DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: OZ ENGULFED IN SCANDAL – DSCC LAUNCHES NEW ADS SLAMMING GOP ANTI-CHOICE AGENDA – WALKER’S LIES CONTINUE TO PILE UP

MORE UNPOPULAR THAN TRUSS –  GOP SENATE CANDIDATES SLAMMED FOR THEIR TOXIC, OUT-OF-TOUCH AGENDA. Republicans are telling voters exactly what they would do if they control the Senate: pass a national abortion ban with no exceptions, and give handouts to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations while cutting Social Security and Medicare to pay for it. Their toxic agenda will be rejected by voters in November.

• Washington Post: GOP wants to push to extend Trump tax cuts after midterm elections. “Republicans plan to push to extend key parts of President Donald Trump’s tax cuts if they take control of Congress in this fall’s elections, aiming to force President Biden to codify trillions of dollars worth of lower taxes touted by his predecessor.”
  

• Axios: Senate debates zero in on abortion. “Polls show that since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Americans are more motivated to vote for candidates that support abortion access.”

NEW DSCC ADS IN NEVADA AND PENNSYLVANIA SLAM LAXALT AND OZ FOR ANTI-CHOICE AGENDA. The DSCC released two new ads in the Nevada and Pennsylvania Senate races highlighting how Adam Laxalt and Mehmet Oz oppose a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.

WATCH: “Girls”

WATCH: “Dr. Gordon”

• Washington Post: Take a look: In new ads, Democratic Senate committee targets Oz, Laxalt on abortion. “Two new ads from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aimed at Pennsylvania and Nevada women warn them against the future of abortion access if Republican Senate candidates Mehmet Oz and Adam Laxalt win in their states.”

• NBC News: Democrats launch new abortion ad against Oz. “Democrats are launching a new TV ad targeting Pennsylvania Republican Mehmet Oz, focusing on abortion. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s latest ad targeting the celebrity doctor features a Pennsylvania physician discussing his experience in the time before the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe vs. Wade decision guaranteeing the right to an abortion. The Supreme Court overturned that decision earlier this year.”

• The Hill: Senate Democrats target Laxalt over abortion in new ad. “The 30-second ad, called ‘Girls’ and released by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Thursday, suggests that Laxalt would strip away abortion rights in the state if he were elected to the Senate and highlights previous comments he’s made on the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade. The ad was first shared with The Hill.”

NEW REVELATIONS ENGULF OZ IN SCANDAL, FURTHER REVEALING HE IS A FRAUD. This series of damning new revelations confirms what Pennsylvania voters have long suspected about Mehmet Oz: he’s a fraud and a scam artist who will do, say, and sell anything to help himself – no matter who gets hurt. See the reports for yourself:

• Associated Press: Dr. Oz made reputation as a surgeon, a fortune as a salesman. “Several of the companies he has promoted… are structured as multilevel marketing businesses whose practices have repeatedly drawn the attention of federal regulators.”

• ABC News: Sellers of Dr. Oz’s new home in Pennsylvania say they ‘insisted on’ adding an unusual wrinkle. “It suggests to me that he’s only here for a temporary period of time.”

• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Mehmet Oz’s unusual home in the Philly suburbs is back in the news. Here’s what to know. “Oz barely goes a day on the campaign trail without someone questioning his ties to Pennsylvania. And now his home in suburban Philadelphia — the Republican Senate candidate’s biggest defense against questions about his residency — is making national news.”

• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Mehmet Oz said he wouldn’t take corporate PAC money. Then he did. “Oz said he wouldn’t take corporate PAC money. Then he did.”

• The American Independent: Mehmet Oz claims to be tough on crime while opposing steps to actually address it. “The Pennsylvania Republican Senate nominee opposed gun safety legislation and federal funding that helped local law enforcement.”

• ABC News (WATCH): “A local recovery counselor tells ABC’s [Mary Bruce] he will not support Mehmet Oz after participating in a panel focused on combating illegal drugs.”
  
  

WHITE CASTLE ACTOR SLIDES IN – COMEDIAN KAL PENN REMINDS PENNSYLVANIANS TO COVER UP AND NOT VOTE NAKED! Kal Penn released a new video reminding Pennsylvanians who are voting by mail to use their secrecy envelope so that their ballot is not deemed “naked” and disqualified. The video is part of Democrats’ “Don’t Be Caught Naked” voter education campaign about the steps to vote by mail, which has included a six-figure ad campaign, events in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and earlier this month a plane flying a banner over West Philadelphia reading “COVER UP, PA! NO NAKED BALLOTS! VISIT IWILLVOTE.COM/PA.”

Watch the Kal Penn video here:

NEVADA’S WORST NIGHTMARE – LAXALT HYPOCRITICALLY STOKES FEAR ABOUT DREAMERS, PEDDLES BIG LIE. New reporting from Axios highlights how Adam Laxalt is stoking fear about Dreamer protections on the campaign trail that would have protected his own grandmother, while The Nevada Current chronicled Laxalt’s history of pushing the Big Lie.

