REPUBLICANS GIVE UP ON CONTROLLING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. Republicans have officially abandoned Americans, admitting “we’re not going to control the pandemic” as the country enters a third wave that is “officially worse than the first two.” It’s the latest utter failure from a party who has spent months blocking adequate relief that millions of hard-working Americans desperately need. In the midst of a global economic and public health crisis, Republicans have completely abdicated any sense of leadership and have total ownership over the disastrous response to the worsening ongoing pandemic.
REPUBLICANS RUSH TO CONFIRM LIFETIME SCOTUS APPOINTMENT. With just eight days until the election, today Senate Republicans are set to ram through a nominee to the Supreme Court who has criticized rulings upholding the health care law, potentially increasing “the court’s chances of knocking down some or all” of the ACA – the latest push in their decade-long crusade to gut the Affordable Care Act and end protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Their latest efforts come as Republicans continue to block critical coronavirus relief and just yesterday they admitted that they’re ‘not going to control the pandemic.’ Read our full statement on the GOP’s misplaced priorities here.
GOP MEGA-DONORS STEP IN TO TRY TO SAVE THEIR SENATE MAJORITY. As Republicans panic over Democratic candidates’ record-shattering Q3 hauls fueled by grassroots donors, GOP mega-donors “have stepped up their 11th-hour fundraising efforts to fight the wave of money that Democrats have garnered through small-dollar donations.” In the last six weeks alone, a handful of major Republican donors have written multi-million dollar checks to Mitch McConnell’s super PAC, contributing to an eye-popping $142 million raised. “Republicans are trying to do whatever they can” to keep Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader. Historic Democratic fundraising has forced Republicans to play defense across an expanded map, but “massive GOP spending could blunt those gains or deny [Democrats] the majority entirely.” It’s no surprise that the billionaires who have benefited from these Republican incumbents running the Senate are now trying to rescue their flailing campaigns. Washington Examiner: Big GOP donors step in to help Republicans hold on to Senate majority
DEMOCRATS FOCUS ON HEALTH CARE, WHILE REPUBLICANS SETTLE ON “A MESSAGE OF GRIEVANCE.” A New York Times deep dive into the Iowa Senate race and Senate races across the country found a common theme: while Democrats are focusing on the issues voters care about, like health care and the coronavirus response, Republicans “have settled on a message of grievance.” Democratic Senate candidates like “pragmatic, common-sense scrappy farm girl” Theresa Greenfield are meeting voters where they are and championing the issues that matter to them. 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. New York Times: Democrats in Many Races Are Moderates. Republicans Cast Them as Radicals.
ENDORSEMENT ALERT: LOCAL EDITORIAL BOARDS ENDORSE HICKENLOOPER, GREENFIELD, BULLOCK, AND HARRISON. More Editorial Boards for local newspapers endorsed Democratic candidates John Hickenlooper, Theresa Greenfield, Steve Bullock, and Jaime Harrison this weekend. Check out what voters in Colorado, Iowa, Montana, and South Carolina are reading:
– BOULDER DAILY CAMERA: HICKENLOOPER IS “COMMITTED TO THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO COLORADANS.” The Boulder Daily Camera Editorial Board endorsed John Hickenlooper for U.S. Senate, writing that the former governor is “committed to the issues that matter most to Coloradans” while incumbent Senator Cory Gardner is “out of step with the beliefs and values of many Coloradans.”
– DUBUQUE TELEGRAPH HERALD: “GREENFIELD DESERVES A SHOT AT MAKING HER MARK FOR IOWA.” The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque endorsed Theresa Greenfield, declaring “Greenfield brings ideas to the table about addressing the current challenges facing the state” while “Ernst fails to make the case for herself as possessing the ability to effect change on the national stage, and the game she talks isn’t always the game she walks.” And Ernst’s soybean scandal still haunts her: the Editorial Board made sure to note, “Ernst missed badly on her attempt to guess at the price of soybeans.”
– THE MISSOULIAN, BILLINGS GAZETTE, MONTANA STANDARD AGREE: MONTANANS SHOULD SEND BULLOCK TO THE SENATE. Three Montana newspapers endorsed Governor Steve Bullock for U.S. Senate this weekend. The Missoulian Editorial Board declared “Bullock has led consistently with a steady hand” and “is the better choice because he has shown himself to be a capable negotiator who brings together disparate interests before forging ahead.” The Billings Gazette wrote “Bullock has been both a warrior and a coalition-builder” and his “combination of gumption and diplomacy would serve him and Montana well in the Senate.” The Montana Standard cited Bullock’s record as governor in their endorsement, writing “he managed to work with a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans to fund critical infrastructure needs, and to continue Medicaid expansion.”
– THE STATE: HARRISON “HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A TRANSFORMATIVE POLITICAL FIGURE.” The State endorsed Jaime Harrison for U.S. Senate today, 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 — but with the energy and unifying vision that longtime incumbency is clearly stripping away from Graham.” The Editorial Board of South Carolina’s oldest newspaper in circulation also skewered Senator Lindsey Graham, calling the vulnerable incumbent “a diminishing force.”
