“FEALTY TO TRUMP STILL COMES FIRST”: REPUBLICANS PEDDLE CONSPIRACY THEORIES AS CORONAVIRUS RAVAGES COUNTRY. Roll Call columnist Walter Shapiro calls out vulnerable Republicans like Senator Joni Ernst for peddling “off-the-wall” conspiracy theories and “serving as Trump’s enablers on pandemic denial.” Senate Republicans have remained silent as reports revealed how Trump administration officials interfered with CDC reports on coronavirus in “an attempt to intimidate the reports’ authors and water down their communications to health professionals” — and President Trump himself has admitted to “intentionally misleading Americans.” Shapiro eviscerated the silent Republican senators for their “fealty to Trump,” writing, “with their timidity, these congressional Republicans will leave behind an epitaph that reads for all eternity: ‘I followed party loyalty in the middle of a pandemic.’” Roll Call: Why is the GOP taking medical advice from Dr. Pepper?
REPORT: TRUMP GOES UNMENTIONED IN MOST TV ADS. An analysis by ad tracker Kantar/CMAG found that President Trump is almost completely absent from television ads as Republicans try to “avoid Trump while wooing swing voters.” The reality facing vulnerable Senate Republicans is that it’s too late to distance themselves from Trump — they’ve repeatedly refused to hold him accountable and bragged about how they’ve worked “hand in glove with the Trump administration” on his disastrous coronavirus response. Wall Street Journal: Trump Goes Unmentioned in Most TV Ads for House, Senate Campaigns
CUNNINGHAM HOLDS TILLIS ACCOUNTABLE, SHOWS HE’LL PUT NC FIRST IN WRAL DEBATE. Army veteran Cal Cunningham and vulnerable Senator Thom Tillis met for the first time on the debate stage last night, where Cunningham delivered a strong performance laying out his clear vision for putting North Carolinians’ interests first in Washington, while Senator Tillis spent the debate trying to distract from his record of failing North Carolinians and caving to special interests. New York Times: For a vulnerable Senate Republican, a debate becomes a referendum on Covid-19 and Trump.
POLL: “TILLIS FALLS FURTHER BEHIND IN SENATE RACE.” And in more #NCSEN news, a new WRAL/SurveyUSA poll of the race released yesterday has Tillis falling “further behind” as his “support among independents has faded.” That’s not the only bad news for the vulnerable incumbent — the new poll shows that Tillis “has a negative job approval rating” and the pollster bluntly stated “he is not well liked in North Carolina.” WRAL: Poll: 50 days out from election, NC races tight
KELLY’S CLAIM THAT MCSALLY ISN’T LOOKING OUT FOR SENIORS “MOSTLY TRUE.” PolitiFact took a closer look at Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly’s claims that unelected Senator Martha McSally “isn’t really looking out for seniors” — and found that they are “accurate.” The fact check found McSally’s support for turning Medicare into a voucher program would “lead to higher costs for seniors” and that in 2012, McSally supported raising the retirement age. Notably, McSally’s campaign “would not say where she stood on that issue in 2020.” PolitiFact: Fact-checking Mark Kelly on Martha McSally’s stance on Medicare
ARIZONA FEDERAL COURT RULING ALLOWS VOTERS TO CURE MISSING SIGNATURES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS. In June, the Arizona Democratic Party, DSCC, and DNC filed a lawsuit challenging an Arizona state law that risked disenfranchising thousands of voters by allowing election officials to reject mail-in ballots that are missing signatures, which was at odds with how other mail-in ballots are processed. Last week, an Arizona federal court ruled that the state must allow voters to cure missing signatures on otherwise valid absentee ballots. Under the court’s ruling, voters who submit mail-in ballots without a signature now have the same opportunity to cure them and ensure their votes are counted as well. Read the Arizona Democratic Party, DSCC, and DNC’s joint statement here.
“TEETERING ON A KNIFE’S EDGE,” PERDUE TRIES TO RUN FROM TOXIC RECORD TO SAVE HIMSELF. A new AJC report spotlights Senator David Perdue’s desperate attempt to save his re-election by trying to run from his deeply unpopular record of working to gut access to health care and eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Perdue’s campaign is “teetering on a knife’s edge” as the vulnerable incumbent desperately tries to rewrite his “reputation as one of Trump’s most loyal allies.” The reality is that Perdue has spent the last six years putting himself and his special interest backers first, and Georgians will see right through Perdue’s attempted election-year makeover. AJC: Perdue attempts a softer approach to defeat Ossoff in Georgia Senate race
DEM AD WATCH
IA – The DSCC released a new ad in Iowa outlining Senator Joni Ernst’s history of campaign finance scandals. Watch.
NC – The DSCC released its first TV ad in North Carolina highlighting Senator Thom Tillis’ record of putting his corporate special interest campaign donors ahead of what’s right for North Carolinians. Watch.
NM – Ben Ray Luján’s latest ad calls out Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti for praising Trump’s pandemic response and spreading false information during the coronavirus pandemic. Watch.
SC – Jaime Harrison released two new ads highlighting Senator Lindsey Graham’s toxic record on the pressing challenges facing South Carolina’s seniors. Watch here and here.
IN THE STATES
GA – WJBF: Ossoff prepared to take on Georgia’s senior senator
KS – Louisville Courier-Journal: Gov. Andy Beshear endorses Amy McGrath in Kentucky Senate race against Mitch McConnell
ME – Seacoast Online (LTE): Sen. Susan Collins is a Trump enabler
SC – NBC News: Harrison makes Senate race competitive but must beat Graham as Trump is favored to win South Carolina
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