DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: GOP CANDIDATES CAN’T HIDE THEIR EXTREME POSITIONS – DSCC TO BLANKET NEWSPAPERS WITH ABORTION ADS – LAXALT ATTACKS LAW ENFORCEMENT

PUTTING LIPSTICK ON A PIG – GOP SENATE CANDIDATES CAN’T HIDE FROM THEIR UNPOPULAR AGENDA. New reporting this week from The Daily Beast and Yahoo! News highlighted how Republican Senate candidates have a deeply out-of-step agenda: they are continually grabbing the “third rail” with their calls to upend Social Security and Medicare, and they cannot hide from their extreme “abortion and Trump connections” – learning the hard way that “the Internet lives forever.”’

• Daily Beast: GOP Candidates Strip Abortion and Trump Connections From Their Campaign Websites.“Among GOP hopefuls for Senate, at least three have scrubbed their online pages of Trump or 2020: Blake Masters of Arizona, Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania, and Tiffany Smiley of Washington. And at least two did the same for abortion: Masters and Adam Laxalt of Nevada.”

• Yahoo! News: Social Security: Republicans keep wading into the ‘third rail of American politics’. “Social Security has become a predictable talking point for Democrats heading into the midterms, but some Republicans have also been surprisingly eager to engage on the hot-button topic. While many GOP leaders have tried to stay mum on the so-called “third rail of American politics,” other Republican figures have waded in.”

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT – DSCC BLANKETING SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS WITH ADS HITTING GOP ABORTION BAN. On Sunday, voters in battleground Senate states across the country will open their newspaper to full-page ads slamming GOP Senate candidates for standing in lockstep with their party’s plan to ban abortion nationwide.

• CBS News: First on CBS News: Democratic Senate campaign arm running newspaper ads on abortion in 10 states. “The Democratic Senate campaign arm is marking 100 days since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade by taking out full page ads in newspapers across ten Senate battleground states. It’s the latest push by Democratic campaign officials focused on abortion rights, which is still a top issue for voters heading into the 2022 midterms, now less than 40 days away.”

NO CRYSTAL FLUTE, BUT FOR MASTERS THE TRUTH HURTS – INDEPENDENTS SOUR AS HE CONTINUES TO TURN OFF VOTERS. The New York Times reported that “more than half of independents had a negative view of Mr. Masters” – quoting voters calling him a “flip-flopper” and saying “I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.” It’s no surprise Masters is turning off voters, as he once again made brutal headlines after telling “a female cop the gender pay gap is a myth.”

• The New York Times: G.O.P Senate Candidate Strains to Win Over Arizona’s Independent Voters. “Blake Masters appears to be struggling among independent voters, who make up about a third of the state’s electorate. In interviews, more than one called him a ‘flip-flopper.’”

• Washington Post: Blake Masters tells female police officer gender pay gap is ‘a myth.’ “Republican senate candidate Blake Masters of Arizona is doubling down on his skepticism that women are paid less than men for comparable work, saying on a conservative radio show this past weekend that ‘the gender pay gap is a myth.’”

• Jezebel: Blake Masters Told a Female Cop the Gender Pay Gap Is a Myth. “Arizona’s Republican nominee for Senate doubled down on his insane stance that women and men in the same fields make the same amount.”

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH – SENATOR MARK KELLY USES MASTERS’ OWN ANTI-CHOICE WORDS AGAINST HIM IN NEW AD. The ad comes after a judge in Arizona’s Pima County Superior Court issued a ruling to reinstate a 158 year old law outlawing nearly all abortion and criminalizing doctors – exactly the kind of ban that Masters wants.

WATCH: “TURNS BACK THE CLOCK”

• Washington Post: Take a look: Sen. Kelly ad hits Blake Masters on abortion. “Days after an Arizona judge reinstated a near total ban on abortions in the state, Sen. Mark Kelly (D) released a new television ad hitting his Trump-backed Republican challenger, Blake Masters, for supporting a similar policy.”  

