Every Democrat Candidate Should Go on the Record with How They Would Have Voted on the Shutdown & Whether They Support Ongoing Effort to End It
WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s a new litmus test in the Chuck Schumer vs. Bernie Sanders proxy war among Democrat candidates for Senate: continue to put illegal aliens over Americans and oppose efforts to reopen the government.
Candidates in messy primaries from Minnesota to Maine to Texas are lining up to join Sanders and oppose efforts to reopen the government. Meanwhile, even the candidates without a primary – folks like Roy Cooper and Sherrod Brown – are terrified to take a position that would cause trouble with their base.
“Democrats are so scared of their radical base that 40 days of Schumer shutdown pain on the American people for political ‘leverage’ still isn’t enough,” said NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez. “Every single Senate candidate should go on the record with how they would have voted the 14 times cowards like Jon Ossoff refused to reopen the government and whether they support ending it now.”
Here’s where Democrat candidates stand:
- Jon Ossoff has voted 14 times against reopening the government, but has yet to weigh in on the deal being discussed in the Senate.
- Former Senator Sherrod Brown has repeatedly refused to answer whether he would have voted with his former colleagues the 14 times they blocked reopening the government. When asked explicitly by the Toledo Blade, Brown dodged saying, “I have not followed every detail.”
- Roy Cooper has been silent and refused to take a position on the shutdown since it began.
And in the messy primaries, opposition to efforts to end the shutdown are piling up:
- In Iowa, Nathan Sage was quick to jump in saying, “It’s time to grow a backbone and fight.” Josh Turek said, “no deal.” Zach Wahls said Democrats, “shouldn’t cave.”
- In Maine, despite both Senators Susan Collins and Angus King voting to reopen the government, both Janet Mills and Graham Platner said they would have voted with Chuck Schumer to shutter the government.
- Platner has also said he opposes the deal to reopen the government and has attacked Mills for not using her power as governor to fund SNAP with state funding.
- Mills, who is currently down double digits to Platner, called for Democrats to “fight back” in her opposition to the deal.
- In Michigan, all three candidates in the messy competitive primary oppose a deal to reopen the government.
- Haley Stevens voted against reopening in the House and said the deal the Senate is considering “doesn’t work for Michigan.”
- Mallory McMorrow opposed the deal saying, “Don’t settle.”
- Abdul El-Sayed also opposed the deal and asked, “Are folks really about to give up their leverage…“
- Minnesota’s Angie Craig has said she is a no on the deal while her progressive opponent Peggy Flanagan said, “Minnesotans can’t afford for Democrats to cave.”
- And in Texas, James Talarico called the deal “surrender” while Colin Allred said it was “a joke.”