NO SURPRISE: GOP BLOCK ON SCOTUS ROOTED IN POLITICS NOT PRINCIPLE. After weeks of excuses about why they are blocking a Supreme Court nominee, Republicans have finally given up pretending that it’s about anything more than politics. Vulnerable Senator Ron Johnson blatantly admitted that Republicans would be willing to consider a Supreme Court nominee if there were a Republican president. Senator Lindsey Graham also contradicted Republicans’ previous comments by saying that the Supreme Court blockade isunprecedented.
POLL: AMERICANS WANT SCOTUS FILLED NOW; DON’T TRUST GOP FRONTRUNNERS TO MAKE PICK. The latest PPP poll once again confirms that Americans want the Senate to do its job and hold a hearing and vote on a nominee. There’s more: Americans do not trust any of the Republican presidential candidates to make a lifetime appointment to the highest court and are less likely to vote for a Senator who refuses to consider a SCOTUS nominee.
Key takeaways:
56% of voters in the country want the vacant seat on the Supreme Court seat to be filled this year by a nominee of President Obama’s, to only 40% of voters who think the seat should remain vacant for the next year. That includes 53/41 support from independents for filling the seat this year.
By a 19-point margin voters say they’re less likely to vote for a Senator who refuses to consider a nominee to the Supreme Court this year, with only 31% saying they’re more likely to vote for someone who takes that stance compared to 50% who say they’re less likely to. Independents would vote against a Senator with that position by a 16 point spread.
NEW AD TIES AYOTTE TO TRUMP, SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. A new ad by Senate Majority PAC in New Hampshire ties Kelly Ayotte to Donald Trump and his position refusing to consider any Supreme Court nominee. As vulnerable GOP senators quickly fall in line behind Trump, look for more ads like this to follow.
Washington Post: This is the ad Senate Democrats have been waiting to run in the Year of Trump
Washington Post Plum Line: This harsh new ad shows what a disaster Trump is for the GOP
AP: Dem group attacking Senate GOP on Supreme Court, Trump
Roll Call: This Ad Links Trump to SCOTUS Opening, Bashes Ayotte
The Hill: New ad hits Ayotte over delaying Supreme Court nomination
Huffington Post: Here’s A Look At How Democrats Plan To Tie Senate Republicans To Donald Trump
ROTHENBERG: DEM SENATE TAKEOVER PROBABLE, IF CRUZ OR TRUMP NOMINEE. Republican reaction to their top of the ticket troubles has run the gamut from attempting to plan for nominee Trump (ha) to openly lamenting about the prospect of Ted Cruz… but either way, GOP chaos has turned what already promised to be a good year for Democrats into a “probable” takeover.
Roll Call: Dem Senate Takeover Probable, if Cruz or Trump Nominee
With Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz seemingly positioned to fight it out for the Republican presidential nomination, Democrats are now poised to take over the Senate in November.
…Given what has happened inside the Republican Party over the past few months, it is difficult to believe that the party’s Senate prospects are as good as they once were, when most observers assumed the GOP would nominate a mainstream candidate.
At least five incumbent GOP senators from Democratic-leaning or competitive states were facing difficult re-election races this year even under the most favorable circumstances – Mark Kirk of Illinois, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Rob Portman of Ohio. A Republican open seat in Florida also looked at great risk.
Add in the deep division within the Republican Party, and the possibility of Trump or Cruz leading the national GOP ticket, and all – or at least almost all – of those races suddenly look much more uphill. In addition, states like North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri and Arizona look more interesting.
GOP SENATORS STRUGGLING TO EMBRACE CRUZ. This week was another big week for Donald Trump, and further cemented Ted Cruz’s hold on second place. As Republicans stare down this two person race, they are faced with the choice between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and are having a very hard time embracing Cruz.
New York Times: Ted Cruz’s Prospects Ascendant, Though Perhaps Not with Senate Peers
Bloomberg: Cruz’s Rise Against Trump Fails to Win Over Senate Colleagues
Huffington Post: Senate GOP Tries To Like Ted Cruz The Way You Have To Hug Your Sweaty Cousin
Politico: Republican senators hold their noses for Cruz
HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE. From McClatchy: The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation that would expand prevention, treatment and education about drug abuse involving heroin and prescription painkillers. Only problem is: There’s no funding for it. Read ithere.
OUR TAKE: Republican senators’ election year change of heart will not erase their previous votes against substance abuse legislation.
STRICKLAND NABS MORE MAJOR ENDORSEMENTS. Ted Strickland earned the endorsements of President Obama and Vice President Biden last week, and this week his streak of major endorsements continued. Strickland picked up five more endorsements this week from NARAL Pro-Choice America, OPEIU, the Youngstown Vindicator, the Cincinnati Enquirer and Former Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, along with their gun violence prevention organization Americans for Responsible Solutions. Each endorsement testified to Strickland’s proven track record of fighting for Ohioans on key issues.
OPEIU: “Ted has been a champion of working people throughout his career…”
NARAL: “Ted Strickland is a proven fighter for our reproductive freedom and for the safe and legal access to abortion…”
Vindicator: “His four years as governor of Ohio and 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives have given him a first-hand look at the challenges that confront the state and the nation.”
Giffords and Kelly: “We need more leaders like Governor Strickland – leaders who will protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners like us but who also have the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and stand up for common sense”
Enquirer: “Strickland understands the complexities of actually setting policy as both a congressman and a governor.”
DSCC BACKS BARON HILL. The DSCC announced the endorsement of Baron Hill in Indiana this week. Chairman of the DSCC Jon Tester touted Hill’s commitment to fighting for Indiana’s middle class families in the endorsement.
REMINDER: The NRSC had few recruitments to make this cycle but count Indiana as one of its many failures. Establishment favorite Todd Young was nearly disqualified for the ballot in “one of the most colossal mistakes” ever seen, and national Republicanssided with Young over Stutzman, setting up a divisive fight until the May primary.
MURPHY LEADING IN POLLS, GOP PRIMARY FIELD A MESS. Two new polls in Florida show Patrick Murphy leading his primary opponent. Recent polls have also showed Murphy leading all of his Republican rivals by an average of 7 points in the general election. In the meantime, Florida voters still aren’t happy with the five Republican Senate candidates they already have and are trying to recruit new candidates into the race.
NRSC MESSES UP ON TWITTER, MOVES ON TO SNAPCHAT. This week, the NRSC sent a deeply offensive tweet about Iraq War Veteran Tammy Duckworth, and refused to apologize for it. The media immediately noticed the NRSC’s disrespectful treatment of Duckworth; check out our round-up of the coverage. The NRSC then released a memo advising its campaigns on using Snapchat. Snapchat seems like it will be a much better social media tool for the NRSC– the NRSC’s Trump-like social media insults will disappear in seconds and the NRSC staff won’t need to be shamed into deleting them.
IN THE STATES
NEVADA – Catherine Cortez Masto launched her first television ad in Nevada. The ad highlights her work as Nevada’s attorney general and focuses on her family roots. Watch “Big Family” here.
MISSOURI — A new website for Roy Blunt’s so-called “Blunt Brigade” was launched today, and it tells the truth about who Blunt’s true band of supporters is – lobbyists who have shuffled between his official office and special interest groups throughout Blunt’s time in office.
ILLINOIS – Tammy Duckworth was endorsed by two major Illinois newspapers this week, the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald. Both newspapers touted her strong record as a Congresswoman, specifically her work on military and veterans issues.
NEW HAMPSHIRE — In a must-read profile, Roll Call highlights “tenacious” Governor Maggie Hassan and her tireless work as an advocate for New Hampshire.
MORE NEW HAMPSHIRE – Kelly Ayotte is facing a challenger in the Republican Senate primary, making her already uphill reelection battle harder. Former state senator Jim Rubens announced he will challenge Ayotte, going after her for being too tied to insider, corporate special interests. Jim Rubens is already drawing attention from conservative groups across the state. Notably, there is already a third-party challenge to Ayotte waiting in the wings should Rubens lose the primary.
COLORADO – The NRSC’s handpicked candidate in Colorado, Jon Keyser, has had a hard time distinguishing himself among the thirteen Republican candidates. But now he has the dubious honor of getting a big False rating from PolitiFact on his claim about Michael Bennet.
ARIZONA – Wonkette profiled Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick as she challenges John McCain in Arizona. The article highlights how Kirkpatrick is posing a strong challenge to McCain, who seems to grow more vulnerable by the day. C
TWEET OF THE WEEK – This week’s Tweet of the Week goes out to Politico’s Kevin Robillard for highlighting Ron Johnson’s big mistake on the GOP’s Supreme Court obstruction: “@PoliticoKevin: And RonJohn just gave the game away, says Rs would consider a SCOTUS nom if the president were a Republican: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ron-johnson-republicans-scotus …”
