AYOTTE’S ROLE MODEL COMMENTS “ABSOLUTELY” DOMINATED THE WEEK. At New Hampshire’s first televised Senate debate, Senator Kelly Ayotte made all the wrong kinds of headlines (and a lot of them) for saying that Donald Trump is “absolutely” a role model for New Hampshire children. Here’s a sample:
NECN: Trump a Role Model? Ayotte Says ‘Absolutely’
Washington Post: Kelly Ayotte’s Donald Trump agony continues
CNN: Ayotte says Trump ‘absolutely’ a role model for kids in NH debate, later says she misspoke
MSNBC: In debate, GOP senator says Trump is ‘absolutely’ a role model
USA Today: Ayotte calls Trump role model in debate, quickly changes her mind
The Week: That’s Gotta Hurt: Kelly Ayotte says she ‘misspoke’ when she said Trump is a role model
NHPR: Ayotte Calls Trump A Role Model For Children, Then Takes It Back
Union Leader: Ayotte ‘role model’ comment about Trump in debate sets off internet firestorm
Jezebel: Kelly Ayotte is Having a Hard Time Finding Her Place in This Election
New York Times: Donald Trump as Role Model? G.O.P. Senator ‘Absolutely’ Has Second Thoughts
BONUS – Watch this recap of national television coverage of Ayotte’s comments.
NEW ADS SEIZE ON AYOTTE ROLE MODEL COMMENTS. A series of new ads feature Kelly Ayotte’s role model comments and how shameful it is that she thinks Donald Trump could be a role model for New Hampshire children. The Hassan campaign is up on television with an ad featuring Ayotte’s comments alongside some of the terrible things Trump’s said about women and a disabled reporter. Watch “Absolutely” here. Additionally, Americans for Responsible Solutions released a digital ad that uses Ayotte’s comments with footage of Trump making dangerous comments about guns and shootings. Watch it here. Finally, the DSCC released an ad that will run as pre-roll on YouTube videos that is just the unedited debate footage, ensuring that Granite Staters who weren’t tuned into the debate will see Ayotte’s full comments.
VOTERS DISAGREE WITH AYOTTE: TRUMP IS “ABSOLUTELY” NO ROLE MODEL. A new Morning Consult/POLITICO poll released today found that a whopping 72% of Americans disagree with Ayotte’s assertion that Donald Trump is a role model for children.
AYOTTE TURNS TO…TED CRUZ. In an attempt to distract from her role model comments, Kelly Ayotte released an ad claiming she worked to oppose the government shutdown led by Ted Cruz in 2013. The only problem with that? Ayotte actually voted with Cruz to shut down the government five times. After releasing the ad, Ayotte jetted off to Texas to fundraise alongside Cruz. Hm.
NEW THIS AM – TOOMEY OWNED STOCK IN BANK WHILE FIGHTING AGAINST BANK REGULATIONS ON COMMITTEE. This morning, a breaking new report from Politico Pro examines how Senator Pat Toomey used his position on the Senate Banking Committee to push pro-bank policies, while holding between $500,000 and $1 million in stock of the bank he co-founded.
Politico Pro: Bank Toomey founded to become Pennsylvania flashpoint
While sitting on the Senate Banking Committee, Toomey owned between $500,001 and $1 million in stock in Team Capital Bank, from 2010 to 2014.
…The bank also used a controversial foreclosure method called a “confession of judgment” to foreclose on at least 21 homes in the state that were used as collateral by small business owners, even as Toomey fought against consumer protections for mortgages in the Senate, repeatedly opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
…Before and after the bank’s sale, Toomey repeatedly expressed his opposition to the CFPB, which was designed to protect consumers from abusive banking and mortgage practices. He voted against the confirmation of the agency’s director multiple times and has pushed to abolish the agency, recently calling it “an ill-conceived and badly governed entity that’s not accountable to anyone.”
…The CFPB deals exclusively with retail mortgages, while Toomey’s bank only used confessions of judgment in commercial mortgage cases. But advocates warned the spread of such practices was exactly the type of thing the CFPB was designed to prevent.
…”In the wake of the financial crisis, we should be concerned about elected officials whose outside interests were engaged in predatory practices,” said Joe Valenti, the director of consumer finance at the liberal Center for American Progress Action Fund, adding: “Proposing to weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and to export anti-consumer state laws to the entire country only moves us farther away from improving families’ financial stability.”
BONUS – DARK MONEY BANK GROUP ON THE AIR FOR TOOMEY. A dark money banking group is running ads for Pat Toomey, which comes as no surprise since Toomey’s spent his time in the Senate working for Wall Street and opposing banking regulations that protect Pennsylvania consumers.
BAYH’S CAMPAIGN CENTERS ON WORKING FAMILIES, HOOSIER BUSINESSES. Evan Bayh’s been campaigning across the state, meeting with voters and highlighting his support for Hoosier businesses and workers. Last Friday, Bayh met with some of the Carrier employees in Indiana who will be eligible for TAA funding when their jobs are shipped to Mexico. Bayh spoke to them about the importance of the TAA program, which Congressman Todd Young “philosophically” opposes. The international president of the United Auto Workers also campaigned for Bayh, highlighting how he stood with auto workers during his time in the Senate, while Congressman Todd Young called the auto rescue that saved more than 100,000 Hoosier jobs a “waste.” Bayh also stopped at Edsal Manufacturing Company on Thursday in Gary, talking about the changes he’d make to the tax code and import regulations that would help Hoosier businesses in the Senate.
DEMS POST IMPRESSIVE Q3 FUNDRAISING NUMBERS.
ARIZONA. Ann Kirkpatrick raised $3 million in the third quarter, setting a statewide fundraising record for a Democratic candidate.
NEVADA. Catherine Cortez Masto raised $5.2 million, with more than 50,000 grassroots donors contributing. She has raised $14 million total during the cycle.
NORTH CAROLINA. Deborah Ross posted an impressive third-quarter fundraising total, raising nearly $4.3 million from July 1 – September 30—nearly double her second quarter haul. Senator Richard Burr hasn’t released his fundraising total yet, but Ross outraised him in the first two quarters of 2016.
PENNSYLVANIA. Katie McGinty had her best fundraising quarter yet, raising $6.3 million. More than 75,000 individuals gave to the campaign, with a median contribution of $10.
WISCONSIN. The Feingold campaign announced it raised $5.2 million in the third quarter of 2016, his best fundraising quarter yet. The campaign has now raised almost $20 million since Feingold entered the race. Feingold outraised Johnson for the sixth straight quarter, this time by $1.2 million.
AS SEEN ON TV. The week in ads.
FLORIDA. The Murphy campaign released an ad highlighting Senator Marco Rubio’s failure to show up and fight for Florida’s hardworking families, and how Patrick Murphy will be committed to working for Floridians in the Senate. Watch “Office” here.
INDIANA. The Bayh campaign released a new ad featuring Hoosier workers whose jobs were saved during the auto crisis by the rescue Evan Bayh worked across the aisle to pass. Watch “Saved” here.
MISSOURI. The DSCC released an ad highlighting how Roy Blunt’s put his lobbyist family members ahead of hardworking Missourians. Watch “Conflict” here.
NEVADA. The DSCC released a new ad yesterday highlighting how Congressman Joe Heck has voted to defund Planned Parenthood ten times, even though it provides critical health services to thousands of Nevadans. The ad features Aileen Cohen, a breast cancer survivor, speaking about how the screenings provided at Planned Parenthood help save lives. Watch “The Lucky Ones” here.
NEW HAMPSHIRE. The DSCC released an ad highlighting how Senator Kelly Ayotte votes with her special interest campaign donors at the expense of hardworking New Hampshire families. Watch “In Washington” here.
