DEMOCRATS OUTLINE “TOP-TO-BOTTOM EFFORT” ON HEALTH CARE. A coalition of the Democratic campaign arms including the DSCC released a memo this week that outlined how health care continues to be a central issue for voters in 2020. As Republicans are fighting to take health care coverage away from millions of Americans in the middle of a global public health crisis, Democrats will continue to be the party of health care. Read the full memo here.
DSCC RELEASES NEW VIDEO HOLDING MCCONNELL, REPUBLICANS ACCOUNTABLE FOR POSITION THAT STATES SHOULD GO BANKRUPT. The DSCC released a new digital video this week highlighting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s unpopular position that the federal government should let states “use the bankruptcy route” instead of providing desperately needed funding to state and local governments. While Democratic and Republican governors have denounced McConnell’s position and urged Congress to pass funding for essential services like emergency response, health care workers, and education, vulnerable Republican senators have chosen to stay silent or fall in line with McConnell instead of standing up for their states.
MORE THAN 38 MILLION UNEMPLOYED, 95,000 DEAD, BUT REPUBLICANS SEE NO “URGENCY” TO ACT. Even as more than 38 million Americans have filed for unemployment and reports show that 27 million Americans have likely lost their employer provided health coverage, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans said they don’t see a need to act immediately on additional coronavirus relief and recessed for 10 days without passing a single coronavirus-related bill.
GARDNER CAVES TO MCCONNELL AFTER RECESS STUNT FAILS. After making a big show of threatening to keep the Senate from recessing unless they pass more coronavirus relief, Senator Cory Gardner folded like a cheap suit and allowed McConnell to send senators home without taking up any of his demands. Check out some of the reaction on Twitter to Gardner’s failed stunt:
MCSALLY “IN TROUBLE” AS SHE TRAILS IN YET ANOTHER POLL, STILL REFUSES TO OPPOSE MCCONNELL AND STAND UP FOR STATE AND LOCAL RELIEF. Yet another poll out this week shows unelected Senator Martha McSally trailing combat veteran and former astronaut Mark Kelly. The pollster behind the data even concluded, “McSally is doing terribly…there’s no way to find a bright spot on that one.” The tough numbers for McSally follow her decision to stick with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell instead of Arizonans, by refusing to oppose his position that states like Arizona go “the bankruptcy route.” McSally’s fealty to McConnell is perhaps unsurprising, given that McConnell-linked groups plan to spend at least $16 million to keep McSally’s vote in the Senate.
GARDNER APPROVAL “WELL UNDERWATER” AND WELL BELOW TRUMP. In more bad polling news for vulnerable Republican incumbents, a new poll out of Colorado shows Cory Gardner’s approval ranking tanking and even well below Trump’s. Gardner’s approval rating now sits at just 37%, “well underwater.” What’s worse for Gardner? The polling shows that “huge majorities of Colorado voters believe that he puts his fealty to Donald Trump and his special interest donors ahead of Colorado.”
JOHN JAMES TRIES TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS: ALL IN WITH TRUMP, BUT BACKING AWAY FROM “2000%” SUPPORT. It’s been another week of flip flopping and “trying to have it both ways” for failed politician John James. Last week he was caught trashing President Trump for the first time on a private video conference with African American community leaders and was forced to scramble to change his tune and make clear: James is still with Trump “2000%.” Now this week, James held a fundraiser with Donald Trump Jr., who confirmed James is “all for” Trump’s agenda, while James still refused to tell the Associated Press if he’s still with Trump “2000%.”
The Michigan Democratic Party launched a new digital ad to hold James accountable for being “all for” Trump’s agenda. Check it out.
NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS NERVOUS BURR SCANDAL COULD TAKE DOWN TILLIS. A new report from the Daily Beast details the growing concern among the North Carolina GOP that the “already vulnerable” incumbent Senator Thom Tillis now also has to overcome Senator Burr’s stock trading scandal. The race is already competitive: three major nonpartisan election analysts shifted the race to “Toss-Up” as Tillis faces a strong Democratic challenger in Army veteran Cal Cunningham, who raised more than twice what the incumbent did in Q1. Now, Tillis will also be forced to navigate the fallout from Burr’s scandal despite his best efforts to deflect.
NEW POLL: BOTH GEORGIA SEATS IN PLAY. A new poll released this week shows Democratic candidates leading in both Senate races, confirming Senator David Perdue’s warning to Republican activists last month that “Georgia is in play.” This follows weeks of poor numbers from the GOP’s own internal polling and ratings changes in Democrats’ favor in the state, and a week of bad headlines for both Georgia senators, confirming that Georgia Republicans are more vulnerable than ever in 2020.
LOEFFLER’S HUSBAND CUTS $1 MILLION TO TRUMP SUPER PAC RIGHT AFTER STOCK TRADES CAME TO LIGHT. The bad headlines won’t stop for Senator Kelly Loeffler. The latest is that her husband made his largest ever federal political contribution to a pro-Trump super PAC in late April, right after her shady stock dealings came to light and had sources close to Trump sharing that they “doubt he’ll endorse Loeffler” after her stock trading scandal. As Loeffler faces a heated challenge from top Trump ally Congressman Doug Collins, it’s no wonder that she’s using her fortune to get all the help she can get.
GREENFIELD RAISES RECORD-BREAKING $1.5 MILLION IN PRE-PRIMARY REPORT. Theresa Greenfield raised $1.5 million in the pre-primary reporting period, the most for a Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate in Iowa in this time period. In less than six weeks, Theresa’s campaign has received nearly 3,400 contributions from Iowans in all 99 counties. This news comes as Theresa continues to receive endorsements from leaders in Iowa and across the country. Read more from Theresa’s campaign here.
BULLOCK OUTRAISES DAINES 2:1. Governor Steve Bullock raised $2.5 million to Senator Daines’ $1.3, closing in on the incumbent’s cash-on-hand advantage. Bullock has “easily outraised” Daines since he entered the race in March.
CORNYN PROMOTES ACA EVEN WITH PAST AND PRESENT ATTEMPTS TO KILL IT. Senator John Cornyn—who is one of “the ACA’s most relentless opponents” and has proudly spent the last decade voting more than 20 times to tear down the health care law—was caught last week touting the ability to enroll in health coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Now, after promoting the ACA to his constituents, Cornyn is supporting judges that are prepared to tear down the essential health care law.
MORE SUPPORTERS ABANDON GRAHAM TO BACK JAIME HARRISON IN #SCSEN. If the South Carolina business executive’s column last week wasn’t enough, this week The State reported 24 people in SC that are changing their support from Senator Lindsey Graham to Jaime Harrison. Read the full piece on why Graham is hemorrhaging supporters in a critical reelection campaign below:
IN THE STATES
AZ – KTAR: Poll shows Mark Kelly with double-digit lead over Sen. Martha McSally
IA – Siouxland: Democratic Senate Candidate Theresa Greenfield Talks about Her Goals
KS – Shawnee Mission Post: Capitol Update: Sen. Bollier says it’s important to listen to local government during COVID-19
KS – Wall Street Journal: Former Republican Helps Put Kansas Senate Seat in Play for Democrats
ME – Maine Beacon: Collins pushed for change that allowed large corporate donors to drain small business fund
MI – Up Matters: U.S. Senator Gary Peters on federal funding for Michigan health centers, Chinese & Iranian hackers stealing COVID-19 research
SC – Washington Post (Opinion): Think no one can defeat Lindsey Graham? ‘Watch me!’ his Democratic opponent says.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Stewart Boss
Helen Kalla
Shea Necheles
Regina Anderson
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