SENATE REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO BLOCK EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF AS NEARLY 30 MILLION REMAIN OUT OF WORK. It’s been over a month since Senate Republicans created an “urgent crisis” by letting emergency unemployment relief expire. Reports this week detailed the critical need for federal assistance as “furloughed workers [are] increasingly being laid off permanently” and experts are warning “the jobs are not going to come back” without “more stimulus from Washington to bolster economic demand and keep business activity and consumer spending growing.” But despite the warnings that the U.S. economy remains at risk, Mitch McConnell and his caucus are refusing to negotiate, and are instead on day 21 of their month-long vacation.
ARE MITCH MCCONNELL AND SENATE REPUBLICANS STILL BLOCKING URGENTLY NEEDED RELIEF? YES.
NEW REPORT: USPS HAS PAID $286 MILLION TO DEJOY’S FORMER COMPANY SINCE 2013. A new New York Times report revealed a potential conflict of interest as public records show the extent to which Postmaster General and GOP mega-donor Louis DeJoy’s former company where he “was a top executive — and in which he still has a substantial amount of money invested — is intertwined with the agency he now runs.” The new report fuels questions and concerns about DeJoy’s leadership of the critical agency. Senate Republicans have largely remained silent as DeJoy and President Trump have sabotaged the Postal Service by cutting funds and removing high-speed mail sorting machines, threatening the USPS’s ability to process mail-in ballots ahead of the election and amid widespread delays in delivery of critical mail like prescriptions and Social Security benefits. New York Times: Postal Service Has Paid DeJoy’s Former Company $286 Million Since 2013
627 DAYS AND COUNTING: COLLINS STILL REFUSING TO SAY WHETHER SHE SUPPORTS TRUMP’S REELECTION. As Senator Susan Collins campaigns across Maine, she is continuing to avoid answering questions about whether she’s voting for Donald Trump. The latest dodge happened yesterday at a campaign stop in Bangor where she refused to answer a straightforward question on her support for the president. She can duck and dodge her support for Trump all she wants, but the reality is that Senator Collins has voted with Trump 94% of the time and overwhelmingly supported his agenda and his judicial nominees — demonstrating just how much she’s changed after more than two decades in Washington.
TILLIS CAUGHT MASKLESS *AGAIN*. It’s been less than one week since Senator Thom Tillis was forced to apologize after being caught not wearing a mask at last Thursday’s White House event — saying “I fell short of my own standard” — but the vulnerable incumbent was just photographed again yesterday not wearing a mask at a Trump event. Tillis continues to make it painfully obvious that he is too weak and too spineless to stand up to his party leaders in Washington to protect public health.
JON OSSOFF ANNOUNCES EYE-POPPING AUGUST FUNDRAISING NUMBERS. Democratic candidates are continuing to announce impressive fundraising numbers fueled by small-dollar donors, as Jon Ossoff announced his campaign raised $4.7 million in the month of August, setting a single-month fundraising record for a Georgia Senate candidate. The eye-popping haul is more than incumbent Senator David Perdue raised for the entire second quarter this year. AJC: Ossoff raises $4.7M in August in bid to unseat Perdue
NEW POLLING: DEMS LEAD IN #AZSEN AND #NCSEN. A new Fox News poll released yesterday showed Democratic challengers Mark Kelly and Cal Cunningham leading Senators McSally and Tillis in the Arizona and North Carolina Senate races. These weak Republican incumbents have been in danger all cycle long because of their toxic records. The Hill: Democrats hold lead in Arizona, North Carolina Senate races: poll
DEM AD WATCH
GA – Jon Ossoff’s latest ad spotlights his commitment to fighting political corruption in Washington. Watch.
IA – Theresa Greenfield released a new ad (featuring her twin sister Maria) highlighting her commitment to being an independent voice in Washington to get real results for hardworking Iowans. Watch.
IN THE STATES
CO – Vail Daily: John Hickenlooper calls out Cory Gardner for ‘cowardly silence’ on health care solutions at Avon campaign stop
GA – AJC: Warnock wins support from McBath in Senate bid
KS – The Collegian: ‘We have got to work together’: Bollier discusses campaign priorities during virtual tour
KY – WYMT: U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath makes campaign stop in Perry County
ME – The Hill: Sierra Club endorses Collins’ competitor Gideon
SC – The State: SC’s Harrison raises more cash in August than Graham did in three months in Senate race
TX – Washington Post: Cape Up Live: MJ Hegar with Jonathan Capehart
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