LAXALT ATTACKS LAW ENFORCEMENT, SAYS THE FBI IS “FAR TOO POLITICAL.” Reports are highlighting how Adam Laxalt is attacking law enforcement – telling NBC News he “refused to support the FBI” – while new reporting revealed he “took donation from accused arms smuggler.”

• NBC News: Republican challenger in Nevada Senate race refuses to back FBI, calls it ‘far too political’. “Cortez Masto’s campaign spokesman, Josh Marcus-Blank, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that Laxalt has ‘attacked federal law enforcement’ and ‘sided with insurrectionists who went after Capitol Police.’”

• MSNBC: The biggest problem with Nevada’s Laxalt slamming the FBI. “The biggest problem with Nevada’s Adam Laxalt slamming the FBI is that he doesn’t appear to have any idea what he’s talking about.”

• The American Independent: ‘Tough on crime’ Nevada GOP Senate nominee Laxalt took donation from accused arms smuggler. “The Nevada Republican took the legal maximum from Curtis Debord, who was indicted for illegal weapons trafficking in the late 1990s.”

BIG TENT – NEVADA VETERANS, REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SENATOR CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO. Nevada veterans and Republicans are rallying around Senator Catherine Cortez Masto because they know she is a champion for the Silver State. The Cortez Masto campaign also released a new television ad highlighting her fight to protect a woman’s right to choose.

• Reno Gazette Journal (Opinion): As a Republican, pro-choice woman, I’m proud to stand with Catherine Cortez Masto. “A third-generation Nevadan, Catherine has spent her career fighting for all Nevadans, regardless of where they live or their political beliefs. She has led federal efforts to protect the right to choose and access to birth control. I know she will always fight to safeguard my rights.”

• Elko Daily (Opinion): Local veterans advocate voting for Cortez Masto. “It’s not easy to trust politicians when they say they’ll fight for you until they prove it. Catherine Cortez Masto has proven over and over again that she cares about Veterans and our wellbeing. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, whether you voted for her in the last election or not, Catherine Cortez Masto is looking out for Veterans.”

WATCH CORTEZ MASTO’S NEW TV AD: “OVERWHELMING”

A WICKED BAD WEEK FOR BOLDUC – REPUBLICAN SLAMMED OVER COMMENTS ON MEDICARE AS DEMOCRATS USE HIS “OWN WORDS AGAINST HIM.” Bolduc continued to fumble this week as he was slammed for supporting the end of Medicare and Social Security, and continued to flop like a fish-out-of-water on election denial.

• NH – Keene Sentinel: In his Senate bid, Democrats are using Bolduc’s own words against him. “‘While I am fighting to lower costs for seniors, my opponent, Don Bolduc, supports dismantling their health care,’ Hassan said in comments released by her campaign.”

• New York Times: Bolduc Indicates He Has Not Entirely Turned His Back on Election Denial. “After winning his G.O.P. Senate primary, Don Bolduc reversed himself on claims the 2020 election was stolen. His comments on a QAnon-aligned podcast were not so straightforward.”

• WMUR: Hassan slams Bolduc over comments on Medicare. “‘I think what’s most important is making sure that the wealthiest earners are paying their fair share,’ Hassan said.”

• WMUR – (WATCH): “At a town hall, he is on video saying that if he gets his way, and again this is a quote, we no longer have Social Security,’ Hassan said. ‘Last month, he told Granite Staters at a town hall that we need to get the government — and this is a quote — ‘out of Medicare’ and called privatizing Medicare ‘hugely important.'”

TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT – HERSCHEL WALKER “MOVES FURTHER RIGHT” AS HE EMBRACES NATIONAL ABORTION BAN, JAN 6 RIOTER. Walker came under fire this week for moving “further right” as he embraces out-of-touch positions like a national abortion ban. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported that Herschel Walker “recently listed a woman who was arrested in March on charges of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021” as one of his campaign’s “county captains.”

• Atlanta Journal Constitution: The Jolt: Herschel Walker moves further right in search of conservative votes. “Not long ago, Herschel Walker’s campaign was full of talk about bipartisanship and unity. His campaign tour is even dubbed the “Unite Georgia” bus tour. But as he faces a lingering gap in support among some conservatives, the Republican Senate hopeful is racing to emphasize more hard-right positions.”

