February 16, 2024 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: SENATE DEMS “GO ON OFFENSE ON BORDER SECURITY,” THE GOP’S ROSTER OF CARPETBAGGERS, MT DEMS PRESENT THE “RHINESTONE COWBOY”

🥊 HIT ‘EM WHERE IT HURTS → Senate Democrats are “go[ing] on offense on border security.” This week the DSCC released a new ad “slamming” Senate Republicans for their opposition to securing the border, cracking down on fentanyl trafficking, and keeping Americans safe. DSCC Chair Sen. Gary Peters said it best: “this will hurt them on election night.” Watch the ad here and read more coverage below:

MSNBC: “I want to show the ad [the DSCC] just put out…Senate Republicans won’t keep us safe is the bottom line message there.”
Associated Press: “Putting the strategy into motion, the campaign arm for Senate Democrats is launching a blitz of ads attacking Republicans for voting against the border enforcement bill.”
Axios: “The [DSCC] launched a new ad Wednesday morning slamming Republicans for ditching ‘the toughest border bill in a generation.’”
Punchbowl News: “The ad, which will target voters in Florida and Texas on Meta platforms, features clips of newscasters bashing Republicans for sinking the compromise package. Of course, Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are the top GOP targets for the DSCC this cycle. Both opposed the border deal.”

The Wall Street Journal: “The [DSCC] launched a new digital-video ad on Wednesday hitting Republicans voting against the border measure. ‘Senate Republicans won’t secure the border,’ the text in the ad says. ‘They won’t keep us safe.’”
The New York Times: “The [DSCC] began a[n] …online advertising campaign in Texas and Florida, where two Republican incumbents are up for re-election, saying that Republicans are the ones who ‘won’t secure the border’ and won’t ‘crack down on fentanyl trafficking.’”

🌹🎒ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, WE’LL SEND THE GOP’S ROSTER OF CARPETBAGGERS PACKING, JUST LIKE WE DID IN ‘22 → New reporting from NBC News details that Republican Senate candidates are facing scrutiny for their lack of connection to the states they’re running in:

“Democrats have aggressively seized Republican front-runner Dave McCormick’s travels back-and-forth from his mansion in Connecticut”
“Pushed an unflattering narrative about former Rep. Mike Rogers, who returned home to run for Senate after relocating to Florida”

“Scrutinized [Tim Sheehy’s] ranching bona fides”

“Highlight[ed] the bank [Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde] runs in California, where he has been named as one of Orange County’s most influential people.”

HER? → The NRSC endorsed Kari Lake this week citing her efforts to “unite Republicans,” which left everyone wondering: “Has anyone in Arizona actually seen this Lake?” According to Arizona Republicans, “it’s like she successfully described to the NRSC what she needs to do… but she sure hasn’t actually done it yet.”

🔥🤥 LIAR, LIAR, DOCUMENTS ON FIRE → Bernie Moreno has been facing scrutiny after reports that he was sanctioned for destroying evidence in his wage theft lawsuit, and he can’t stop lying about it. First, Moreno tried blaming “liberal,” “activist,” and “lunatic” judges for being forced to pay his employees, even though a “Republican-appointed jurist” oversaw his case. Then, Moreno “dismissed the outcome” of the lawsuit by claiming “the court overturned federal law, and it retroactively required something new and unexpected of employers,” which a new WKYC Verify report found was “false” — Moreno was “required to pay for overtime worked” beginning in 2015.

🔃🚪DON’T LET THE (REVOLVING) DOOR HIT YOU ON YOUR WAY OUT → A new report from Business Insider revealed that Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers “made good on his quest to get rich” by spending “9 years through the revolving door,” where he “multiplied his wealth since he left Congress in 2015” by “advising companies on issues he dealt with in Congress.” The report highlights that Rogers is a “stark example of how the so-called ‘revolving door’ …can fuel the explosion of immense wealth after years in public service.”

CALIFORNIA HOVDE ALREADY FACING HURDLES →

A new report from Heartland Signal details the extravagance and wealth of California bank owner and impending US Senate candidate Eric Hovde’s “$7 million estate in the ultra-wealthy…gated California community with private yacht parking.”
New reporting from Up North News today details that Eric Hovde will “have to defend past comments on Social Security and Medicare” as a politician “eager to limit or kill the nation’s landmark social insurance program.”

🤼💥THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING → Jabs have been flying between potential GOP Senate candidates in Wisconsin this week: DC Republicans made it clear that Eric Hovde is their choice, suggesting to Scott Mayer that he sit it out. Unfortunately for Hovde and his backers, Scott Mayer doesn’t seem to be taking their advice. This week Mayer continued to tease a run talking about building a campaign team with notable MAGA consultants, and hit NRSC-backed Eric Hovde for “liv[ing] in California.”

⚠️ RICK’S AT RISK → A new report from the Palm Beach Post details that “[Rick] Scott entered 2024 in a vulnerable position,” and his “record of narrow election wins” is one of many reasons Debbie Mucarsel-Powell “believes she can win his seat.”

🚨IN CASE YOU MISSED IT → During his first live interview since announcing his candidacy, Maryland Republican Senate candidate Larry Hogan called abortion an “emotional issue for women” and revealed he opposes Maryland’s 2024 ballot measure protecting abortion access for women saying it “wasn’t really necessary.” His comments “drew fierce backlash from Democrats” in Maryland and beyond.

📺 ADD ‘EM TO THE QUEUE →

👑🤠 RHINESTONE COWBOY: The Montana Dems unveiled a new ad highlighting Sheehy’s ✨glitterati✨ lifestyle: from buying up luxury properties in Flathead Lake and Big Sky Resort to using an out of state “influencer” to celebrate his “HashtagRanchLife,” it’s clear that “wannabe cowboy” Tim Sheehy is living out his Yellowstone dream. Watch here:

☎️ 🇺🇸 CRUZIN’ FOR A BRUISIN’: The Colin Allred campaign is releasing a new TV ad called “Freedom,” where Allred calls Ted Cruz — who opposes abortion without exceptions for rape or incest — for supporting “[Texas’] extreme abortion ban [that] lets politicians like Ted Cruz decide what care women get — not their doctors.” Watch here:

🚜 🧑🏼‍🌾 SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: Montanans for Tester released a new TV ad, “Generations,” featuring rancher Leo McDonnell – part of a six-generation Montana family – supporting Jon for his unwavering fight to defend Montana’s way of life. Watch here: