NRSC Weekly Rundown: !!! TV Ads !!!, Senator Tester Lost His Mind, Nelson’s Hack and more!
And here’s this week’s edition of the NRSC Weekly Rundown:
#OnTheAirwaves: The NRSC debuted ads across the country this week, including its second West Virginia ad, holding Joe Manchin accountable for putting Washington liberals like Hillary Clinton ahead of West Virginians. In Nevada, the NRSC rolled out a new TV ad attacking Jacky Rosen for falsely claiming she “built a business” and voting with left-wing radical Nancy Pelosi nearly 90% of the time. In Missouri, the NRSC released an ad hitting Claire McCaskill for getting rich at taxpayers’ expense. North Dakotans continued to see Heidi Heitkamp’s weak record on illegal immigration highlighted, as the NRSC released another ad blasting her for supporting sanctuary cities. And the NRSC debuted its first TV ad in Montana this week, blasting Jon Tester for siding with Washington liberals like Elizabeth Warren and voting against President Trump over 60% of the time.
#NVSen: According to a new Associated Press report, Jacky Rosen’s aides wouldn’t disclose her location after she missed two major events in her congressional district last week. The AP story revealed that “a California man tweeted a photo Wednesday night that appears to show him at a fundraiser with Rosen.”
#FLSen: Bill Nelson still hasn’t explained his alarming claim that Russians “have already penetrated” some voter registration systems in Florida. Does this mean the Senator exposed classified information? Or since no state or federal officials have confirmed this claim, is he just making it up? In a new video, Bill Nelson is still trying desperately to tie his major accusation to a letter he sent back in July. But the letter doesn’t say anything about Russia already being in the system as Nelson claimed. The Washington Post fact checker weighed in and gave Nelson’s claims 4 Pinocchios, saying “Not a single speck of evidence backs him up, and we have serious doubts whether the classified information he cited even exists.”
#NDSen: Heidi Heitkamp is out with a new TV ad attempting to distance herself from her liberal voting record. But the truth is, Heitkamp was a rubber stamp for the disastrous policies of Barack Obama, voting with the former president nearly 90 percent of the time. This week, Heitkamp met with Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who 60% of North Dakotans want to see confirmed. It’s clear no matter what decision Heitkamp makes on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation she’s going to anger one bloc of voters, and with her electoral path already an impossible tightrope to walk, Heidi is in a disastrous position.
#INSen: Sleepin’ Joe Donnelly finally got around to meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh after intense pressure from his opponent, Mike Braun. But Sleepin’ Joe is continuing to follow the lead of his Democratic Party boss, Chuck Schumer, by refusing to publicly commit to voting for the eminently qualified judge until he gets the green light from his liberal colleagues. Meanwhile back home, Sleepin’ Joe is on TV pretending to be an immigration hawk. But his claims were undercut as he got fundraising help from Mr. “All the walls have got to go” himself, Cory Booker.
#MTSen: Senator Jon Tester came under fire this week after a violent poster advertising a get-out-the-vote concert for Tester’s campaign surfaced, depicting images of President Trump lying dead in front of a burning White House. Tester has refused to personally condemn the violent poster. Even worse? By remaining conspicuously silent, he’s given his tacit endorsement to the far left’s unhinged calls for violence, and allowed bad headlines to continue piling up.
#MOSen: A couple of weeks after reporting that attempts were made to hack her office, Claire McCaskill is using the incident to raise campaign cash. McCaskill’s beach buddy, Chuck Schumer, sent a fundraising email on her behalf asking donors to send money to “fight back” against the Russians. It was obvious from the start that McCaskill was publicly airing the hacking attempt to gin up publicity for her campaign.
#OHSen: While in Cincinnati, Vice President Mike Pence criticized Sherrod Brownfor his obstruction on everything from tax cuts to his vote against Justice Neil Gorsuch. Pence went on to call for Brown to “give our nominee a fair hearing and the support he deserves. If Sherrod Brown won’t vote to confirm a judge like Brett Kavanaugh, Ohio needs to send us a new Senator who will.”