• Atlanta Journal Constitution: Activist charged in Jan. 6 attack is among Herschel Walker’s campaign ‘captains’. “The former football star’s campaign included Mandy Robinson-Hand in an August press release that named dozens of other grassroots supporters. Robinson-Hand, the chairwoman of Taylor County’s GOP, was listed as a campaign “captain” for the rural Middle Georgia county. Robinson-Hand and her husband, Charles Hand III, were arrested about 14 months after supporters of then-President Donald Trump staged the insurrection at the Capitol.“

NORTH CAROLINIANS RALEIGH AGAINST BUDD. The problems continue to pile up for Budd: local outlets are slamming him for standing with Trump’s racist comment at his rally in Wilmington, Jezebel reported that his gun store “advertises insurance for domestic abusers,” and he continues to dodge questions about whether he will accept the 2022 election results.

• Triad City Beat (Editorial): Donald Trump, Ted Budd and the N-word. “This is Budd’s game plan: a race to the bottom. Budd has unapologetically reaffirmed his alliance with the disgraced former president, even as other candidates have backed off amid mounting lawsuits, the Congressional investigation and growing distaste for the man who believes he can declassify documents just by thinking about them.”

• Politics NC: Trump and the N-word. “You certainly won’t see Budd criticizing Trump for baiting his audience. You won’t even see him disavow the people in the audience who shouted out the racial slur because, you know, MAGA will be MAGA. It’s just some harmless fun.”

• Jezebel: Ted Budd, GOP Senate Candidate, Advertises Insurance for Domestic Abusers at His Gun Store. “Some advocates and family members of gun violence victims have called insurance plans like this—which have also been advertised by the NRA—’murder insurance.’”

• WLOS: News 13 Investigates: Beasley, Budd in crucial race for North Carolina US Senate seat. “In a follow-up email, his campaign didn’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to accepting the 2022 results. His camp then asked, “’Why wouldn’t we accept the election results?’”

FETTERMAN KNOWS WOMEN JUST WANT TO HAVE (FUN)DAMENTAL RIGHTS. Pennsylvania women are fired up to back John Fetterman’s campaign as he fights for a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.

• CNN: We fought for this right, dammit’: Pennsylvania women motivated by abortion rights rally behind Fetterman. “Spurred to action by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, these women – especially those who fought for the right to an abortion before Roe was decided in 1973 – wanted it known they are angry, motivated and ready for a fight. They have helped boost Fetterman’s campaign as the Democratic candidate recovers from his stroke, powering his candidacy against Republican Mehmet Oz in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.”

WHAT A YEAR RON JOHNSON’S WEEK HAS BEEN. Some say all press is good press – but for Ron Johnson, a wave of brutal news coverage is highlighting how he “embraces controversy,” “is facing another ethics complaint,” has misled voters about his alleged bipartisanship, and is stuck resorting to “lies and hatred.”

• Associated Press: Wisconsin’s Johnson embraces controversy in reelection bid. “Johnson, a former plastics manufacturer, is a millionaire several times over. Barnes, the state’s lieutenant governor and potentially the state’s first Black senator, has championed his modest upbringing in Milwaukee as the child of a public school teacher and a United Auto Workers member.”

• UpNorthNews: Sen. Ron Johnson Claims to Have Passed Many Bipartisan Bills. But 70% of Them Just Named Post Offices. “A review of another Johnson claim—that he ‘passed approximately 300 bipartisan bills out of committee and shepherded 132 of them into becoming law’—shows he had a major positive impact only if you take into account the fact that more than 70% of those laws involved naming postal facilities around the country.”

• The American Independent: Ethics complaint alleges Ron Johnson used Senate resources for political attacks. “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is facing another ethics complaint after using his official social media accounts to smear his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.”

• Cap Times (Opinion): Lies and hatred are all Ron Johnson has left. “There is no calculator powerful enough to tote up all the lies that Ron Johnson has told during the course of a political career that, from its very beginning, has sought to deceive the voters of Wisconsin into electing and reelecting a self-serving millionaire whose only real purpose in the U.S. Senate has been to enrich himself and his campaign donors.”

