DSCC OUTRAISED NRSC IN SEPTEMBER, GRASSROOTS DRIVE BEST-EVER MONTH, Q3. The DSCC outraised the NRSC in September by more than $17 million, breaking records for the best month and quarter in committee record. In September, the DSCC raised $43.7 million, fueled by an average online donation of $45. The Q3 total of $83.8 million raised is also the best-ever quarterly haul for the DSCC, and 80% of the contributions came through grassroots channels on email, phones and in the mail. Axios: Democrats raise $43 million for Senate campaign arm
REPUBLICANS ATTEMPT TO “TIPTOE” AWAY FROM TRUMP. With just two weeks until Election Day, increasingly desperate Republican incumbents are attempting to “rewrite history” and distance themselves from Donald Trump. Here are the facts: these Republican incumbents have spent the last four years “looking the other way,” “pretending not to read his tweets,” and being a rubber stamp for his agenda. Their sudden “epiphany” has “less to do with their convictions and more about positioning themselves politically.” The bottom line: it’s too late for vulnerable Senate Republicans to rewrite their records.
ROLE REVERSAL: TRUMP TRIES TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM MCSALLY. And while vulnerable Republican incumbents across the map are frantically trying to distance themselves from the increasingly unpopular president, President Trump is trying to do the same thing from unelected Senator Martha McSally. Hours after McSally joined Trump at a rally in Arizona, Trump threw her under the bus, saying “I could do fantastically well in this state and we could have a Senate candidate that does unbelievably badly.” It’s a brutal look for the vulnerable incumbent who has been a rubber stamp for Trump’s toxic agenda and defended his disastrous response to the coronavirus pandemic.
REPORT: DOJ INTERVENES IN “POLITICAL” MOVE IN ERNST COMPLAINT. The Department of Justice has reportedly intervened after a federal judge ordered the Federal Election Commission to take enforcement action against a dark money group set up by top political aides to vulnerable Senator Joni Ernst. The group, Iowa Values, has “worked closely” with Ernst’s campaign – an arrangement that violates federal campaign finance laws. A legal expert at Campaign Legal Center called the DOJ’s actions “shady and completely improper” as the department “has no role in this case.” The expert noted DOJ’s intervention came “after the judgement appear[ed] to be causing some political harm to the President’s ally,” which makes it look like they are “taking a political position rather than a legal one.” Ernst still hasn’t answered for the “egregious” violations and now her Washington allies are helping her cover up the mess. Iowa Starting Line: DOJ Intervenes To Protect Ernst In ‘Political’ Move, Legal Expert Warns
SOYBEAN DEBATE FLUB “SPOTLIGHTS SENATE CHALLENGE FACING ERNST IN IOWA.” A CNN deep dive into Senator Joni Ernst’s embarrassing soybean flub in last week’s debate spotlighted the tough challenge she’s facing in Iowa as she makes her farm roots “a central part of her political biography” but couldn’t answer this basic question in a high-profile “uncomfortable moment.” As this soybean scandal continues to haunt Ernst, it’s clear that Washington changed Joni Ernst and not the other way around. CNN: Soybean question at debate spotlights Senate challenge facing Ernst in Iowa
RATINGS CHANGE: SABATO’S CRYSTAL BALL SHIFTS #IASEN IN DEMOCRATS’ FAVOR. Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted their rating of the Iowa Senate race from “Toss-up” to “Leans Democratic” — citing Theresa Greenfield’s “truly historic” Q3 fundraising numbers as just one reason that “going into the final stretch of the campaign, Greenfield seems to have the momentum.” Crystal Ball also noted that Ernst’s soybean scandal “seems symptomatic of Ernst’s reelection effort” while “Greenfield, by contrast, nailed the price of corn when asked.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball: The Senate: Iowa to Leans Democratic
MARSHALL PUSHED POLICIES EXPECTED TO BENEFIT FOR-PROFIT HOSPITALS, WHILE FAMILY HELD FINANCIAL STAKE IN THE INDUSTRY. A brutal Kansas City Star report reveals how Washington politician and Congressman Roger Marshall “pushed Congress to overturn restrictions on physician-owned hospitals,” an industry his family is invested in. Marshall tried to loosen the rules in coronavirus response, which would benefit the industry of “income-generating investments” for his family. Those investments yielded thousands of dollars in income and an expert on Congressional ethics called Marshall’s actions “a conflict of interest.” Kansas City Star: Marshall pushed to aid physician-owned hospitals. His wife profited from land under them
LOEFFLER AND COLLINS RUN TO THE RIGHT IN #GASEN DEBATE. The “race to the right” in Georgia’s special election was on full display at yesterday’s Senate debate as unelected Senator Kelly Loeffler and Congressman Doug Collins clashed. Loeffler even said she couldn’t name a single time she’s disagreed with Trump on anything. While Loeffler and Collins were running “as far to the right as humanly possible” and engaged in a messy feud “that GOP leaders have been privately fearing for months,” Reverend Raphael Warnock laid out his vision for all Georgians and delivered a message of hope.
MISSISSIPPI GOP NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN WARNS “REPUBLICANS SHOULD BE ‘NERVOUS’” ABOUT #MSSEN. Mississippi GOP National Committeeman Henry Barbour is warning Republicans to not “count out Mike Espy.” In a recent interview, Barbour “admitted that the Espy campaign is well organized” and warned “people need to be nervous” about the race, citing Espy’s record-shattering fundraising. Recent polling has shown a close race as Espy’s momentum continues to grow. WLBT: Republicans should be ‘nervous’ about Hyde-Smith/Espy senate race, warns state GOP member
DEM AD WATCH
AZ – Mark Kelly released two new ads –– the first highlights Mark’s commitment to providing a path to good-paying jobs to every Arizonan. Watch. The second features a former Martha McSally voter who shares why he’ll be voting for Mark because he’s a leader who will listen to Arizonans and bring people together. Watch.
GA – Reverend Raphael Warnock’s latest ad features President Barack Obama, who highlights how Warnock will bring real change to Washington by putting community first and avoiding political games. Watch.
LA – Mayor Adrian Perkins released a new ad highlighting his commitment to putting Louisiana first, a contrast with Senator Cassidy’s record of catering to special interests and his mission to strip health care away from Louisianians. Watch.
MI – Senator Gary Peters released a new ad featuring President Barack Obama that spotlights the work they did together to help Michiganders, save the auto industry and protect the Great Lakes. Watch.
SC – In Jaime Harrison’s new ad, President Barack Obama encourages South Carolinians to get out and vote for Harrison to finally have a senator to fight for criminal justice reform, lower college costs, and make health care affordable. Watch.
IN THE STATES
AL – American Independent: Alabama’s Republican Senate candidate might have a little fraud problem
AK – KTOO: Al Gross points to medical background in Senate bid
GA – Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Perdue’s mocking of Kamala Harris yields nearly $2M haul for his rival
GA – WJBF: Rev. Raphael Warnock continuing his commitment to service with Senate race
IA – Iowa Starting Line: Greenfield Only Candidate To Attend Historic Waterloo Forum
KS – KMBC: National observers call Kansas U.S. Senate race a ‘toss-up’
KS – POLITICO: Party-switcher puts Kansas Senate seat in play for Democrats
ME – Portland Press Herald (Opinion): Les Fossel: It’s time for new U.S. Senate leadership – vote for Gideon
NC – PolitiFact: Progressive group highlights Trump, Tillis weakness on insulin price tags
SC – NBC News: Lindsey Graham’s challenger, Jaime Harrison, has put S.C. back in play for Democrats
TX – Newsweek: MJ Hegar Calls John Cornyn ‘Wildly Ineffective’ as Texas Polls Put Her Within Margin of Error
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