NORTH CAROLINA. The Ross campaign released a new web video highlighting Senator Richard Burr’s “cozy” ties to big energy lobbyists, as detailed in last week’s McClatchy investigation. Watch “Cozy” here. The DSCC also released an ad on how Burr accepted over $1 million from the insurance industry, then wrote a Medicare plan that would put money in their pockets. Watch “You” here.
OHIO. The Strickland campaign released a new ad highlighting how Senator Rob Portman has received millions of dollars from outside special interests, and in return has spent his time in Washington pushing their agenda at the expense of hardworking Ohioans. Watch “$50 Million.”
PENNSYLVANIA. The DSCC released an ad featuring Senator Pat Toomey’s comments that doctors who perform abortions should be jailed. The ad, “Record,” also highlights that Toomey has voted seven times to defund Planned Parenthood.
WISCONSIN. The latest ad from the Feingold campaign features similarities to an ad Russ Feingold ran in one of his first campaigns. In it, Feingold talks about how he will work for the middle class in the Senate, and how Senator Ron Johnson has voted to protect billion-dollar tax loopholes for big corporations. Watch “Hands” here.
BONUS MUST READS. Stories you may have missed while keeping up with the Kardashian robbery
McClatchy: Defending for-profit schools paid dividends for Carolina lawmakers (Another day, another bad story for Richard Burr)
The Hill: Momentum shifts in battle for Senate (Dems have the momentum with less than 5 weeks to go)
Morning Consult: Will Kander’s Attacks on Blunts’ Family Business Work? (Roy Blunt’s deep lobbyist ties back in the spotlight)
Washington Post: In battle for the Senate, Democrats now have a narrow edge (Missouri and North Carolina move to toss-up in WaPo’s race ratings)
IN THE STATES
FLORIDA – The Tampa Bay Times endorsed Patrick Murphy this morning in an editorial that touts Murphy as “a centrist who is right on the issues and works in a bipartisan fashion.” The editorial also slams Senator Marco Rubio for being “on the wrong side of most every issue” and for his no-show record in the Senate. Read the endorsement here.
NORTH CAROLINA – A report from Huffington Post examined the promises Senator Richard Burr made during his first Congressional campaign to show how his promises have fallen flat as he’s spent his time in Washington working for himself at the expense of North Carolina.
INDIANA — The American Democracy Legal Fund filed a complaint against Congressman Todd Young for using more than $275,000 in taxpayer dollars on political-style mailings from his official Congressional office. The complaint details that Young used the tax-payer funded mailings to focus on political content, not legislative action.
ILLINOIS – Two new polls this week show Tammy Duckworth holding a strong lead over Senator Mark Kirk. A Normington Petts poll shows her leading by 9, and another from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute shows her up by 14 points.
COLORADO — Senator Michael Bennet is in a strong position to win re-election, according to a new Monmouth University poll. The poll shows Bennet leading challenger Darryl Glenn by a whopping 18 points, highlighting once again the NRSC’s failures in making the seat competitive.
MORE COLORADO — The Aurora Sentinel endorsed Senator Michael Bennet, calling the decision “easy.” The editorial touts Bennet for delivering “the votes for Colorado interests in every part of the state.” Read the editorial here.
ARIZONA – Senator John McCain shockingly defended Donald Trump’s recent comments that some veterans aren’t strong enough to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. McCain defended Trump, blaming the media for Trump’s offensive remarks. Just another example of how McCain is no longer the maverick Arizona once knew after 33 years in Washington.
TWEET OF THE WEEK – This week’s Tweet of the Week goes to actress Elizabeth Banks for having the perfect reaction to Kelly Ayotte’s role model comments: @Elizabeth Banks: Wait, what? Yikes.
Enjoy the weekend! 32 more wake-ups til Election Day!
Sadie Weiner
@sadieweiner|
Lauren Passalacqua
Sam Lau
Lara Sisselman
