
  
• PA: KDKA: Sen. Bob Casey working to eliminate junk fees
  

TWEET OF THE WEEK →

David Bergstein 
@DavidABergstein

Amanda Sherman Baity
@asherman89 

Maeve Coyle 
@maevemcoyle 

Tommy Garcia 
@Tommy_D_Garcia

Annie Lentz
@AnnieElise6

Julia Ferrara 
@JuliaFerrara22