August 5, 2022 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: 100 DAYS OUT, FLAWED GOP CANDIDATES ON DEFENSE – MASTERS’ DANGEROUS FOR ARIZONA – ROJO BREAKS THIRD RAIL – OZ IS A CREEP

WEAKER ROSTER THAN THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS – UNDER 100 DAYS OUT, FLAWED GOP CANDIDATES HAVE SENATE REPUBLICANS ON DEFENSE. Much like the now Juan Soto-less Nationals, Senate Republicans are saddled with a deeply flawed roster.

DSCC MEMO: 100 Days Out, Senate Democrats Have Republicans On Defense
The Hill: Senate Democrats say GOP roster full of ‘flawed and deeply damaged candidates’. “The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) memo, sent out via email, says that while ‘Democrats are running strong, battle-tested incumbents and challengers,’ the GOP is backing candidates who ‘who bring disqualifying personal and political baggage to the general election.’”
Wall Street Journal (Editorial Board): The GOP’s Senate Primary Woes. “Our ears ring with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s caution about Senate elections: ‘…How could you screw this up? It’s actually possible. And we’ve had some experience with that in the past.’”

THE VOTE HEARD AROUND THE WORLD – KANSAS VOTERS SHOW GOP ATTACKS ON ABORTION WILL BE ANSWERED AT THE BALLOT BOX. Since the Republican Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, GOP Senate candidates have only escalated their attacks on women’s rights to make their own health care decisions. Voters will reject them in November.

Associated Press: Abortion vote in Kansas sparks new hope for Dems in midterms. “Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who leads the group dedicated to protecting the Senate’s Democratic majority, predicted that abortion would likely matter most as a political issue in Senate races in Nevada, New Hampshire and Arizona — all states in which polling suggests strong support for abortion rights. Suburban women and younger voters are most likely to be motivated by the issue. ‘There’s a great deal of anger,’ Peters said of the backlash against the Roe reversal. ‘There’s an energy I haven’t seen before.’”
Roll Call: Democrats double down on abortion rights after Kansas referendum. “‘What we saw in Kansas is that voters really delivered a resounding message that Republicans’ attack on a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions will be answered at the ballot box,’ said Nora Keefe, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.”
Vice News: Democrats Pound GOP With Abortion Ads After Big Kansas Victory. “In Arizona, multiple ads portray newly nominated GOP Senate candidate Blake Masters as a ‘dangerous’ anti-abortion extremist.”

COMING UP THIS WEEKEND: INFLATION REDUCTION ACT WILL “LOWER COSTS FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES.” Senate Democrats are united behind legislation that will “lower costs for American families,” “does not raise taxes on individual taxpayers at all,” will “lead to a net deficit decrease,” and would be the “biggest legislative climate investment in US history.”

CNN: First on CNN: Top economists say Democrats’ health care and climate package will put ‘downward pressure on inflation’. “Congressional Democrats’ climate and health care package is getting a boost from a group of top economists, who wrote in a new letter that the so-called Inflation Reduction Act will lower prices for American consumers amid high inflation.”
Business Insider: The Manchin-backed Inflation Reduction Act is likely to live up to its name, Moody’s economists say. “If passed, the plan ‘will nudge the economy and inflation in the right direction,’ economists led by Mark Zandi said in a Monday research note. The $790 billion package will be fully paid for by higher taxes on corporations and wealthy households, enhanced IRS enforcement, and lower Medicare drug costs. That cash will go toward lowering ACA health care premiums, funding clean energy projects, and reducing the government’s deficit.”
Bloomberg: Ex-EPA Chiefs Back Climate Deal Heading for Senate Vote. “A bipartisan group of former EPA administrators endorsed the tax-and-climate deal Senate Democrats are moving to pass as quickly as this weekend, calling it the ‘most significant piece of climate legislation in United States history.’”

LIMPING OUT OF “SCORCHED-EARTH” PRIMARY, MASTERS IS NOT LIKE NORMAL ARIZONANS. Masters has dangerous beliefs and plans that are deeply out of step with the state’s values and would be devastatingly harmful to Arizona’s families. Watch the DSCC’s first digital ad on Masters below:

Watch “Too Dangerous For Arizona” Here:

Arizona Republic (Opinion): Trump-backed Blake Masters is Sen. Mark Kelly’s best chance to keep his seat. “Mark Kelly won’t have to do much to expose Blake Masters’ extreme views. Masters will do that himself.”
New York Times (Opinion): The Violent Fantasies of Blake Masters. “Masters treats politics as a game of moral and physical carnage in which nothing is precious, and rules are for losers and marks. Great nations are those that allow great men to rise above the law, while binding the rest of us ever tighter to its dictates. And Blake Masters wants to make America great again.”
Washington Post: Arizona Republican slate packed with Trump-backed election deniers. “For the U.S. Senate, Arizona Republicans chose Blake Masters, a young venture capitalist who mimics Trump’s baseless election claims and traffics in the culture wars that have become central in the far-right discourse.”