SULLIVAN FUMBLES ON HEALTH CARE IN ALASKA SENATE DEBATE. Senator Dan Sullivan struggled to answer how he will preserve protections for people with pre-existing conditions if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act in a “devastating” moment during Friday night’s Alaska Senate debate. After a long, awkward pause, Sullivan asked if the question was for him, then attempted to downplay the likelihood that the GOP lawsuit would succeed in eradicating the health care law. Sullivan’s dodge of this essential question underscores how his toxic health care record is dragging down his campaign in the final stretch. Watch the fumble below:
WARNOCK SURGES AS LOEFFLER, COLLINS “CHART[S] PATH TO THE RIGHT” IN TOXIC GOP FIGHT IN GEORGIA SPECIAL. Despite being appointed to appeal to moderates, a new AP report documents how unelected Senator Kelly Loeffler continues to run to the right, locked in a “brutal battle” for the GOP base against Congressman Doug Collins. Loeffler has stated she agrees with President Trump on everything and has accepted an endorsement from a candidate who spouts QAnon conspiracy theories. As Collins and Loeffler duke it out to win over a narrow slice of the electorate in Georgia, Reverend Raphael Warnock has been able to “consolidate support…with relative ease,” pulling ahead of both Republican candidates in recent public polls. AP: Loeffler charts path to the right in Georgia Senate race
NEW POLL: GEORGIA IS A BATTLEGROUND STATE. A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released today showed Democrats leading Republicans in the presidential and both Senate contests. Jon Ossoff leads incumbent Senator David Perdue, 46%-45%, and Reverend Raphael Warnock has surged to a comfortable lead in the special election with 34% of the vote while unelected Senator Kelly Loeffler and Congressman Doug Collins are engaged in a messy fight for a distant second place. AJC: AJC poll shows deadlocked races for president, Senate seats in Georgia
REPORT: DAINES “RAKED” IN CAMPAIGN CASH FROM BIG PHARMA AFTER BACKING DRUG PRICING BILL. A new Newsweek report details how Senator Steve Daines “received tens of thousands of dollars from large pharmaceutical companies around the same time that he attached his name to alternative drug-pricing legislation” that was pushed by Big Pharma over a bipartisan drug pricing bill that would have lowered costs further for consumers. Right as Daines signed onto an industry-friendly Republican bill this summer, he received tens of thousands of dollars in contributions. Since then, Daines has received additional campaign cash from five pharmaceutical companies — notably “only one of which had previously contributed to his campaign.” It’s just another reason Montanans can’t trust Daines to put their interests ahead of his special interest donors in Washington. Newsweek: GOP Senator Steve Daines Raked in Cash from Big Pharma While Backing Drug-Pricing Bill
DEM AD WATCH
CO – John Hickenlooper released a new Spanish-language ad featuring Governor Jared Polis who asks Coloradans to vote for the former governor and denounces the false Republican smears against him. Watch.
LA – Mayor Adrian Perkins’ new ad holds Senator Bill Cassidy accountable for his record leading the charge to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take away health care from Louisianans. Watch.
NM – In Congressman Ben Ray Luján’s new ad, retired police detective Gary Johnson sets the record straight on lies about his strong record of keeping New Mexico communities safe. Watch.
SC – Jaime Harrison’s new ad highlights Senator Lindsey Graham’s changing stances and abysmal record on health care, especially on protecting people with pre-existing conditions. Watch.
IN THE STATES
AL – Montgomery Advertiser (Opinion): Labor federation: Doug Jones is the right choice for Alabama’s working people
AL – WVTM: Commitment 2020: Sen. Doug Jones talks bipartisanship, track record in the Senate
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
CO – Denver Post (Opinion): Schrader: Cory Gardner, the great pretender, can fool moderate Coloradans no more
CO – Colorado Politics: ENDORSEMENT WATCH | More newspapers abandon Gardner for Hickenlooper in US Senate race
IA – Iowa Starting Line: Greenfield Pitches ‘Pragmatic, Scrappy Farm Girl’ In Key Iowa Counties
IA – Dallas County News: Theresa Greenfield visits Waukee Hardware in small business tour
IA – Cedar Rapids Gazette: Theresa Greenfield: ‘Everybody deserves a shot’
KS – Kansas City Star: Kansans want leaders who put the people before party. These are the women to do it
KY – Lexington Herald Leader: Amy McGrath: Vote for the positive change Kentucky desperately needs.
ME – Maine Beacon: Collins sides with GOP in vote to advance Coney Barrett nomination
ME – Bangor Daily News (Opinion): I’ve voted for Susan Collins in the past. Not this year.
ME – Portland Press Herald: Maine Democrats blast Trump ahead of 2nd District visit
NC – News & Observer: Cunningham says devotion to public service is at heart of U.S. Senate run
SC – The Grio: Jaime Harrison talks historical campaign and building a ‘New South’
TX – Dallas Morning News: Cornyn’s 18-year Senate record more nuanced, less warm and fuzzy, than his curated TV ads
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