March 29, 2024 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: GOP CANDIDATES “ON DEFENSE” OVER MIFEPRISTONE, LAKE DUCKS DISCOVERY & GOP’S “CANDIDATE QUALITY” PROBLEMS CONTINUE

📰MUST READ FROM WAPO → “With such a divergence in candidate quality, the contest for control of the Senate is taking on some 2022 vibes.”

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin’s new piece highlights that there is once again a stark “divergence in candidate quality” in this cycle’s Senate races:

Republicans… should take a hard look at their candidates.

In Arizona, Republicans are bent on nominating MAGA maniac Kari Lake, who lost her gubernatorial bid in 2022. For their Ohio nominee, Republicans went with Bernie Moreno. Republicans cleared the field in Pennsylvania for David McCormick, whose residency in Pennsylvania is in doubt”

By contrast, Democrats are running some of their savviest incumbents, each with a knack for ticket-splitting.

With such a divergence in candidate quality, the contest for control of the Senate is taking on some 2022 vibes.

Democrats have another major advantage: abortion.

The money race so far favors Democrats, who are simply outraising their opponents.

🚨 GOP SENATE CANDIDATES “ON DEFENSE OVER ACCESS TO MIFEPRISTONE” → New reporting from The Washington Post details how the “the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and state parties mobilized” to “put Republican candidates on defense over access to mifepristone as the Supreme Court considers restricting the abortion medication.”

From “Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake sa[ying] after the overturning of Roe that she would ‘very much support banning’ abortion pills,” to “GOP Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.) and Ted Cruz (Tex.)… signing an amicus brief in February that urged limited access to mifepristone,” the DSCC says the brief was “another reminder of the threat a GOP controlled Senate would pose to abortion access in every part of the country.”
See more about this mapwide accountability here.

⚠️ TIM’S TERRIBLE TAKE → New reporting from Axios revealed that Tim Sheehy has “repeatedly” called “to ax… the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency tasked with border security.”

🔎 BERNIE BUSTED… AGAIN → “Bernie Moreno’s family history is under scrutiny” after a new report from The Guardian revealed that Moreno’s “dubious claims” that he came to the United States from Colombia to “escape” socialism “do not withstand historical scrutiny.”

🤺 MESSY IN MICHIGAN → This week, 25 RNC delegates in the Michigan Republican Party signed a resolution urging Trump to rescind his endorsement of Rogers and bashing Rogers, saying “the Republican Party has no place for elected leaders who serve special interests.”

🏝️🙄 CANCUN CRUZ STRIKES AGAIN → After getting “busted” by Texans for jetting off to Cancun amid a deadly freeze, “Ted Cruz wants taxpayers to fund airport escorts for top officials like him.”

🚨🚨 “ROE OVER RICK” → Punchbowl News detailed that “Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s (D-Fla.) campaign is unveiling a website that hits Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.)” on abortion. “‘Rick Scott has made a career of pushing abortion bans and rolling back Floridians’ freedoms,’ the website — titled Roe Over Rick — argues.” Check it out here.

🎯 CAUGHT IN THE ACT → New reporting from The Nevada Independent revealed that Sam Brown’s 2024 campaign website directs users to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers — organizations that “often oppose abortion across the board, do not refer women for the procedure and sometimes promote debunked theories that the procedure can contribute to future infertility or breast cancer.”

📰“I HAVEN’T HEARD ANYONE SAY, ‘KARI LAKE IS GOING TO WIN.’” → “Key Arizona Republicans tell NBC News that they believe [Kari] Lake’s campaign is facing an increasingly uphill battle.” The story notes that “Lake finds it hard to shed her MAGA instincts” as she continues to deny the 2020 and 2022 election results, “promotes right-wing provocateurs… and hosts fundraising events with controversial political figures.” Yet Lake has continually “rejected the premise that she needed to change,” and “beyond the ever-fraying personal relationships, Lake is also facing a cash imbalance.”

🏛️ KARI LAKE DUCKS DISCOVERY → Kari Lake “has forfeited her right to defend herself against [Maricopa County Recorder] Stephen Richer’s defamation lawsuit, no doubt terrified of what would come out during discovery.” Lake’s “surprise court filing” is raising questions amongst Arizonans about why she “seeks to avoid the legal discovery process, which would have required Lake to produce emails, text messages and other evidence.” See for yourself:

Arizona Republic: “Kari Lake has forfeited her right to defend herself against Stephen Richer’s defamation lawsuit, no doubt terrified of what would come out during discovery.”
The Guardian: “Lake’s filing came right before the case entered the discovery phase… In other defamation cases, information obtained in discovery has led to humiliating public disclosures.”
Tucson Sentinel: “In admitting that she acted with actual malice, Lake also opens herself up to having to pay punitive damages… That could involve subjecting Lake to depositions to answer questions about her decisions to make the comments.”

🎤 DID HE JUST SAY WHAT I THINK HE SAID?? → Reporting from The Daily Beast revealed a resurfaced video of Eric Hovde “shows the multimillionaire telling a local channel that obesity is a ‘personal choice’ and insisting, ‘you become obese, your health care is going to cost more.’” The report notes that Hovde “has long opposed the Affordable Care Act,” but the “newly resurfaced video shows that Hovde proposed enacting an especially cruel health-care measure: charging higher premiums for people living with obesity and reducing the amount of care they receive.”

🏆 BIG VICTORY IN BIG SKY COUNTRY → In a victory for Montana voters, the Montana Supreme Court struck down four voter suppression laws. The decision upholds a lower court ruling, protecting Election Day registration and ensuring young voters, Native American voters, and voters with disabilities don’t face unconstitutional restrictions.

🗣️ DSCC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHRISTIE ROBERTS SAYS: “Today’s decision reaffirms Montanans’ constitutional right to participate in our democracy. The DSCC and our partners will continue fighting back against Republicans’ voter suppression tactics and working tirelessly to protect Americans’ voting rights.”
🗣️ MONTANA DEMS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SHEILA HOGAN SAYS: “While Republican politicians continue to attack voting rights and our protected freedoms, their voter suppression efforts failed and were struck down as unconstitutional. We’re going to keep working to make sure every eligible Montana voter can make their voices heard at the ballot box this November.”

📺 ADD ‘EM TO THE QUEUE →

IN PENNSYLVANIA: Senator Bob Casey launched his first two TV ads of the cycle. The first — titled “Stench” — features U.S. Army veteran Chad Baer, who says “Bob Casey worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass the burn pits bill into law. Now, we get the benefits we’ve earned.” The second — titled “Fleeced” — highlights his fight against greedflation, and how he’s holding big corporations accountable for raising prices on working families while they rake in record profits.

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IN WISCONSIN: The Tammy Baldwin for Senate campaign announced its second TV ad, “Fought Like Hell.” The ad features Teamster truck drivers and their families praising Tammy Baldwin for her work fighting to restore pensions for 22,000 Wisconsin workers and retirees.

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📰 IN THE STATES

MT – KYFR: Montana, North Dakota senators vote to stop beef imports from Paraguay. “‘Senator Rounds comes from South Dakota and I’m from Montana. These are both states where we raise a lot of beef. If you come from a state like that, you understand how catastrophic lifting the ban on Paraguayan beef is,’ said Tester.”

NV – 2 News Nevada: Jacky Rosen Holds Roundtable to Discuss Fentanyl Issues. “Ending fentanyl is not just the mission of Nevada’s local and state leaders. It is now the name of a new federal law brought by Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen.”

OH – Ideastream Public Media: Sen. Sherrod Brown visits Cleveland steel mill, campaigns to stop merger with Japanese company. “Brown said he wants President Joe Biden to block the deal he said could potentially affect hundreds of local jobs.”

PA – The Keystone Newsroom: Sen. Casey introduces legislation to address rural healthcare crisis. “US Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this week to address the growing crisis healthcare providers are facing in rural Pennsylvania.”

WI – WSAW: Sen. Baldwin stops at Merrill shoe company as part of statewide tour. “Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) kicked off her statewide Tammy’s Dairyland Tour… Baldwin is visiting local businesses, meeting with local officials, and hosting roundtables to discuss Made in America legislation, farmer’s mental health, and suicide prevention.

🤳 TWEET OF THE WEEK: