January 7, 2022 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: BIG LIE INFECTS GOP SENATE CAMPAIGNS – DEMS FLEX FUNDRAISING MUSCLES – RUBIO & JOHNSON OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE ON COVID

Happy New Year! Welcome back to Friday Takeaways from the DSCC – your weekly update on news across the Senate battlegrounds:

JANUARY 6TH ONE YEAR LATER: THE BIG LIE IS INFECTING GOP SENATE CAMPAIGNS & ESCALATING THEIR PRIMARIES. One year after the horrific events of January 6th, “Trump’s election lies are taking over Republican Senate races” and becoming a “litmus test” in the GOP’s vicious primaries. Read how allegiance to Trump’s Big Lie is fueling Republicans’ intra-party fighting and shaping GOP Senate campaigns here.

PAT TOOMEY WOULD LOSE A PRIMARY. Look no further than Pennsylvania to see how the Big Lie has fully consumed GOP Senate primaries – every Republican candidate refused to say if they would have certified the 2020 election like Republican Senator Toomey did.

Philadelphia Inquirer: We asked GOP Senate candidates if they would have backed Pa.’s 2020 election results. They wouldn’t say.
Philly Tribune (Editorial): Pennsylvania Senate hopefuls must answer questions on 2020 election
MSNBC: GOP Senate hopefuls in Pennsylvania dodge key election question

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS – As Bridgewater CEO David McCormick quits his job as a corporate hedge fund executive and prepares to “parachute” into his new state’s nasty Senate primary, we recommend he contact his fellow carpetbaggers Carla Sands and Mehmet Oz for real estate advice. Here’s the latest PA Dems statement:

“McCormick can run from the fact that he’s a carpetbagging Connecticut Hedge Fund Executive, but his Republican rivals will ensure he can’t hide from it: he’s already being attacked for outsourcing Pennsylvania jobs to Asia, his close ties to China and pushing the interests of the ultra-rich at the expense of working families at every turn. And every day, this GOP Senate primary gets even nastier.”

🚨BREAKING🚨 COMPLAINTS AGAINST MCCORMICK, OZ. On Friday, Pennsylvania Democrats filed two separate complaints asking the FEC to investigate both candidates for failing to abide by federal election requirements. Read more from Pennsylvania’s City & State: PA Dems file FEC complaints against Dr. Oz, David McCormick.

💪 $$DEM SENATORS FLEX FUNDRAISING MUSCLES$$ 💪

CNN: KELLY RAISES NEARLY $9MIL. It’s a figure that “positions the Arizona Democrat to be one of the best funded candidates in the 2022 midterms.”

WMUR: HASSAN “CONTINUES TO SET FUNDRAISING RECORDS.” The Granite State senator hauled in $3.1 million in the fourth quarter and entered ‘22 with $5.3 million cash on hand.

ON-YEAR READING: CATCH UP QUICK WITH THE #AZSEN & #NCSEN STATE-OF-THE-RACE MEMOS.

CUE U2: NH REPUBLICANS STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING FOR. Months after Republicans’ massive failure to recruit Gov. Sununu, this morning Jessica Taylor is out with a new report that Republicans are still “searching” for a candidate and “t here’s still no major viable GOP challenger who’s stepped up to run.” Expect this GOP primary to get even messier, fast.

JOURNAL SENTINEL’S TOP 10 REASONS RO-JO HAS GOT TO GO: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dan Bice rang in the new year by ranking Johnson’s most controversial statements of 2021. Here’s a sample:

1. Questioning COVID-19 vaccinations.

4. Calling Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme.’

6. Defending his work to secure tax breaks for his billionaire campaign backers.

9. Peddling Listerine as treatment for COVID-19.

MIAMI HERALD COLUMNIST SAYS “RUBIO DESERVES HIS OWN TOP TEN LIST OF COVID FALSEHOODS.” After Rubio downplayed the Omicron variant – despite Florida hospitalizations being on the rise – he was slammed for “spreading misleading and false information.” Key points from the article:

Just when you think he couldn’t possibly go there, the senator becomes an even worse caricature of himself.

Rubio is so out of his league on the subject of COVID-19 that he keeps striking the wrong chord at the worst time, and in the most public way.

Rubio is cherry-picking half truths. He makes the situation seem hopeless, that there’s nothing that can be done. He’s spreading dangerous information that could cost the lives of the unvaccinated, who are more vulnerable to the disease.

What Rubio is saying isn’t based on good science and, certainly, isn’t good public policy. But he keeps embarrassing himself.

JUST THIS WEEK, THANKS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS:

→ Putting an end to bad surprises. Senate Democrats are taking on big corporations to stop surprise medical bills, lowering unfair costs and ensuring access to affordable, quality health care. Read more about the Democratic-backed legislation. In the states:

NH – Portsmouth Herald (Opinion): Sen. Hassan: Banning surprise medical bills, what to do if you get one. “Ending surprise medical billing is an important, commonsense step toward lowering costs for Granite Staters.”

AZ – KYMA: New bill goes into effect to protect Arizonans from surprise medical bills. “The No Surprises Act, which protects Arizonans from surprise out-of-network medical bills, has gone into effect on January 1, 2022. This federal law was backed by Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.”

→ And cutting utility costs. Democrats are cutting the costs of utility bills this winter and keeping money in the pockets of working families. The additional funding to do this is no thanks to Senate Republicans who unilaterally opposed it in the American Rescue Plan. Read more here.

IN THE STATES:

GA – MSNBC: GOP darling Herschel Walker’s rambling BBB rant proves he’s a gift to Democrats. “Herschel Walker’s campaign is proceeding as chaotically as expected… With every word, Walker has and will prove himself unfit to hold office.”

NC – Axios: One year after Jan. 6, extremist views have become more mainstream in North Carolina. “Republican politicians who denounced the attacks have risked alienating a portion of their potential voter base and support from former president Donald Trump. Just ask former Gov. Pat McCrory, who is running for U.S. Senate to replace Richard Burr. McCrory has been slammed by his own party for denouncing Trump’s claims of election fraud.”

NV – Reno Gazette Journal (Opinion): Real patriots defend democracy. “Adam Laxalt continues to lob constant, baseless lies about Nevada’s electoral system, as he attempts to destroy the institutions of his adopted home state.”

OH – Cleveland Scene: Bernie Moreno Honors Solemn Anniversary of Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrection By Further Debasing Himself. “He’s the Washington Post poster child for Republicans who repeat Donald Trump’s lies of a stolen election.”

PA – PennLive (LTE): Carpetbaggers don’t really care about Pennsylvanians. “The carpetbaggers are coming! The carpetbaggers are coming! They are coming from the East (Dr. OZ- NJ ), from the West ( Carla Sands-CA), and from the North (David McCormick – CT ). They want our U.S. Senate seat and they are moving in to steal it.”

TWEET OF THE WEEK: