HEALTH CARE IS ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER. Senate Republicans’ rush to fill a lifetime appointment with a nominee hostile to the Affordable Care Act has ensured that health care will be front and center on the ballot come November. Oral arguments on the Republican lawsuit to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act and its pre-existing conditions protections are scheduled for just one week after Election Day. Republican incumbents and candidates support or refuse to oppose this lawsuit, and they are on the record in favor of gutting these core health care protections. Read our statement on Republicans’ rush to fill a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court days before the election, threatening health care protections for Americans across the country here.
Reminder on what’s at stake if the Supreme Court strikes down the ACA:
TRUMP ADMITS ANTI-HEALTH CARE NOMINEE WOULD STRIKE DOWN AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. President Trump declared this weekend that the Supreme Court overturning the health care law and eliminating protections for people with pre-existing conditions would be “a big WIN for the USA!” — openly admitting that Republicans expect his anti-health care nominee would help strike down the ACA. Republicans in the Senate have already expressed their support for quickly confirming a nominee who is facing growing scrutiny over her written track record of “skeptical comments” on past Supreme Court decisions upholding the health care law, including criticizing Republican-appointed Chief Justice John Roberts for a 2012 ruling that saved the law. As one legal expert put it: “I think ACA supporters should be concerned.” Axios: Trump says Supreme Court ending Obamacare would be “a big WIN”
NEW POLL: HARRISON LEADS GRAHAM IN #SCSEN. A new internal poll released this weekend shows Jaime Harrison leading Senator Lindsey Graham by two points. The poll also found that Harrison’s favorability rating is nine points higher than Graham’s. Veteran pollster Cornell Belcher says the poll shows “momentum in South Carolina is clearly on the side of Harrison” and “Harrison is increasingly well-positioned to flip this Senate seat in a race that everyone must now place onto the list of most competitive races in the country.” Read the full polling memo here.
GRAHAM: ‘HELP ME,’ BEGS FOR CASH AS HE FACES AN INCREASINGLY TIGHT RACE. It’s not just the polls that are showing that South Carolina is increasingly competitive. Senator Graham spent last week begging for money on Fox News, saying “I’m getting overwhelmed…help me.” And when asked to comment on Graham’s recent pleas, his spokesperson plugged “the URL for Graham’s campaign website five times” in a six-sentence statement. The desperate appeals come as Graham continues to be outraised by Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison. POLITICO: ‘Help me’: Graham begs for cash in tighter-than-expected race
DETROIT FREE PRESS ENDORSES SENATOR GARY PETERS FOR REELECTION. The Detroit Free Press “enthusiastically” endorsed Senator Gary Peters for re-election this weekend, writing that “Peters has achieved more in his first term than many senators accomplish in their careers.” And while Peters has distinguished himself by providing “courageous bipartisan leadership in times of national upheaval,” the Free Press Editorial Board called out Republican candidate and failed politician John James for his “persistent refusal to reveal how he’d address the issues” and being “even more elusive in his campaign against Peters.” James refuses “to say whether he supports the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act,” and the Free Press skewered the failed politician for “cynically deceiving voters.” Detroit Free Press Editorial Board: Endorsement: Michigan needs Gary Peters. So does Washington.
EXPERTS “CAST DOUBT” ON JAMES’ CLAIMS ABOUT HIS BUSINESS RECORD. Failed politician John James is campaigning on his business acumen, but a deep dive by the Detroit News questions the candidate’s repeated claims that he created 100 jobs. Economic experts “cast doubt on data the company provided to support the claim” and found that it was “an odd way of counting additional employment” because it included employees hired to replace turnover that naturally occurs. Using state economic development data, the Detroit News found “a difference of 35 fewer jobs” rather than that additional 100 jobs that James touts. And when asked, “the James campaign declined to comment on the points raised” by the economic experts. The new deep dive confirms and expands on previous reporting that James “failed to create a single job in Michigan” when he began making this claim in 2017. Detroit News: Did John James create 100 jobs? Here’s what we found
NCGOP FORCED BOARD OF ELECTIONS MEMBERS TO RESIGN FOR STAGED CONTROVERSY, TILLIS ADDS FUEL TO THE FIRE. New reporting reveals that two Republican Board of Elections members were pushed to resign by the North Carolina GOP after voting in favor of changing a rule to make it easier for voters to fix ballot errors. And guess who immediately flip-flopped and jumped in to support his party by adding fuel to the fire and questioning the legitimacy of the election? Vulnerable Senator Thom Tillis. Last week, just days after saying “he had so much faith” in vote-by-mail in North Carolina, Senator Tillis recklessly questioned the integrity of the state’s absentee ballot system, inflaming the fake controversy. Tillis was promptly eviscerated by the Capitol Broadcasting Company Editorial Board for his “shameful and phony efforts…to create baseless distrust in our election and the security of our ballots.” The local editorial board harshly condemned Tillis’ “insincere outrage,” writing “there is no excuse” for his “conniving and conning.”
GOVERNOR BULLOCK STANDS UP FOR MONTANA’S PUBLIC LANDS. After serving in the seat unlawfully for 424 days, President Trump’s Bureau of Land Management acting director was removed after a lawsuit brought by Governor Steve Bullock against the official. Bullock sued to remove the acting director because he was overseeing management of almost a quarter billion acres of land without Senate confirmation. Read more about Governor Bullock’s successful litigation → AP: Judge removes Trump’s public lands boss after Bullock sued
MSNBC: COLORADO VOTERS WEIGH IN ON GARDNER, SCOTUS. MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard traveled to Colorado where he spoke with Democratic Senate candidate and former Governor John Hickenlooper about Senator Cory Gardner’s rush to fill a lifetime appointment with a nominee who is hostile to the Affordable Care Act before Coloradans have a chance to make their voices heard. Hillyard also spoke with a pair of former Gardner voters who no longer support the vulnerable incumbent because he’s “a rubber stamp for Donald Trump.” WATCH:
DEM AD WATCH
AL – Senator Doug Jones released a new ad highlighting his commitment to protecting health care — a stark contrast with Tommy Tuberville, who supports taking away health care from thousands in the middle of a pandemic. Watch.
KS – Dr. Barbara Bollier’s latest ad highlights her commitment to working across the aisle and putting Kansas values above partisan politics. Watch.
ME – Sara Gideon released a new ad featuring former Senator Collins voters who think the longtime incumbent has changed after 24 years in Washington. Watch.
NH – In a new TV ad from Senator Jeanne Shaheen, an advocate for sexual assault survivors discusses the senator’s public service career being “a champion for women.” Watch.
TX – MJ Hegar’s latest ad calls out Senator Cornyn for his failed response to the coronavirus pandemic and promises to always put Texans first and fight for high quality affordable health care. Watch.
IN THE STATES
AK – Alaska Public Media: Al Gross is running for office for the first time. Here’s why he thinks he belongs in the U.S. Senate
CO – Coloradoan: Opinion: Hickenlooper would put country before party
GA – Albany Herald: Warnock receives endorsements of Obama, Eric Holder
IA – Raccoon Valley Radio: Senate Candidate Greenfield Makes Campaign Stops in Greene County
ME – Bangor Daily News (Opinion): Elect Gideon to protect our health care
MS – MSNBC: Senate candidate Mike Espy is calling for medicaid expansion in Mississippi
TX – Houston Chronicle: In Texas, Cornyn v. Hegar is epicenter of battle over coverage for preexisting conditions
TX – KVUE: MJ Hegar says tattoos cover shrapnel wounds after Republican PAC attack ad
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