• Axios: GOP candidate and immigration hardliner had a grandmother who faced deportation. “Nevada’s Republican senatorial nominee, Adam Laxalt, has taken a hard-line stance against DREAMers and illegal immigration — despite his late father, Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, once saying Laxalt’s grandmother was undocumented.”

• Nevada Current: Adam Laxalt, Trumpism and the Big Lie: An (updated) chronology. “Especially since winning the Republican primary, Laxalt has tried to distance himself from the issue of election denialism, … He has never rebuked Trump’s election lies, and he gladly shared a rally stage with him in Minden, Nev. earlier this month.”

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP…WALKER’S LIES & DISTURBING CONDUCT CONTINUE TO COME TO LIGHT. The New York Times raised new questions about inconsistencies in how Walker has talked about his violent behavior and disturbing conduct. Walker is also under fire for lying about his support for a national abortion ban with no exceptions, and for his prop badges that “have no authority.”

• The New York Times: Walker Says His Mental Illness Is Healed. Experts Say It’s Not So Simple. “Mr. Walker’s retelling does not account for other complicating details. Experts say the disorder does not cause violent behavior. Some of the episodes…took place after Mr. Walker claimed to have his disorder under control.”

• CNN: Walker as recently as August indicated he opposed exceptions to abortion, contrary to debate claim. “Georgia Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker said as recently as August that he opposes any exceptions to a ban on abortion, despite stating the opposite during his first and only debate against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock last week.”

• WABE: Herschel Walker’s badges have no authority, official says. “In Georgia, any sheriff, police chief or head of a law enforcement agency can give out honorary badges, according to Terry Norris, executive director of the association. ‘It has no specific law enforcement authority,’ he said, and it’s ‘typically given to someone who supports law enforcement.’”

A ROOKIE, NOT A VET – MASTERS UNDER FIRE FOR DISPARAGING MILITARY & VETERANS, HAS EXTREMIST ON HIS PAYROLL. Fox News published an op-ed penned by Congressman and U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran Ruben Gallego condemning Blake Masters’ scathing attacks on American military service members. Jewish Insider also reported that the Master’s campaign hired a “far-right Christian nationalist” for consulting work who enjoys taking pictures with “Nazi-sympathizers.”

• Fox News: Blake Masters’ criticism of the military is way off base. “So when I see Blake Masters, a man who has never served and made his career at a hedge fund, disparage our military and disrespect those who have put on the uniform to defend this great nation, it pisses me off.”

• Jewish Insider: Blake Masters’ campaign has had a far-right Christian nationalist on its payroll for months. “Left unmentioned, however, was that CJ, whose full name is CJ Trapeur, is actually on the campaign’s payroll. The newsletter also failed to note that Trapeur is, perhaps more notably, a well-connected far-right activist in Arizona who serves as chief operating officer of an extreme Christian nationalist group, called American Virtue, that has courted controversy in recent months.”

BETTER CALL SAUL – RON JOHNSON HIRES LAW FIRM CONNECTED TO JANUARY 6TH FAKE ELECTOR PLOT. New reporting this week shows that Ron Johnson’s campaign is currently retaining an attorney connected to the January 6th fake elector plot.

• NBC News: Johnson’s campaign is paying the law firm of a Trump attorney allegedly connected to Jan. 6 fake elector plot. ”Sen. Ron Johnson recently made two payments to a law firm led by a Wisconsin attorney embroiled in the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 probe, tapping the firm in part to assist in a possible recount, according to financial disclosures filed Friday.”

• Wisconsin State Journal: Ron Johnson campaign paid $20,000 to law firm of attorney tied to Donald Trump’s effort to overturn 2020 election. “U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s campaign paid over $20,000 in consulting fees to a law office led by an attorney who represented former President Donald Trump in his effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin.”

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson campaign hires Troupis law firm that represented Donald Trump in attempt to throw out 2020 ballots in Wisconsin. “Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s campaign has retained the Cross Plains-based law firm that represented former President Donald Trump in the failed effort to throw out hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots in Wisconsin and reverse the results of the 2020 election.”

BUDD CALLED OUT FOR PLAYING ON “RACIAL FEARS,” AND “DOES NOT DESERVE” TO REPRESENT NORTH CAROLINIANS.  Politics NC ripped Congressman Budd and his campaign apart for “proudly lying” about Cheri Beasley’s record in his latest ad. The Charlotte Post released an op-ed penned by North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Dr. Bobbie Richardson in response to Congressman Ted Budd’s campaign event with Senator Lindsey Graham, champion of the Senate’s national abortion ban.

• Politics NC: I’m Ted Budd & I Approve This Lie. “There’s nothing independent about Ted Budd. He’s just another mediocre politician, stoking division and doing what he’s told. What a coward.”

• The Charlotte Post (Opinion): Believe US Senate candidate Ted Budd on federal abortion rights rollback. “Someone with such a distrust of women to have autonomy over their own bodies and future cannot be trusted in the U.S. Senate. Congressman Budd does not deserve to represent the women of North Carolina.”

