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DSCC Statement on Congresswoman Wagner’s Refusal To Run

In the latest example of the GOP’s Senate recruitment failures, Congresswoman Ann Wagner announced she is refusing to run against Senator McCaskill. In response, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Spokesman David Bergstein released the following statement:

“It’s no surprise potential Republican Senate candidates are refusing to run under their party’s toxic health care plan that spikes costs and strips coverage for hardworking families in order to give big insurance companies another tax break — the GOP brand is in tatters and their candidates have nothing to run on except a string of broken promises. In Missouri, it’s clear Congresswoman Wagner reached the conclusion voters already know: nobody can out-work Senator McCaskill and no one else would be a more effective champion for the state’s working families. The spotlight will now shift to other potential candidates who have been hiding from the reckless Republican agenda, but for these potential candidates there will be no escape from the GOP’s proposals that will hurt Missouri’s middle class.”

Across the map, top-tier Republican Senate candidates are refusing to run:

  • Washington Post: Do Senate Republicans have a Trump recruiting problem? “Here’s another potential warning sign for Senate Republicans that Trump’s shadow could undermine their position of strength: Some top potential Senate candidates are turning down the opportunity to challenge vulnerable Senate Democrats.”
  • Associated Press: Senate GOP struggles to find challengers for some Democrats.“ Republicans…have struggled to recruit well-known GOP challengers in several states.”
  • Real Clear Politics: Slow Pace of 2018 Senate Bids a Growing GOP Concern. “Some Republicans are growing concerned about their recruitment progress, anxious that potential GOP challengers aren’t stepping up to run in top-tier races.”
  • Politico: “Potential GOP candidates whom party leaders want to recruit are afraid of walking into a buzz saw”
  • New York Times: “The gloomy environment has hampered their recruiting in a number of Democratic-held Senate seats, alarming the Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.”
  • Washington Post Right Turn: “Republican candidate recruitment has fizzled.”
  • National Journal: “The lack of com­par­able re­cruit­ing is glar­ingly slow… “The en­vir­on­ment is really bad for Re­pub­lic­ans right now, and that will weigh heav­ily for any­one con­sid­er­ing any race,” said one seni­or Re­pub­lic­an strategist. “The one thing that Re­pub­lic­ans can con­trol is the qual­ity of their can­did­ates and qual­ity of cam­paigns be­ing run. Right now, neither are ad­equate.”

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