NRSC Weekly Rundown: Trump’s Soaring Economy, Trump Rips “Liberal Democrat” Heitkamp in Fargo, New Ad Shows Tester’s Love For The “Swamp,” and more!

And here’s this week’s edition of the NRSC Weekly Rundown:

#SCOTUS: Moments after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, far-left activist groups like Planned Parenthood, End Citizens United and Center for American Progress penned a letter urging every Senate Democrat to reject any of the 25 names on President Trump’s shortlist for the court. Will red state Democrats side with these radical organizations that have spent big bucks backing their campaigns? Or will they stand with their constituents and confirm President Trump’s nominee to the court?

#TaxCuts: It’s been six months since the GOP tax cuts went into effect and the positive economic news keeps coming. A new CNBC poll released this week found that 54% of Americans approve of President Trump’s handling of the economy, the highest approval level recorded in the survey’s ten-year history. Heading into the midterm elections, red state Democrats will be forced to explain to voters back home why they opposed President Trump’s economic agenda and voted against the GOP tax cuts that are spurring economic growth across the country.

#NDSen: President Trump headed to Fargo this week to hold a rally in support of Kevin Cramer’s campaign to unseat Heidi Heitkamp this November. In one fell swoop, President Trump shattered Heitkamp’s months-long effort to portray herself as an ally of the Trump administration. The President reminded North Dakotans that when they needed her most, Heitkamp backed Washington liberals like Chuck Schumer over North Dakota families. Trump’s onslaught brought brutal headlines, skewering Heitkamp for her record of obstruction in the Senate. President Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale also joined in penning an op-ed ripping into Heitkamp and warning voters that she’s a “bad deal for North Dakota.”

 width=

#NVSen: President Trump was in Las Vegas over the weekend and blasted Wacky Jacky Rosen for wanting to raise taxes and supporting open borders. Unable to escape, Jacky flew in “resistance” darling Elizabeth Warren to headline the state Democratic convention. Rosen and Warren, of course, share the same extreme views, like voting to shut down the government and opposing the middle-class tax cuts that have put more money in Nevadans’ pockets. After the President went after Wacky Jacky, Warren quickly came to her defense by sending a fundraising email breathlessly claiming “the world is on fire right now.”

#MTSen: The NRSC released a new ad in Montana this week highlighting Jon Tester’s plush life in Washington, D.C., where he lives in his cozy $1 million home, has taken truckloads of lobbyist cash and made himself $3 million richer while in office. Looks like “Mr. Montana” is more like “Mr. Washington.” A new study released this week also revealed how Jon Tester’s dangerous energy agenda could devastate Montana families. Tester wants to close Montana’s Colstrip power plant, a move that would cost Montanans 3,300 jobs and $5.2 billion in lost income. It’s clear Senator Tester can’t be trusted to stand with Montana families over the fringe environmentalists who back his campaign.

#FLSen: Governor Rick Scott accepted invitations to three different debates this fall, but Bill Nelson has dodged whether or not he’ll show up to participate. Maybe it’s because despite being in Congress for 30 years, Nelson has no real record of accomplishments to run on in his uphill battle for reelection. He took to Twitter this week to play “Captian Planet,” feigning concern about the toxic algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee. But career politician Bill Nelson failed to secure federal funding for the dike at Lake O that would have stopped the toxic algae before it hurt the community and the environment. Governor Scott went straight to the White House this week and asked President Trump to fully fund the dike. At least someone is working for Floridians—and it sure isn’t Bill Nelson.

#AZSen: In a major primary election upset, New York socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated establishment Democrat Joe Crowleyrunning on a platform of abolishing ICE, government-run health care and tax hikes. But Ocasio-Cortez isn’t the only socialist candidate the Democrats have on the ballot this year. In Arizona,Kyrsten Sinema, a self-avowed socialist, has publicly called for the end of capitalism and called stay-at-home moms “leeches” for relying on their husbands or boyfriends. But as the Democratic Party continues lurching leftward, perhaps nominating such out-of-touch extremists should come as no surprise at all.

#WISen: For months, Tammy Baldwin has taken to the campaign trail to rail against the “out-of-state billionaires” spending millions against her. But a new report by the Free Beacon revealed Baldwin’s own campaign has received the overwhelming majority of its funding from … you guessed it … out-of-state donors. According to the report, nearly 60% of Baldwin’s donors come from outside of Wisconsin and include millions from far-away places like California and New York. Pretty rich for a Senator who promised that “Wisconsin refuses to be bought.”

#TNSen: Phil Bredesen released a new ad this week in which he claims “if President Trump proposes something good for Tennessee, I’ll be with him.” But Bredesen has already shown voters that’s a lie, coming out in opposition to one of President Trump’s signature accomplishments, the GOP tax cuts, and joining California liberal Nancy Pelosi in calling the tax cutscrumbs.”

#WVSen: FACT, a nonpartisan watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Joe Manchin for using taxpayer money to pay for a trip to California for a ritzy fundraiser where he raised almost $100,000, more than he raised from West Virginians in the same quarter. Manchin’s office has been unable to cite any official business the Senator had on the west coast that would warrant using government funds to pay for his trip.

#OHSen: Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray likened Republicans to Nazi sympathizers while speaking in Lima last month, but ticketmate Sherrod Brown has yet to speak out against Cordray’s hateful tirade. As Ohio’s highest-ranking Democrat, don’t voters deserve to know where Brown stands?

#NYSen: In an uncontested race, businesswoman Chele Farley clinched the Republican nomination to challenge Kristen Gillibrand in the midterm election. In a statement Tuesday night, NRSC Executive Director Chris Hansen said, “New Yorkers deserve a Senator like Farley, who will put their interests first, not a D.C. insider like Senator Gillibrand who is only looking out for her political future.”

#MSSen: David Baria defeated Howard Sherman in Tuesday’s Democratic primary runoff election and will face a longshot race against Senator Roger Wicker. Mississippians know Baria will represent Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda over Mississippi values. In a statement, NRSC Executive Director Chris Hansen said, “Senator Roger Wicker has a tested track record of delivering results for Mississippi families, and that has earned him the trust of folks back home who know they can count on him to stand up for Mississippi values in the Senate. I have no doubt that come November Mississippians will reelect Sen. Wicker and allow him to continue working for them in Washington.” 

#UTSen: Mitt Romney handily secured Utah’s Republican nomination to fill the vacant seat Orrin Hatch will leave upon his retirement. “Not only has Mitt Romney made a career of fighting for conservative values, but he will work tirelessly to represent Utah in the Senate. We are all lucky to have him join the Senate majority next Congress,” said NRSC Executive Director Chris Hansen.

NEWS AND NOTES:

CNBC: Majority of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy for the first time: CNBC survey

Fifty-four percent of Americans say the economy is good or excellent, the highest recorded by CNBC in the 10 years of the survey. Just 43 percent say the economy is fair or poor, the lowest in the history of the survey. Positive views on the economy have surged 20 points since the election. And for the first time, the percentage of Americans saying the economy is excellent outstrips the percent saying it is poor. Americans look for a strong 4 percent gain in their home values in the next year, equaling the highest percentage previously recorded in 2007. READ

The Hill: Trump boom ignites small business

America is open for business. Most significantly, America is open for small business. Trump is the most supportive small business leader the nation has seen in recent memory. Just this month, Trump signed off on a new rule that allows small businesses and self-employed workers to buy coalition health insurance plans, a move that will lower the price of policies, expand coverage, and free these businesses from some of the worst regulations imposed by the Affordable Care Act. READ

CNN: This poll shows why it’s difficult for Democrats to take the Senate

A new Mason-Dixon poll in North Dakota puts Republican Kevin Cramer ahead of Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp 48% to 44%. Republican Donald Trump won the state by 36 points in 2016. The new Mason-Dixon poll is bad news for Democrats who probably need to hold onto the North Dakota Senate seat in order to have a realistic shot of winning back control of the Senate in 2018. READ

Politico: Hostile liberals pose problems for red-state Dems

Red-state Senate Democrats are staking their reelection bids on their ability to work with Trump. But the argument has gotten more complicated as the pushback against his policies becomes more personal. The call by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) for liberals to accost Trump Cabinet members in public isn’t the kind of thing the party’s most vulnerable members, or even their leaders, want to answer for. READ

NBC News: Trump Rails Against Pelosi, Waters And Heitkamp At Raucous N. Dakota Rally

“We need Kevin Cramer to replace liberal Democrat Heidi Headlamp in the Senate. When Heidi ran for office she promised to be independent vote for people of North Dakota, instead she went to Washington and immediately joined Chuck, you know who Chuck is, and Nancy, and now they have a new leader,” Trump railed, prompting applause. “Who is their leader? Maxine Waters is their new leader.” READ

Politico: In Nevada, Trump goes after ‘Wacky Jacky’

“You don’t want her as your senator,” Trump said of Heller’s opponent, Democrat Rep. Jacky Rosen, at Nevada Republicans’ state convention. “Now, that name didn’t come from me. That’s a name that people have known because people that know her, that’s what they call her, Wacky Jacky, that’s what you want for your senator?” READ

WDAZ: Commentary: Heidi Heitkamp’s hypocritical hate machine

Cramer routinely appears on the shows of left-wing hosts. Heitkamp, meanwhile, avoids any venue where she might face tough questioning from critics. It speaks volumes doesn’t it? Heitkamp talks often of how she fights for North Dakotans, yet she sure doesn’t like anything resembling a candid interaction with them. READ

###

Make America Stronger

Help us take back the Senate

    By providing your phone number and checking the box, you are consenting to receive texts, including autodialed and automated texts, to that number with campaign notifications from the NRSC (55404). NRSC is happy to help at (202) 675-6000. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. Msg&DataRatesMayApply. Message frequency may vary. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.Terms and Conditions http://bit.ly/2Xax3XL. Privacy Policy https://www.nrsc.org/privacy-policy

By providing your phone number, you are joining a recurring text messaging program for the NRSC

/// Donate