ROCKY IN THE GRANITE STATE FOR BOLDUC – DOUBLES DOWN ON UPENDING SOCIAL SECURITY, CAN’T GET ELECTION LIES STRAIGHT.  The Union Leader reported that Don Bolduc has once again doubled down on his call to end Social Security, and WMUR highlighted how Bolduc continues to stumble over his answers on the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

• Union Leader: Congressional Dems think Social Security will sway voters. “‘Over time, we no longer have Social Security,’ Bolduc said, a statement he made not during this election but while running for the Senate in 2020. Last August at a town hall meeting Bolduc did say ‘Privatization is hugely important.’”

• WMUR: On false claims of 2020 election being stolen, Bolduc’s answers have changed. “Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc has had an evolving position over the course of his campaign on the false idea that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. Over the past 18 months, Bolduc’s answers have changed significantly on the topic.”

YOUR LATEST FLORIDA MAN HEADLINES – LOCAL FLORIDA PAPERS SLAM RUBIO AS “LAZY,” BACK DEMINGS. Marco Rubio had a rough week as several of his home states paper’s slammed his “lazy” campaign and endorsed Chief Val Demings – calling her “fearless and hard-working” and someone who would provide an “unwavering voice in the Senate.”

• Miami Herald (Opinion): Val Demings is just what lazy, anti-abortion Marco Rubio deserves: a fearless challenger. “He’s running a lazy campaign. She’s fearless and hard-working. And — if Florida women angry at the erosion of abortion rights Roe v. Wade gave us vote like their lives depend on this midterm election — he’ll be sweating every last vote.”

• Palm Beach Post (Editorial): Demings wins Palm Beach Post endorsement for U.S. Senate. “Demings, a congressperson and former police chief, would provide an unwavering voice in the Senate for social equity; for strengthened border enforcement paired with effective sorting of illegal immigrants from asylum-worthy; for sensible gun safety laws; for abortion rights to the point of fetus viability; for reduced pharmaceutical prices; and for real voting rights like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act would provide, not for posturing about vote policing and ID-checking for fraud that doesn’t exist.”

• Tampa Bay Times (Editorial): Val Demings for U.S. Senate: A Times Editorial Board recommendation. “In representing America’s third largest state, Florida’s two U.S. senators are tasked with speaking for a large, diverse constituency. But the incumbent, Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, cannot find that voice. It’s unlikely he ever will. And after his decade in office, it’s beyond time that a senator from Florida stood for all Floridians. Democrat Val Demings can be that senator.”

SOMEONE GET O’DEA A TINFOIL HAT – GOP CANDIDATE SAYS GOOGLE IS CENSORING HIM, OFFERS NO PROOF. Joe O’Dea is claiming that Google is censoring his campaign messages and pulling his ads. However, O’Dea’s campaign has “declined to provide any evidence to support his assertion.”

• 9 News Denver: O’Dea claims Google censorship, refuses to provide evidence. “O’Dea’s claim that Google, one of the world’s most powerful tech companies, was censoring him echoes a frequent conservative talking point about bias from Big Tech.”

JUST THIS WEEK, THANKS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS.

→ Fighting To Lower Costs Like Prescription Drugs. Senate Democrats like Senator Hassan have fought to address working families’ most pressing priorities, like lowering prescription drug costs and taking on the big corporations who get rich by keeping prices high. In Hassan’s new ad she underlines her work to take on Big Pharma and emphasizes her belief that every Granite Stater should be able to afford life-saving medications.

WATCH: “Hard To Beat”

IN THE STATES

NC – WCNC: US Senate candidate Cheri Beasley on abortion: No room for Budd in that decision. “’The question is: Who makes the decision? Is it a woman and her physician or is it politicians up in Washington?’ Beasley asked rhetorically. ‘Congressman [Ted] Budd has to understand that, in an exam room with a woman and her doctor, there is no place for him for that decision to be made.’”

OH – Chronicle-Telegram (Editorial): Elect Ryan to the U.S. Senate. “He’s also long been a champion of workers and bringing business to Ohio. Ryan voted in favor of the CHIPS Act and has pushed to build a drydock for repairing Navy submarines in Lorain. Ryan is far and away the better candidate, and voters should send him to the Senate.”

PA – WHYY: ‘Very serious stakes’: Why Pa.’s doctors are rallying against Oz’s Senate bid. “Dr. Mehmet Oz has built a career out of leveraging his credentials as a physician. ‘As he pushes forward in his bid for U.S. Senate, others in his profession are pushing back. Collectively known as the Real Doctors Against Oz, a growing number of physicians across Pennsylvania are speaking out against Oz’s political ambitions.”

WI – UpNorthNews: ‘He Knows What It’s Like’: How a Wisconsin Mom Turned Grief Into Action to Get Democrat Mandela Barnes to the Senate. “‘I think [Mandela Barnes] is something really different that we haven’t seen in a really long time, and he gives a lot of people hope,’ Duffy said. ‘He has a really special energy, empathy, and enthusiasm that has really woken people up and driven them to get involved.’”

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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