NEW VIDEO: DEMOCRATS “LOOKING REALLY GOOD TO FOR TAKING THE SENATE BACK.” Last week, Roll Callhighlighted Democrats’ stellar record on recruiting top tier candidates. This week on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow ran a segment chronicling how Democrats have positioned themselves to win back the majority in 2016. Maddow discussed Democrats’ success in securing strong candidates in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Some key highlights:
“As catastrophically bad as things are for Republicans, things are actually kind of good right now in Washington for Democrats…
“In the next election, Democrats are looking really good for taking the Senate back for the Democratic Party.”
“On top of those two structural advantages they’ve got, the Democrats have also done really really good work this year at getting the candidates who they want to run.”
“That’s a huge number of states in which they’re getting their number one candidate…”
“The Democrats have gotten everything they want to set up next year’s election in all of these states, and this never happens…”
DEMOCRATS’ STAR RECRUITS DOMINATE WITH IMPRESSIVE FUNDRAISING HAULS. Democratic candidates across the country posted strong fundraising numbers in the third quarter, showing just how strong their campaigns are heading into 2016. THREEvulnerable Republican incumbents were outraised by their Democratic challengers, underscoring the trouble the GOP is in with a bad map and weak campaigns from their incumbent Senators. The Hill noted the struggling incumbents, saying “In key races that could determine control of the Senate, incumbents are having mixed success with outpacing their challengers in raising funds.” Here’s just a few highlights:
WISCONSIN – For the second straight quarter, Russ Feingold outraised incumbent Senator Ron Johnson, this time by a whopping $1 million. Feingold raised $2.4 million to Johnson’s $1.4 million. Absolutely nothing is going right for Johnson, as he continues tolag in polls and fundraising.
ILLINOIS – Mark Kirk’s embarrassments aren’t just limited to his offensive statements. Tammy Duckworth outraised Kirk by $410,000. Duckworth raised $1.46 million and now has $2.8 million cash on hand.
ARKANSAS – Conner Eldridge only had three weeks to raise money for Q3, but that didn’t stop him from outraising incumbentGOP Senator John Boozman. Eldridge raised $403,000 in three weeks, while Boozman only raised $359,000 during the entire quarter. Cue the GOP freak-out.
FLORIDA – Patrick Murphy posted the strongest fundraising quarter of any candidate running for the open Florida Senate seat. Murphy raised $1.5 million, double what any other candidate raised. His cash on hand is now $3.5 million.
COLORADO – As Republicans continue their desperate search to find a candidate in Colorado, Michael Bennet is building a strong war chest. Bennet raised $1.6 million in the quarter and now has $5.4 million on hand.
NEVADA – Catherine Cortez Masto had an impressive quarter, raising $1.4 million. Her campaign raised money from more than 12,000 donors, highlighting Masto’s strong support across the state.
MEANWHILE AT THE NRSC… National Journal’s Hotline featured a spotlight on “Why Senate Republicans Have Reason to Worry,” that highlighted Democrats outraising their competition and dug into Republican’s recruitment failures. Alex Roarty writes:
Meanwhile, while Senate Democrats recruit a strong stable of candidates, Republicans have struggled to muster top-tier, field-clearing contenders in a handful of key states. Colorado, represented by Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, is in danger of falling off the map after several viable Republican candidates opted against a run. The GOP has potentially strong hopefuls in Indiana and Florida, but those states also feature crowded and potentially damaging primaries. Even Nevada, where the party’s recruited its strongest candidate, Rep. Joe Heck, featured a disappointment: Gov. Brian Sandoval’s presence on the ticket would likely have guaranteed at least one pickup for the GOP. An incumbent-heavy cycle meant Republicans didn’t have many opportunities to recruit, but the few chances they have produced mixed results.
SPECIAL INTERESTS ALL IN FOR AYOTTE. As Kelly Ayotte continues to panic about her re-election campaign, she and her outside money friends are desperately trying to rewrite her record of helping special interests at the expense of middle class families. Her efforts are transparent, especially when compared to statements she has previously made. Ayotte’s anti-worker position was made clear in 2010, where Ayotte said that paid sick leave “is certainly something that should be addressed by employers rather than mandated by the government.” She was similarly called out on her anti-woman and anti-family record for voting against Paycheck Fairness and Title X Family Planning. It’s clear that her special interest allies will continue spending big to prop her up because they desperately need her anti-worker, anti-woman, anti-family vote in the Senate.
DON’T MISS: Wonkette’s epic takedown of Kelly Ayotte’s terrible voting record. The headline says it all: “GOP Senator Says Moms Need More ‘Me’ Time, Votes Against That Ever Happening”
MCCAIN’S HISPANIC OUTREACH LAUNCH FLOPS. In a sign of just how worried he is about his reelection prospects, John McCain is attempting to reestablish his relationship with Hispanics he had isolated during his 2010 re-election campaign. His efforts proved transparent, as he was slammed by an Arizona Republic columnist as a flip-flopper. But it gets worse. One of the attendees of McCain’s event said McCain’s sudden focus on reaching out to Hispanics is “weird” because as she explains, “I’ve never heard of McCain doing something for Hispanics.”
#DEMDEBATE UNDERSCORES JUST HOW OUT OF TOUCH JOE HECK IS. On Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Democratic Presidential candidates highlighted their support for commonsense proposals. Nevada’s own Congressman and Senate candidate Joe Heckholds extreme ideas that stand in stark contrast to those outlined on Tuesday. As all eyes were on Nevada, it is important to remember just how wrong Joe Heck is for the state.
IN THE STATES
PENNSYLVANIA – TOOMEY’S LEAD SHRINKS, APPROVALS UNDERWATER. After Pat Toomey bungled his campaign launch over the issue of guns and then votes to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood, a new poll shows trouble for the vulnerable incumbent. His lead against his opponents has shrunk to single digits and his approval numbers are underwater, with only 28% of Pennsylvanians approving of his job performance.
NORTH CAROLINA – NAACP BLASTS BURR. Female members of the North Carolina NAACP didn’t mince words when it comes to their feelings on Richard Burr. They blasted him for their take that he has “repeatedly stood in the way of women’s issues.”
FLORIDA – ACCUSATIONS FLY IN GOP PRIMARY. The GOP primary in Florida continued to get messier this week, as David Jolly’s campaign accused Ron DeSantis of an anonymous video attack. There is no doubt that the punches will continue to fly between GOP candidates as the primary gets closer.
CONNECTICUT – BLUMENTHAL TOUTS STRONG POLL NUMBERS. A Quinnipiac poll in New Hampshire shows how strongRichard Blumenthal is going into 2016. He has an approval rating of 61%, and has a 2-1 lead over any potential Republican challenger.
KENTUCKY – GOP CONTINUES TO WORRY ABOUT KENTUCKY SENATE SEAT. In another sign of just how much the GOP is panicking about losing Rand Paul’s seat, Erick Erickson called on Rand Paul this week to quit his presidential campaign and return home. Erickson wrote, “Save your Senate seat before Kentucky voters take the incompetence of your presidential campaign as a reflection on you and your Senate campaign.”
