WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: “Senate Democrats Go On Offense In Texas And Florida”

A wave of new reporting highlights the DSCC’s new multi-million dollar investment in television advertising for the Texas and Florida Senate races.

Here’s what they’re saying: 

CNN: Senate Democrats launch first multimillion-dollar TV investments in Texas and Florida
By Simone Pathe
September 26, 2024

• The Senate Democratic campaign arm is making its first multimillion dollar TV investments in Texas and Florida.

• The new spending from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, shared first with CNN, will supplement spending by the Democratic nominees challenging Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, with additional TV investments likely to come, according to the committee.

• “Senate Democrats are expanding the map and going on offense. All cycle long the DSCC has been preparing to take advantage of Sens. Cruz and Scott’s damaged standings in their states – and now our efforts in Texas and Florida are accelerating,” DSCC Chair Gary Peters said.

• “Democrats have strong candidates running effective campaigns in both states, and as we escalate our communications against Sens. Cruz and Scott we will crystallize the case against them,” the Michigan Democrat added.

• The DSCC has already included those two states among the 10 receiving a $25 million investment in direct voter contact programs. The committee has also funded on-the-ground staff and digital ads in both states, which have hit the GOP incumbents over their opposition to the bipartisan border security bill earlier this year.

Bloomberg: Senate Democrats Pour in Millions to Defeat Ted Cruz, Rick Scott
By Steven T. Dennis
September 26, 2024

• Senate Democrats announced Thursday they are spending millions to defeat Ted Cruz in Texas and Rick Scott in Florida, where polls have shown the incumbents surprisingly vulnerable.

• “Senate Democrats are expanding the map and going on offense,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Senator Gary Peters. 

• In Texas, Representative Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker, has turned the race into a nailbiter, raising tens of millions from Democrats eager to defeat the polarizing Cruz. And in Florida, former Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has been running close to Scott.

• Democrats in both states are dinging the incumbents for opposing a restoration of abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. 

The Hill: DSCC announces big TV ad buy targeting Cruz, Scott in Texas, Florida
By Alexander Bolton
September 26, 2024

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced Thursday that it’s launching a “multi-million dollar” television advertising buy in Texas and Florida targeting vulnerable Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).

NBC News: DSCC says it’s making a multimillion-dollar investment in TV ads in Texas and Florida Senate races
By Bridget Bowman and Summer Concepcion
September 26, 2024

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced that it is making a multimillion-dollar investment in TV ads in the Texas and Florida Senate races, which it said are aimed at holding Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida “accountable for their unpopular records and agenda.”

• The DSCC said additional funding for TV ads in the battleground states will likely be added closer to the November election.

• The committee had previously announced investments in digital ads in the Texas and Florida Senate races.

The Washington Post: DSCC announces ‘multi-million dollar’ TV investment in Florida, Texas
By Patrick Svitek
September 26, 2024

• The campaign arm for Senate Democrats announced Thursday it is making a “multi-million dollar investment” in television ads in Florida and Texas, targeting two Republican incumbents with less than six weeks left in the election.

• Former congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) is challenging Sen. Rick Scott (R) in Florida, while Rep. Colin Allred (D) is running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in Texas. 

• The DSCC said more money would “likely be added” to Texas and Florida as the election nears. The initial investment will “supplement” the challengers’ TV advertising and scrutinize the incumbents’ records, according to the committee.

HuffPost: Senate Democrats Go On Offense In Texas And Florida
By Liza Hearon
September 26, 2024

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has made its first big TV advertising investments in Texas and Florida.

C-SPAN: Senator Gary Peters Discusses 2024 U.S. Senate Races 

Sen. Peters: We have a great opportunity in both Florida and Texas — and candidate quality is part of that issue. We have two very unpopular incumbents: Ted Cruz in Texas and Rick Scott in Florida. We have very strong challengers. Those races are real. They’re now in the margin of error. We continue to see it move. We just announced this morning, the DSCC, that we’re making a multi-million dollar investment into those two states. We’ve made some investments already to build up some of the structure, but now we’re going to go in much bigger, knowing that what we are finding, and the polls are pretty clear. These are in the margin of error, but when folks in Florida and Texas have a chance to better get to know our candidates, Colin Allred and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, they win. They win there.

Texas Tribune: Senate Democrats boost Colin Allred’s bid against Ted Cruz with multimillion dollar investment
By Matthew Choi
September 26, 2024

• U.S. Senate Democrats are sending millions to Texas in a new round of investments to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced Thursday.

• The DSCC will include Texas in a “multimillion dollar” push to fund television ads on behalf of U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, who is challenging Cruz. 

• The DSCC named Texas and Florida as its top flip targets earlier this cycle, including Texas in a $79 million ad reservation and funding staff in the state. 

• The DSCC’s inclusion of Texas in its earlier ad reservations and staffing showed potential in Allred’s chances. A later-cycle investment like Thursday’s confirms the party remains committed and is taking Texas seriously.

Houston Chronicle: Senate Democrats announce big ad buy targeting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Rick Scott
By James Osborne
September 26, 2024

• Senate Democrats announced a multi-million dollar ad buy in Texas and Florida on Thursday, as they seek to boost U.S. Rep. Colin Allred in his race to unseat Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

• Sen. Gary Peters, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the ads would focus on Cruz and Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s Senate records, describing both as having, “damaged standings in their states.”

• The announcement Thursday follows a $79 million ad buy across nine states by the senate campaign committee, as well as a $25 million investment in get out the vote efforts across ten states — both of which included Texas and Florida.

Dallas Morning News: National Democrats pouring advertising dollars into Colin Allred’s challenge to Ted Cruz
By Joseph Morton
September 26, 2024

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced Thursday it’s directing millions of advertising dollars to Florida and Texas, where U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, is running against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

• The late-stage investment is a vote of confidence in Allred and indicates the national party sees a credible path to victory.

• U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, DSCC chairman…said Texas and Florida are great opportunities because the Republican candidates are unpopular.

The Texan: National Democrats Increase Efforts in Texas for Allred
By Brad Johnson
September 26, 2024

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is adding millions more to its existing television ad buy backing Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX-32) in his race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). 

• The group previously put $75 million into television reservations across nine states, including Texas. Now the group is supplementing that purchase with more money in Texas and Florida.

Florida Politics: Senate Democrats announce first TV buy in Florida, supporting Debbie Mucarsel-Powell
By Jacob Ogles
September 26, 2024

• The DSCC said it will expand its map and make plays for seats in Florida and Texas.

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced a TV buy in Florida. That signals critical national support for Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s campaign against Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.

• The political arm for Senate Democrats announced plans to go on air in Florida and Texas, where Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz faces a challenge by Colin Allred. It marks the first time the national party made a broadcast play for either of the Republican-controlled Senate seats.

Florida Phoenix: Senate Democrats boost Mucarsel-Powell with multimillion-dollar investment
By Mitch Perry 
September 26, 2024

• The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) on Thursday announced a “multimillion-dollar investment” in television advertising for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Rick Scott.

• The committee said it is doing the same to target U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, with additional funding for television advertising “likely” to be added in the five-and-a-half weeks remaining in the race.

• The DSCC…announced earlier this month a $25 million investment in direct voter contact programs across 10 states, including Florida. 

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