CO REPUBLICAN SUPPORTED ABORTION BAN, IS RIPPED FOR SPENDING HYPOCRISY.  A new report from Colorado Newsline reveals that O’Dea has benefited from more than $400 million in government contracts – even as he “crusades against” government spending. It was also revealed by the Colorado Sun that O’Dea supported a Colorado abortion ban, signing a petition to get it on the ballot in Colorado in 2020.

• Colorado Newsline: With a fortune built on government contracts, O’Dea crusades against ‘reckless’ spending. “First-time candidate’s construction firm thrived on hundreds of millions in taxpayer-funded projects.”

• Colorado Sun: Joe O’Dea signed petition to put measure banning abortions in Colorado after 22 weeks on 2020 ballot. “Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea didn’t just vote for a 2020 ballot measure that would have banned abortions in Colorado after 22 weeks of pregnancy. He signed a petition to get Proposition 115 on the ballot that year.”

• Axios: Colorado Senate candidate Joe O’Dea campaigned for tougher abortion ban in 2020. “Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea signed a petition to put a measure on the Colorado ballot in 2020 that would ban all abortions after 22 weeks, including in cases of rape and incest.”

HE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE’S DOING – MARCO RUBIO CAUGHT APPOINTING “HIS PRIVATE-EQUITY PAL” TO “AN INEXPLICABLE APPOINTMENT.” In typical Marco Rubio fashion a bombshell report from Salon revealed that Rubio appointed his “longtime friend” and campaign donor to an adversary committee despite having no qualifications for that position.

• Salon: Li’l Marco’s big loan: The tale of a senator, his private-equity pal and an inexplicable appointment. “Florida senator took out an $850,000 loan from his friend’s company, then appointed him to influential commission”

→ ICYMI: The Root: Democrats Are Betting On Black Voters To Help Hold the Senate. “‘The midterm election will decide the future of our country, and in Senate battleground states Democrats are working to meet this moment with early investments to reach Black voters in the most comprehensive and effective ways,’ said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Gary Peters.”

JUST THIS WEEK, THANKS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS.

→ Senators Warnock, Cortez Masto Fight On Behalf Of Veterans & Tribal Communities. Senate Democrats like Senator Warnock and Cortez Masto are working hard to address working families’ most pressing priorities like lowering costs, supporting our veterans, and boosting the economy.

• Georgia Recorder: Warnock pitches plan to extend veteran benefits to surviving Gold Star spouses who remarry.“U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock introduced a bill this month that would end the policy of cutting off benefits for surviving spouses once they remarry… Warnock said he was moved to file the bill after hearing from surviving spouses, who make their own sacrifices when married to someone in the military.”

• KOLO: Cortez Masto introduces bill to boost economic development in tribal communities. “Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is one of three U.S. Senators who introduced a bill to support economic development in tribal communities.”

IN THE STATES

GA – Atlanta Journal Constitution (Opinion): Campaign notebook: A sermon on the trail from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. “‘I’m here because I support all that he has stood for and all that he stands for, as far as civil rights, as far as humanity,’ she said.”

NH – Seacoast Online: Hassan vs. Bolduc: Why Democrats in NH are focused on abortion. What do voters think?“The Democrats who spoke in Portsmouth last week said Hassan has consistently supported abortion rights, while her GOP challenger, Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general, has consistently opposed those rights and would continue to do so if voters send him to Washington.”

WI – Cap Times: Mandela Barnes launching statewide tour focused on abortion policy. “Mandela Barnes is hitting the road — again. The lieutenant governor and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate on Saturday will kick off a statewide tour in Green Bay aimed at ‘holding Ron Johnson accountable for his record of working to rip away Wisconsinites’ ability to access abortion,’ his campaign told the Cap Times.’”

TWEET OF THE WEEK

David Bergstein
@DavidABergstein

Amanda Sherman
@asherman89

Pat Burgwinkle
@Burgwinkle

Nora Keefe
@norakatekeefe

Freedom Murphy
@F_AlexanderM

Eli Cousin
@elicousin

Claire Berry
@claireliseberry

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