January 14, 2022 Press Releases

DSCC FRIDAY TAKEAWAYS: TRUMP HEADS TO AZ (AND SLAMS DUCEY) – DAVID “FRIEND OF CHINA” MCCORMICK ENTERS PA PRIMARY – SELF-SERVING JOHNSON

DESERT DISASTER: TRUMP HEADS TO AZ AS HE CONTINUES TO ESCALATE GOP SENATE PRIMARIES. As Trump travels to Arizona on Saturday, new reports are highlighting how he’s continuing to escalate the chaos and infighting in GOP Senate primaries – trying to play “kingmaker” and boosting “MAGA candidates. ” This weekend AZ will be “ground zero” for Trump’s mayhem:

Roll Call: ‘Kingmaker’ Trump heads to rural Arizona, where GOP candidates are eager for his backing. “Not on the list to join Trump onstage are Arizona Republicans with whom Trump has clashed, including Gov. Doug Ducey and state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who have publicly and privately pushed back on Trump’s election claims.”

POLITICO: Trump is eyeing the White House and wants a more compliant Senate for when he gets there. “As Donald Trump charts out his midterm elections strategy, his focus has turned to the contest for the Senate, not just in hopes of getting it back under GOP control but of having more compliant lawmakers there should he become president again.”

🚨 BREAKING 🚨
TRUMP SLAMS “WEAK RINO” DUCEY “BEING PUSHED BY OLD CROW MITCH MCCONNELL”

DSCC STATEMENT AHEAD OF TRUMP’S AZ RALLY: “Every time Donald Trump travels to a Senate battleground, he makes the Republicans’ in-fighting even worse. Trump hasn’t been shy about criticizing his Republican enemies in Arizona, and his presence is sure to escalate an already chaotic and divisive GOP Senate primary.”

REPUBLICANS ATTACK MCCORMICK AS “FRIEND OF CHINA” AND OUTSOURCER IN “CROWDED & COMBUSTIBLE” PA SENATE GOP PRIMARY. Connecticut Hedge Fund Executive David McCormick faced a barrage of attacks from Republicans as he entered the nasty GOP Senate primary, and his ties to China and record of outsourcing jobs dominated the first days of his campaign:

Washington Examiner: Dr. Oz super PAC greets David McCormick’s Pennsylvania Senate bid with fresh attacks: “American Leadership Action on Wednesday unveiled a website and posted a new digital advertisement criticizing McCormick’s ties to China… American Leadership Action’s website reads across the top. ‘He’s a friend of China and outsourced Pittsburgh jobs.’”

Philadelphia Inquirer: “A senator for Pennsylvania should not have a sterling record of enriching the Chinese Communist Party,” said Casey Contres, Oz’s campaign manager.

Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo: “You just mentioned China. Look, you’ve been in business and trading across the world for many many years. People would say you’re a globalist. You have done business in terms of outside, not necessarily just America first.”

RETURNING FIRE: MCCORMICK, BARTOS, OZ & SANDS TRADE BLOWS ON AIRWAVES. The attacks are flying, as GOP infighting continues to dominate headlines and Republican candidates expend critical resources bloodying each other:

Fox News: Ad wars heat up in Pennsylvania’s crowded and combustible GOP Senate primary. “Over pictures of former hedge fund executive David McCormick and celebrity physician Dr. Oz, who are also running, the narrator in the ad claims that ‘out-of-state politicians are coming into Pennsylvania to buy a U.S. Senate seat. But conservative businessman Jeff Bartos knows Pennsylvania has never been for sale.’”

Philadelphia Inquirer: Mehmet Oz is spending millions on TV to boost his Senate campaign in Pa. He’s not alone in an ultra-wealthy GOP field. “The blasts of cash — four months before the primary — show the impact of the Republican candidates’ immense personal wealth, and signal an extraordinarily expensive and drawn-out campaign.”

Fox News: PA GOP Senate Battle: David McCormick returns fire, calls on Dr. Oz to ‘renounce’ Turkish citizenship. “After taking a hit from a leading rival as he jumped into a competitive and combustible Republican Senate primary in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, former hedge fund executive David McCormick returned fire.”

NBC: GOP primary ads flood Pennsylvania airwaves. “Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, former hedge fund executive David McCormick and former ambassador Carla Sands have spent a combined $7 million so far on ads… one of the most expensive and competitive Senate contests this year.”

→ Read more about this chaotic primary from the PA Dems HERE and HERE

MUST READ: POLITICO’S DEEP DIVE ON MCCORMICK’S PRIMARY VULNERABILITIES: “McCormick has been quoted bashing populism, celebrating skilled immigration and even warning about the potential drawbacks of an “America First” mindset. A former hedge fund CEO, he’s overseen more than $1 billion in investments in China.”

“WHY LIE?” – CARPETBAGGERS OZ AND MCCORMICK GET A COLD PA WELCOME:

Philadelphia Inquirer: Republican ‘carpetbagger’ candidates for U.S. Senate take heat from primary competitors. “Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate derided as ‘carpetbaggers’ made it easy for their primary competitors in a forum Wednesday evening. They didn’t show up. And the competitors made sure the crowd… heard about it.”

Associated Press: ‘Why lie to me?’ Senate race rivals attack carpetbaggery. “‘They should be honest about it and just flat out say, ‘Look, I haven’t lived in Pennsylvania and I’m not a citizen of Pennsylvania, but I’m coming in because there’s a provision in the Constitution that allows me to do so,’ Bochetto said in an interview. ‘And that’s fine. But why lie to me?’”

WATCH: NEW DSCC VIDEO – “The GOP’s Messy PA Senate Primary”

READ: DSCC STATEMENT – “McCormick’s announcement makes the chaotic, vicious and expensive GOP Senate primary in Pennsylvania even worse. McCormick’s Republican rivals are already calling him out as an outsourcer who sent Pennsylvania jobs to China, a Wall Street CEO who profited at the expense of working families and yet another carpetbagger with no real connection to the commonwealth. With attacks like these already flying, the GOP’s primary is sure to drain Republicans’ resources and demonstrate the deep flaws in every one of their candidates.”

SELF-SERVING & SELF-DEFEATING – VOTERS WILL REJECT RO-JO’S RECORD. After he fully flip-flopped on his pledge not to seek a third term, the DSCC welcomed Johnson into the race with a new ad, “HIMSELF,” highlighting how Johnson is a self-serving politician who pushed for laws that enriched him and helped his wealthy political donors, hurting Wisconsinites in the process.

WATCH “HIMSELF” HERE

READ MORE FROM THE HILL: SENATE DEMOCRATS RELEASE FIRST TV ATTACK AD AGAINST JOHNSON IN WISCONSIN

DON’T LOOK UP: WISDEMS WELCOME JOHNSON WITH BILLBOARDS ACROSS STATE. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin also placed billboards across Wisconsin slamming self-serving Senator Ron Johnson for failing to pay his fair share in taxes – and local Wisconsin TV stations were quick to take note.

Read more about how the DSCC & WisDems’ attacks against Johnson dominated news coverage HERE

💸 TAKE IT TO THE BANK – “SENATE DEMOCRATS SEE MASSIVE FUNDRAISING HAULS” 💸

The Hill reported that our battleground incumbents “raked in massive fundraising hauls” last quarter, giving Democrats a “financial advantage” heading into the on-year.

→ IN NEVADA – Nevada Independent: Cortez Masto banks $3.3 million for Senate bid in last quarter of 2021. “Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) continued to pad her re-election campaign war chest through the end of 2021, raking in more than $3.3 million in the final months of the year and boosting her cash on hand to $10.4 million — a record number for any U.S. Senate candidate in Nevada entering an election year.”

“B-TIER” CANDIDATES JUMPING INTO NH GOP PRIMARY, EXPECT LOTS OF “BLOODLETTING.” After failing to get their top recruit, “B-Tier” candidates like Kevin Smith and Chuck Morse are jumping into this Senate GOP primary this week. Catch up quick on their underwhelming launches with a summary from the New Hampshire Democratic Party here.

FAR FROM PEACHY: HERSCHEL WALKER IN HOT WATER FOR SELLING “SNAKE OIL.” New reports this week revealed Herschel Walker pushed a “snake oil body spray for COVID.” See some of the many headlines here:

Read more from the Georgia Democrats HERE

ICYMI: “MITCH MCCONNELL IS A LOSER” – Former President Trump, 1/12/22

JUST THIS WEEK, THANKS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS:

→ NO LONGER A PUNCHLINE: Infrastructure week never ends. Democrats are taking action on voters’ most pressing priorities: growing good paying American jobs and improving our supply chains by rebuilding our bridges and infrastructure. While Republican Senate candidates oppose the overwhelmingly popular Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Democrats are turning ‘infrastructure week’ from a Washington punchline into real results. Read more here.

IN THE STATES:

FL – News Press (Opinion): Climate change Is threatening Lee County; the new infrastructure bill will help. “We can’t count on Marco Rubio to do what’s best for Lee County if he’s going to continue to put his political agenda ahead of tackling the high costs of climate change.”

NC – AP: NC governor backs Beasley as Senate primary field clears.“Gov. Roy Cooper gave former North Carolina Chief Justice Cheri Beasley his full-throated endorsement for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, attempting to secure a smoother path for her to become the Democrats’ nominee.”

OH – Cincinnati Enquirer (Opinion): Hard to say what ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ author J.D. Vance believes in. “We Ohioans must demand integrity in our elected senators and representatives. Before considering their political views or policy suggestions, we must demand candidates show us their good character, trustworthiness and capacity for moral leadership. It is hard to know what J.D. Vance truly believes in, and so it is hard to trust him as a candidate.”

OH – The Daily Beast: Take a Trip Back in Time and Meet Woke J.D. Vance. “Like Vance’s flip-flop on his past criticism of Donald Trump—the Silicon Valley veteran had a very different take on white privilege not so long ago.”

TWEET OF THE WEEK: