TRUMP’S RACIST COMMENTS SEND GOP SCRAMBLING. Donald Trump’s shameful, racist comments about a federal judge shattered any sense of party unity Republicans had and sent vulnerable GOP Senators running through the halls (literally) to avoid answering for their party’s standard bearer. But what most didn’t run away from? Their support for their party’s standard bearer.
CNN: Trump on thin ice with endangered Hill Republicans
Politico: Trump ‘racism’ frenzy engulfs Hill Republicans
Huffington Post: Republicans Are Twisting Themselves Into Pretzels To Defend Donald Trump
Politico: Trump hurts GOP’s Senate defense
MSNBC: Senators blast Trump’s racism, but hold a High Court seat for him
Washington Post: Donald Trump’s attacks on judge once again put GOP lawmakers in a bind
The Atlantic: Trump’s Endorsers Can’t Disown His Comments
The Hill: GOP senators targeted over Trump judge remarks
Morning Consult: Republicans Wrestle With Trump’s ‘Racism’
The Hill: McConnell avoids comment on Trump’s judge attacks
HASSAN FILES FOR SENATE, LAUNCHES NEW ECONOMIC PLAN. This week, Maggie Hassan officially filed for Senate, speaking about how she will be a strong voice for Granite Staters. She also launched a new economic plan called “Innovate NH 2.0” that is aimed at “fostering innovation, supporting job-creating businesses and expanding opportunity for hard-working families.”
MEANWHILE KELLY AYOTTE…was slammed by the Concord Monitor and Boston Herald for her desperate attempts to distance herself from Donald Trump. Read the Concord Monitor editorial “Ayotte can’t dodge Trump forever” and the Boston Herald column “Donald Trump contortions twist Kelly Ayotte’s re-election bid.”
TWO RACES MOVE IN DEM DIRECTION. This week, Rothenberg & Gonzales moved two Senate races in favor of Democrats, indicating what a strong position Democrats are in to win in November. They moved New Hampshire from “Tilts Republican” to “Tossup,” noting Maggie Hassan’s strong approval ratings and high favorability, and how Kelly Ayotte will be dragged down by Donald Trump at the top of the ticket. Wisconsin was moved from “Tossup” to “Tilts Democratic.” In their decision, Rothenberg & Gonzales note Feingold’s strong fundraising and consistent lead in public polling.
9/10 Seats Most Likely to Flip Held by GOP. The Hill released its rankings of the top ten Senate races most likely to flip in 2016, and it was bad news for Senate Republicans. Nine out of the 10 seats on the list are currently Republican held. See the rankings here.
STRICKLAND CAMPAIGNS IN APPALACHIA. The Strickland campaign launched a two day “Working Families First” tour of Appalachia this week. Strickland met with voters to speak about his connection to Appalachia and how he will continue his record of fighting for these communities when he’s in the Senate. Along with the tour, the campaign launched a new website and two new web ads focused on Appalachia. The website, robsnotfromhere.com, contrasts Portman’s record of putting Washington interests ahead of Ohio with Strickland’s history of working for Appalachia. Watch the two digital ads “Lived It” and “Where Ted Came From” that focus on Ted’s Appalachia roots.
DEMS GUARANTEED TO KEEP CALIFORNIA SENATE SEAT. In California on Tuesday, both Democratic Attorney General Kamala Harris and Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez advanced to the California Senate general election, denying a Republican a spot on the ballot. The DSCC released the following statement on the results: “The DSCC congratulates both Attorney General Kamala Harris and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez on advancing to the general election. Tonight’s results are the latest in a long string of recruitment failures this cycle for national Republicans, ensuring that Democrats will hold this seat in November. We are thrilled that one of these outstanding candidates will continue Senator Boxer’s proud legacy of fighting for California in the Senate.”
MUST READ OF THE WEEK: CORTEZ MASTO’S “I AM JUDGE GONZALO CURIEL”: This week, Catherine Cortez Masto published a post on Medium titled “I am Judge Gonzalo Curiel.” In it, she speaks to the similarities between her life and that of Judge Curiel, celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of Mexican immigrants, and calls out Congressman Heck for his inexcusable support of Donald Trump and his party in Washington over the people of Nevada. Read it here.
IN THE STATES
FLORIDA – A PPP poll in Florida this week revealed a hard truth for Republicans publicly begging Marco Rubio to run for re-election – Floridians just don’t like Rubio. His approvals are a whopping 22 points underwater. Even if Rubio were to run, he trails Democrat Patrick Murphy 44-43, even though Murphy’s name ID is much lower than Rubio’s. Among voters who are familiar with both Murphy and Rubio, Murphy has a 22-point advantage.
ILLINOIS – Following Mark Kirk’s decision to un-endorse Donald Trump, the Duckworth campaign released a video highlighting all of the racist, sexist, and discriminatory remarks Donald Trump made while Kirk supported his party’s standard bearer. Watch “#StillTooRacist” here.
ARIZONA – The Kirkpatrick campaign released a new ad in Arizona that features footage from a John McCain campaign ad in 2010 his campaign doesn’t want Arizonans to see. In the ad, McCain, who has maintained his support for Donald Trump despite his racist attacks on Judge Curiel and immigrants, channels Trump’s rhetoric and tells Sheriff Paul Babeu to “complete the danged fence” between the United States and Mexico. The Spanish language ad will air on Univision during the Copa America soccer games.
COLORADO – This week, the Bennet campaign launched a new digital ad campaign “Working for Colorado” that features Coloradoans across the state discussing how Senator Michael Bennet has stood up for their communities. Watch the first three ads—“Olathe,”“Local Effort” and “Chimney Rock.”
MORE COLORADO – At Wednesday night’s Republican Senate debate in Colorado, Jon Keyser, Darryl Glenn, and Robert Blaha all condemned Donald Trump’s racist comments, but immediately doubled down on their support of the toxic candidate.
NORTH CAROLINA – Maybe the reason why Senator Richard Burr won’t condemn Donald Trump’s racist comments is that he has vice presidential aspirations! Burr’s name has been thrown around as a possible running mate for Trump. Conservative Hugh Hewitt said that Burr is “rising” on the list of vice presidential candidates, and Burr’s campaign didn’t exactly dismiss the rumors.
PENNSYLVANIA — A new PPP poll shows an extremely close race in Pennsylvania, with Katie McGinty only behind Senator Pat Toomey by 3 points, despite millions of dollars spent against her. 41% of Pennsylvanians disapprove of Toomey’s job performance and 45% of respondents said that Toomey’s Supreme Court obstruction would make them less likely to vote for him.
TWEET OF THE WEEK – This week’s Tweet of the Week goes to Cameron Joseph of the New York Daily News for his take on just how bad things are for Republicans right now: “@cam_joseph: In case you weren’t clear, this is what a full-on party meltdown looks like. Hard to see how GOP recovers from this now or soon after 2016.”
Enjoy the weekend!
Sadie Weiner
@sadieweiner|
Lauren Passalacqua
Sam Lau
Lara Sisselman