LIKE STICKING A FORK IN THE TOASTER – RON JOHNSON SLAMMED FOR TOUCHING THIRD-RAIL AFTER CALL TO CUT SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE. Johnson is once again generating a wave of negative headlines after he called to “upend” Social Security and Medicare. Chris Wallace whacked Johnson’s stance as “terrible policy, and it’s suicidal politics.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson calls for subjecting Medicare and Social Security to annual budget talks. “Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson indicated Tuesday that Medicare and Social Security should be subjected to annual budget deliberations, a move that could upend guaranteed benefits relied upon by millions of Americans.”

Wisconsin State Journal: Ron Johnson calls for turning Social Security, Medicare into discretionary spending programs. “In response, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who became the presumptive Democratic U.S. Senate nominee after his top Democratic opponents dropped out last week, called Johnson a self-serving multimillionaire senator who ‘wants to strip working people of the Social Security and Medicare they’ve earned.’”
Washington Post: Sen. Johnson suggests ending Medicare, Social Security as mandatory spending programs. “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has suggested that Social Security and Medicare be eliminated as federal entitlement programs.”
CNN New Day (WATCH): GOP’s Johnson Suggests Cutting Social Security, Medicare. Chris Wallace: “It’s terrible policy, and it’s suicidal politics.”

→ AHEAD OF WISCONSIN’S TUESDAY PRIMARY, CATCH UP QUICK ON

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RON JOHNSON ←

HEY SIRI, PLAY CREEP BY RADIOHEAD – OZ HAS “LONG HISTORY OF BEING EXTREMELY CREEPY TO AND ABOUT WOMEN.” After Jezebel unearthed previously unreported clips and audio of Oz being “extremely creepy” toward women, Pennsylvania female state senators slammed his gross behavior. 🎶Cause I’m a creep. I’m a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here? I don’t belong here. – RadioHead (but also Mehmet Oz, probably) 🎶

Jezebel: Dr. Oz Has a Long History of Being Extremely Creepy to—and About—Women. “Pennsylvania, do you want to elect a man who’s described his penis in detail on television?”
PA Dems: Pennsylvania Female State Senators Call Out Mehmet Oz For Creepy Behavior. “Mehmet Oz has proven time and time again that Pennsylvanians cannot trust him to represent them in the Senate. The recent reporting around Mehmet Oz’s history of gross behavior around women is just the latest example of how this self-centered millionaire TV celebrity does not align with Pennsylvania values. Pennsylvania women cannot count on Mehmet Oz to fight for us in the Senate.”

… AND THE AWARD FOR MOST OUT-OF-TOUCH GOES TO HOLLYWOOD OZ! Watch Fetterman’s latest slam dunk on his GOP opponent after Oz got caught saying there’s no difference between $50,000 and $50 million →

GEORGIA EDITORIAL BOARD TACKLES HERSCHEL – “NOT A SERIOUS CANDIDATE,” “NO GRASP OF PUBLIC POLICY,” “TOTALLY UNPREPARED.” The Valdosta Daily Times Editorial Board did not pull any punches in their rebuke of Herschel Walker.

Valdosta Daily Times (Editorial): Walker not ready for Senate. “He is not a serious candidate. He has no grasp of public policy and no knowledge of issues that matter to the people of Georgia. We are not talking about issues in his personal life, his business history and self-admitted battles with mental health issues. We are talking about being totally unprepared.”

AND ADD THIS WARNOCK PROFILE TO YOUR WEEKEND READS:

POLITICO: ‘There’s Never Been Anybody Like Him in the United States Senate’

EVEN NEVADA REPUBLICANS ARE LINING UP BEHIND “RELIABLE, GENUINE FIGHTER” CORTEZ-MASTO. The reviews are in, and Cortez Masto continues to rack up endorsements from both sides of the aisle because Nevadans know she will always put the Silver State first.

Reno Gazette Journal (Opinion): I’ve spent my whole life working to elect Republicans. I’m backing Catherine Cortez Masto. “I’ve gotten to know Catherine well over the years, especially during her two terms as Nevada attorney general. She has always put the needs of the state over the wants of any political party, and that’s one of the reasons she’s been able to accomplish so much. She’s a public servant who works hard to elevate the concerns of people in every region of the state.”
Las Vegas Sun: Republicans in Nevada cross party line to endorse Democrats. “Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., has been endorsed by Ely Mayor Nathan Robertson, former Winnemucca Mayor Di An Putnam and former Churchill County Commissioner Carl Erquiaga — all Republicans — in her race against GOP nominee Adam Laxalt. ‘I am a Republican, but Catherine has earned our support in rural Nevada by blocking new taxes on our mining industry and supporting funding for local infrastructure needs,’ Robertson said in a statement announcing his backing. ‘I know she will continue to work hard in the Senate to champion issues important to all rural Nevadans.’”
Reno Gazette Journal (Opinion): It’s refreshing to see Nevada Republicans abandoning party’s candidates. “Winnemucca mayor Di An Putnam and Ely Mayor Nathan Robertson joined former Churchill County Commissioner Carl Erquiaga in stating their preference for Nevada’s senior U.S. senator over Virginia transplant Adam Laxalt, saying she has listened to the needs of rural Nevada and responded accordingly. Just this week, longtime Republican lobbyist and kingmaker Pete Ernaut also declared he would be voting for Cortez Masto because ‘She has proven herself to be a reliable, genuine fighter for all Nevadans.’”

NH GOP CANDIDATES TIE THEMSELVES INTO PRETZELS ON CHIPS – ALL OF HASSAN’S OPPONENTS OPPOSE BIPARTISAN BILL. Maggie Hassan is fighting to lower costs, make more products in America, and ensure we can out-compete countries like China – taking decisive and effective action to address the top priorities that New Hampshire families care about. Her GOP opponents? They’re fighting to see who can be the most out-of-touch.

Union Leader: Hassan celebrates, all GOP foes pan China competition reform bill. “‘I worked with Republicans to pass this legislation because I knew it would strengthen our national security and lower costs, and it’s ridiculous that my opponents oppose this vital legislation that earned the support of 17 Republican senators,’ Hassan said.”
WMUR: Hassan praises semiconductor, reconciliation bills moving through Senate. “’This is really aimed at making sure we’re investing in domestic production of semiconductors,’ Hassan said. ‘People should understand, just taking a step back, this is a national security and economic security issue, to be sure.’ Hassan’s Republican opponents, such as Don Bolduc and Kevin Smith, have come out against the bill.”

JUST THIS WEEK, THANKS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS

→ Fighting To Lower Health Care Costs. Senate Democrats like Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock are fighting to address working families’ most pressing priorities – including lowering costs like health care.

WABE: Warnock optimistic on priorities of drug price negotiation, premium tax credits. “Warnock celebrated the health care provisions in a phone interview. The measure would cap monthly out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 and block prescription drug prices for seniors on Medicare Part D from exceeding $2,000 annually – two of his health care priorities.”

IN THE STATES

AZ – Arizona Mirror: Democrats launch campaign highlighting Blake Masters’ ‘extreme’ abortion position. “Masters has also called abortion a ‘sacrificial ritual’ to the left and has referred to abortion as a ‘genocide.’ He has also campaigned on overturning the constitutional right for women to access birth control.”

CO – Colorado Newsline (Opinion): With moderates like Joe O’Dea, who needs extremists? “O’Dea is aligned with the Trumpist forces warping the nation under the weight of autocracy, and ultimately there can be nothing less moderate than that. His vision for the country’s future accommodates the most corrupt and anti-democratic office holder modern America has ever known.”

FL – Florida Politics: Val Demings’ ad brings in more cops to attest to her commitment to police. “‘Marco Rubio, keep your opinions to yourself. Until you cross that line and become a police officer, you have no right,’ retired Officer Renita Osselyn says in Demings’ new ad.”

NC – Daily Advance: US Senate hopeful stumps: Beasley: NC voters oppose ending Roe. “Beasley said that her Republican opponent, Budd, supports a total ban on abortion with no exceptions. ‘My opponent (Budd) supports a complete ban, even in the case of rape, incest or the risk to a women’s health,’ Beasley said. ‘Ted Budd does not speak for North Carolina. This Budd is not for you.’”

NH – WCAX: Senate passes Hassan bill aimed at helping prevent child abuse. “The U.S. Senate has passed a new bipartisan bill from New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan that focuses on preventing child abuse.”

WI – WBAY: Barnes endorsed by UAW Wisconsin, talks jobs in Oshkosh. “Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, was endorsed by the United Auto Workers Wisconsin during a visit to Oshkosh Wednesday. At a news conference, the union called out incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson, saying he didn’t do enough to keep jobs in Wisconsin when the U.S. Postal Service was contracting Oshkosh Corporation to build new mail trucks.”

TWEET OF THE WEEK