Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein released the following statement:
“Not a single Republican Senate candidate passed this basic test: forcefully standing up to the President when he’s wrong. Their responses to the Trump Administration’s family separation policy is the latest in a series of examples of these candidates putting themselves and their political self-interest ahead of what is right.”
Background:
AZ – McSally: AZCentral: McSally Was “Effectively Neutral” On Family Separations And Did Not Fault The Trump Administration. “President Donald Trump is continuing to face a fierce public outcry against his administration’s policy of separating children from loved ones apprehended along the U.S.-Mexican border. […] Effectively neutral […] U.S. Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz.: She indicates a preference for a different outcome, but doesn’t fault the administration. ‘We need to enforce our laws in a consistent and humane manner and (Homeland Security) should not have to choose between enforcing the law and keeping children with their parents,’ she said in a statement.” [AZCentral, 6/20/18]
FL – Scott: POLITICO: Scott “Stopped Short” Of Calling For An “Immediate End” To Family Separations. “Scott, however, stopped short of calling for an immediate end to the policy — which has resulted in the parentless detention of thousands of children — and downplayed the administration’s role in enforcing it. ‘What the country is witnessing right now is the byproduct of the many years of bi-partisan inaction and failure from our federal government. They have failed to secure our borders, which has resulted in this chaos,’ Scott said in a written statement.” [POLITICO, 6/18/18]
IN – Braun: South Bend Tribune Editorial: Braun Urged Congress To “Step Up” To Fix The Problem Of Children Being Separated From Their Parents On The Border – But The Problem Could Be Immediately Solved by Trump Ending Policy. “And a spokesman for Mike Braun, the Republican candidate for Senate, said that ‘just like President Trump, he doesn’t want to see families separated,’ and urged Congress to ‘step up.’ Actually, the problem could be easily fixed if the president would make the call to end his administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ crackdown at the border. As a recent fact check article explains, ‘The Trump administration implemented this policy by choice and could end it by choice. No law or court ruling mandates family separations.’” [South Bend Tribune, Editorial, 6/20/18]
MO – Hawley: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board: “Unquestioning Loyalty To Trump, No Matter How Wrong He Is, Makes Hawley Look Vapid And Robotic.” “Unquestioning loyalty to Trump, no matter how wrong he is, makes Hawley look vapid and robotic. His attempts to blame the border crisis on McCaskill make him look naive. Hawley is getting some bad campaign advice if he thinks this will somehow earn him the respect of moderate Missourians. Administration officials are pressing forward with their desperate effort to defend the indefensible. Trump, like Hawley, tried to divert the discussion Tuesday by tweeting: ‘Democrats are the problem. They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country.’” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/19/18]
MT – Rosendale: “Rosendale said the blame falls with politicians who he said have ‘failed to address this problem.’” [Helena Independent Record, 6/18/18]
NV – Heller: NV Independent: “Heller . . . Has Mostly Embraced Trump’s Policies On Immigration.” “Heller, who faces a tough re-election campaign against Rep. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat, has mostly embraced Trump’s policies on immigration, despite the president’s harsh rhetoric and the influential immigrant community in Nevada, where one in every five residents hails from outside the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau.” [NV Independent, 6/20/18]
ND – Cramer: Cramer Defended The Practice Of Keeping Children In Chain-Link Cages In Multiple Radio Show Appearances. “Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) pushed back hard on the idea that keeping border-crossing children in chain-link cages was inhumane, defending the practice in two local radio shows on Wednesday. Cramer… called the facilities ‘humane’ during a Wednesday appearance on KTGO, a local radio station that broadcasts in the Bakken Oil Fields.” [TPM, 6/20/18]
OH – Renacci: Cleveland.com: Renacci Refrained From Criticizing Trump For His Administration’s New “Zero Tolerance” Policy For Undocumented Immigrants That Has Resulted In At Least 2,000 Children Being Separated From Their Parents At The Border. “The Trump administration’s new ‘zero tolerance’ policy for undocumented immigrants has resulted at least 2,000 children being separated from their parents at the U.S. borders over the past several months. […] Other Republicans, including Reps. Jim Renacci, Jim Jordan and Bob Gibbs, refrained from criticizing Trump and instead called for Congress to act.” [Cleveland.com, 6/19/18]
PA – Barletta: Barletta Defended Trump Family Separations, Said “Should You Or I Commit Criminal Acts This Afternoon… We’re Going To Be Separated From Our Families.” “Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), defended President Donald Trump’s new zero-tolerance immigration policy that has resulted in thousands of children being detained and separated from their parents on the U.S.-Mexico border. ‘Should you or I commit a criminal act this afternoon after we’re done with this interview, we’re going to be separated from our families,’ Barletta said in an interview with Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV on Friday. ‘So the laws of the country state that when you commit a criminal offense, children, you will be separated during the custody. I don’t think we should have separate laws for people who come in the country illegally and other laws for American citizens.’” [Huffington Post, 6/18/18]
WI – Vukmir: In An Interview On WISN, Vukmir Said “There Is A Process That Has To Be Upheld” Regarding Family Separation Policy. “Vukmir was asked in an interview on WISN-TV on June 10 about separating families at the border. ‘I believe that we are a nation of laws and we have to stand up and uphold those laws,’ she said. ‘There is a process that has to be upheld.’ But on Tuesday, Vukmir issued a statement saying, ‘Of course families shouldn’t be separated.’ Vukmir said Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, told her the Senate could act as soon as next week ‘on a fix to address this problem right away.’” [WDJT-TV, 6/19/18]
WI – Nicholson: State Journal: Nicholson Backed Ted Cruz’ Bill To Detain Families Together Rather Than Separate Children From Their Parents When Crossing The Border Illegally And Tried To Blame President Obama For Trump’s Policy. “Vukmir’s main GOP rival for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate nomination, Kevin Nicholson, backed a proposal from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that would detain together, rather than separating, asylum-seeking families that cross the border illegally. Many are fleeing violence and persecution in Central American countries. Others, such as Gov. Scott Walker, are ducking the issue altogether. A Tuesday statement from Nicholson, R-Delafield, blamed the situation on former President Barack Obama, though its immediate cause was Trump’s newly adopted ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on border-crossing families. ‘As a father I feel great concern any time I see a child crying out of fear or desperation, anywhere in the world,’ Nicholson said.” [Wisconsin State Journal, 6/20/18]
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