NRSC Weekly Rundown: That Damn ✈, Trump endorses Cramer & Hawley, Bill Nelson’s Terrible Week, Trump’s Economy Is Winning and more!
And here’s this week’s edition of the NRSC Weekly Rundown:
#MOSen: Claire McCaskill had a rough week in Washington. The “daughter of rural Missouri” decided to take her private plane for a spin while traveling the state on what she advertised as an “RV tour.” McCaskill then gave ridiculous excuses for why she took the plane, including saying “I was on the RV so much that the broken drawer drove me crazy.” To pile on, the NRSC rolled out a video game featuring McCaskill’s flying RV. President Trump weighed in, railing against the Senator’s “phony” image. In another desperate attempt to backtrack, McCaskill attempted to distance herself from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying: “I spend a lot of my time telling him to stay out of Missouri and leave me alone. My view of issues are not always in line with Senator Schumer’s.” Only problem is that the two are BFFs, voting together 86% of the time, and Schumer’s Super PAC is spending millions to prop up McCaskill’s campaign. McCaskill’s major missteps this week garnered plenty of attention from the media:
#FLSen: For yet another week, Bill Nelson’s campaign just can’t keep up with the onslaught of ads from Governor Rick Scott and his supporters. This week marked the release of Scott’s tenth and eleventh ads of the election cycle and, to Democrats’ dismay, Nelson has only released one measly digital ad. Trying to help his struggling campaign, Nelson’s liberal friends released a new ad in an attempt to make him appear more moderate. Only problem is, Nelson votes with his Democratic Party leaders 92% of the time. In addition to two new ads, Scott’s PAC released a $3.5 million ad buy attacking Nelson’s decades long, do-nothing career. With the plethora of ads attacking Nelson, it’s no surprise that a Politico/AARP poll shows him lagging behind Scott by nine points already. In a scathing article released this week entitled Who Is Bill Nelson?, Politico spotlighted the Senator’s total lack of outreach to Florida’s Hispanic communities. The article sent Nelson’s campaign scrambling as they rushed to release a Spanish-language ad in response. But don’t be fooled, it’s the same digital ad Nelson has been running, only translated in Spanish. Once again, Nelson has had a terrible week.
#AZSen: The NRSC is out with a new ad in Arizona hitting Kyrsten Sinema for abandoning her state on the nation’s rising opioid crisis. The ad highlights Sinema’s decision to leave a hearing on border security and the opioid crisis less than 30 minutes after it began. But Sinema found the time for a fundraiser in Green Valley later that day. This is just part of Sinema’s long record of bailing on Arizonans. She voted against securing ports of entry, where more than 90% of illegal drugs enter the United States. Arizonans deserve a Senator who cares more about combatting the opioid crisis than she cares about catering to her donors.
#NDSen: Congressman Kevin Cramer secured the Republican nomination in Tuesday’s primary to face Heidi Heitkamp in the general election this fall. He received an immediate boost from President Trump who tweeted his support for Cramer and bashed Heitkamp, reminding voters she opposed tax cuts and “will always vote no when we need her.” As the Bismarck Tribune said best, President Trump’s tweet “may prove to be a blow to Heitkamp’s campaign, which to this point, has promoted and touted in advertisements her ability to vote across party lines.” President Trump’s tweet couldn’t come at a worse time for Heitkamp, who earlier in the week was bragging in an ad about how she votes with President Trump over 50% of the time. Heitkamp’s week only got worse as Chuck Schumer’s Super PAC was hammered for releasing a false ad.
#NVSen: Senator Dean Heller easily won his Republican primary Tuesday night and will face Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid ally Jacky Rosen in the general election this November. While Heller has been a champion for protecting Nevada from Yucca Mountain, Rosen has failed to block legislation that would green light the nuclear waste dump. In a statement, NRSC Executive Director Chris Hansen said, “unlike Nancy Pelosi puppet Jacky Rosen, Senator Dean Heller has a proven record of fighting for Nevada and providing the type of leadership our country needs.”
#WVSen: Joe Manchin’s campaign lawyered up in an attempt to force a GOP group to take down an ad using footage of him saying point blank – “I’m not for building a wall. I’m not for building a wall at all.” But noticeably absent from his lawyer’s claim is any attempt to refute the statement also included in the ad touting Manchin’s support of amnesty for illegal immigrants. Manchin and his Washington allies quickly released ads in an attempt to portray Manchin as a supporter of President Trump’s border wall. So as Manchin attempts to talk out of both sides of his mouth, is he still in favor of giving illegal immigrants amnesty?
#INSen: As part of a desperate attempt to pander to Hoosiers as a moderate Democrat, Sleepin’ Joe Donnelly announced his support of President Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But just last year, Donnelly took to the Senate floor to attack the President’s handling of North Korea calling it “chaos and disarray.” This isn’t the only time Sleepin’ Joe has been on the wrong side of foreign policy though. He supported Barack Obama’s dangerous Iran Deal and supported failed presidential candidate, and Iran Deal architect, Hillary Clinton for her experience in foreign policy.
#MTSen: Matt Rosendale hit the airwaves this week, releasing his first ad attacking Jon Tester’s dangerous record on immigration. The ad highlights Tester’s reckless votes against cracking down on sanctuary cities and funding for President Trump’s border wall. In an interview this week, KTVQ’s Victoria Hill asked Tester to respond to charges that he’d gone Washington, including the million dollar “Cosmopolitan Castle” he bought in Washington. Tester fumbled through the interview before finally admitting he only spends half of his time in Big Sky Country. In another interview with National Journal, Tester continued to deny his ties to the swamp by claiming Chuck Schumer “never” pressured him on a vote. But Montanans haven’t forgotten that Tester and the New York liberal went on a lavish $15,000 Cancun vacation together, or the fact that he votes with Schumer at least 89% of the time. Coming to Tester’s defense, liberal dark money groups are up on TV bashing Matt Rosendale in an attempt to bail the Senator out of his uphill reelection campaign. But if there’s anyone who “dresses up” as a Montanan, it’s Washington’s Jon Tester.
#TNSen: Alabama’s Democratic Senator, Doug Jones, is heading to Tennessee this weekend to attend the Three Star Dinner with Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Democratic Party. Jones ran as a blue dog Democrat who vowed to represent Alabama values in the Senate. But once he got to Washington, Jones has voted in lockstep with coastal elites, opposing President Trump’s nominees and funding for the President’s border wall. Jones is serving as a warning sign of what supposed moderate Democrats will do in Washington. Tennesseans can’t be fooled into believing Bredesen will support their best interests when he’s just another rubber stamp for New York liberal Chuck Schumer.
#MNSen: Over the weekend, Tina Smith endorsed her radical pal Congressman Keith Ellison in his campaign bid for Minnesota attorney general. But Smith’s support for Ellison and his controversial past should be cause for concern among Minnesota voters. Ellison refuses to denounce his ties to anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan and even touts his support of the radical economic idea of instituting a “maximum wage.”
#WISen: Tammy Baldwin brought the resistance’s new darling, Kamala Harris, out on the campaign trail last weekend. After weeks of ads in Wisconsin attempting to portray Baldwin as a pro-regulatory reform, moderate liberal, Tammy decided to show her true colors and bring her far-left friend to Wisconsin. Baldwin is a full-blown Madison liberal and campaigning with Harris further solidifies how out of touch with Wisconsin Baldwin has become.
#NMSen: Martin Heinrich took to Twitter to attack President Trump’s historic summit in Singapore. In a tweet, Heinrich mocked the President, saying “so much for the art of the deal.” But what about the disastrous Iran deal Heinrich supported under Barack Obama? New Mexicans can’t trust Heinrich’s judgment on foreign policy, especially with the new report last week showing the Obama administration lied to the American people to circumvent sanctions and give Iran access to the U.S. banking system – despite insisting they wouldn’t.
NEWS AND NOTES:
CNBC: Small business optimism jumps to second-highest level ever; tax cut cited
Small business optimism rose in May to its highest level in more than 30 years, helped by all-time highs in some key index components, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday. Expectations for business expansion and reports of positive earnings trends hit record highs, while expectations for strong increases in real sales reached their highest since 1995. READ
Politico: McCaskill used private plane on campaign RV tour
Sen. Claire McCaskill confirmed Tuesday that she used her private plane during a three-day RV tour of her state last month, an admission that promises to become a political headache for the Missouri Democrat in her reelection bid. McCaskill claimed that a report on her air travel in The Washington Free Beacon, which used aircraft tracking data to map the plane’s path following her RV tour for two of its three days, was “not accurate.” However, she went further than the publication did in confirming that she did use a plane for part of the tour. READ
Fox News: Dems fret that Florida Sen. Nelson getting out-campaigned by Rick Scott in high-stakes race
Privately though, Democrats are worried Nelson is getting out-muscled early-on by the governor. The Democrat, who has held the seat since 2000, will face the toughest political campaign of his life leading up to the Nov. 8 election. Scott announced his candidacy April 9 to much fanfare, telling hundreds of supporters that packed into an Orlando warehouse that the concept of sending career politicians to Washington “has got to stop.” READ
Politico: Scott surges past Nelson with older Florida voters
Gov. Rick Scott is virtually tied with Sen. Bill Nelson among Florida voters, but the Republican is dominating the Democrat by 9 points among those nearing or at retirement age — a group that casts the majority of Florida’s votes. READ
Sunshine State News: Rick Scott Holds Solid Lead Over Bill Nelson in New Poll
The Saint Leo University Polling Institute released a poll of Florida voters on Tuesday showing Scott with 40 percent while Nelson trials with 34 percent while 8 percent back other candidates and 18 percent remain undecided. Scott’s lead over Nelson in the poll stands outside the margin of error. READ
National Review: North Dakota Primary Is a Good Sign for Republican Kevin Cramer
While it’s difficult to predict November outcomes based on a primary alone, especially given that Heitkamp ran unchallenged, last night’s numbers should be comforting to North Dakota Republicans — along with national Republicans paying close attention to the fate of this Senate seat. In fact, GOP turnout in the primary was almost double that of Democrats: nearly 70,000 voters compared to just 36,685. This is consistent with North Dakota’s high concentration of registered Republicans. READ
Fox News: Liz Peek: Negative Nancy Pelosi bummed out by booming Trump economy
Is Nancy Pelosi a secret agent for the Republican Party? Sometimes you have to wonder. Her latest outburst, in which she derides the accelerating economy and declining unemployment, is so nonsensical that it demeans Democrats’ credibility, shows them to be remarkably out of touch with average Americans and underscores the poverty of their competing platform. It isn’t the first time Pelosi has given GOP candidates rich fodder for ridicule; remember how she compared thousand-dollar bonuses to “crumbs?” That’s a clip that will show well in midterm campaign ads. READ
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