#AZSen: National Journal reported this week that Kyrsten Sinema had gone into hiding from the press and that even her own staff didn’t know her whereabouts. According to National Journal, “Trying to report on Sinema’s Senate campaign was like having to deal with an incompetent cable company. Calls and emails to her campaign went unreturned for days.” Sinema finally did resurface though…in San Francisco. She may have no time for public events in Arizona, but Sinema has plenty of time to jet set to California for events where her constituents won’t be able to ask her any questions about her far-left record.
#WISen: NRSC Executive Director Chris Hansen released a statement following LeahVukmir’s victory in Tuesday night’s Senate primary election. Hansen said, “Leah Vukmir’s tireless work ethic and vision for Wisconsin stand in direct contrast to Tammy Baldwin, who has little to show for her almost three decades in politics.”
#MNSen: Karin Housley secured the Republican nomination in Tuesday night’s Senate primary and will face Tina Smith in the general election. NRSC Executive Director Chris Hansen said in a statement, “Karin Housley knows how to create jobs and get things done, both attributes we need more of in Washington.”
#MISen: Debbie Stabenow was in full spin mode at the Michigan Farm Bureau this week as she faces the race of her life. Clearly rattled by her opponent, John James, Stabenow decided to lie about her record in Washington. Stabenow claimed to be “bipartisan,” but left out her partisan record of voting against farmers and with Chuck Schumer 94% of the time and Elizabeth Warren 91% of the time.
#TNSen: Phil Bredesen is getting desperate. Facing intense pressure from his opponent, Marsha Blackburn, Bredesen is trying to distance himself from his long history of supporting higher taxes and his record of raising taxes and fees on Tennesseans by $1 billion during his time as Governor. Up against steep electoral odds in a state President Trump won by 26 points, Bredesen is changing his tune, desperately claiming he now “support(s) tax cuts that help the average Tennessean.” But Tennesseans shouldn’t take Bredesen’s change of heart as anything more than phony political rhetoric. Also this week, Bredesen admitted his greatest disagreement with President Trump was on the topic of immigration. Bredesen’s insistence on standing with left-wing liberals like Chuck Schumer instead of Tennessee voters on a topic as important as illegal immigration will haunt him.
NEWS AND NOTES:
Fox Business: Small business optimism at 35-year high
Small business owners’ optimism touched a 35-year high in July, with businesses setting records in terms of job creation and hiring, while they cited the availability of qualified workers as their biggest challenge. In another signal of just how good this economy is, the small business owners also noted that they were able to increase prices. READ
The Hill: Job Creators Network chief: GOP tax bill gave small businesses ‘biggest relief’ in 41 years
“These are family businesses. We’re talking the dry cleaner, the pizza guy. These guys were working their buns off, quite frankly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, trying to make things really work for themselves and everything that they put on the line, and 50 cents out of every dollar, in many cases, is going back to the government,” he continued. “So they needed relief, and they hadn’t seen relief in 40 some odd years, so this tax bill, the taxes and job act that passed, was the biggest relief they had seen in about 41 years,” Ortiz said. READ
CNBC: Booming Walmart, Cisco results show US economy’s strength is real and broad-based
The strong GDP economic data for the June quarter is showing up in the real economy. Major U.S. companies including Walmart and Cisco are confirming the positive macro data by posting their best financial results in many years. The reports indicate broad-based strength in the domestic economy. READ
Gallup: Democrats More Positive About Socialism Than Capitalism
For the first time in Gallup’s measurement over the past decade, Democrats have a more positive image of socialism than they do of capitalism. Attitudes toward socialism among Democrats have not changed materially since 2010, with 57% today having a positive view. READ
Nevada Independent: NRSC up with second ad attacking Rosen’s resume
The 30-second ad is called “Sketchy,” and features Etch-A-Sketch drawings of the Democratic congresswoman and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, while highlighting what it calls Rosen’s “sketchy resume” and “solid partisan” leanings in office. The ad features a short clip of Rosen talking about building a business, which is contrasted with a Reno Gazette-Journal story that found no evidence the first-term congresswoman ever held a state or local business license. READ
Washington Times: NRSC attacks Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s record on ‘sanctuary cities’
Still, her voting record on the thorny issue has dogged her, as Republicans see it as vulnerability in a state that President Trump won by about 36 points in 2016. The NRSC ad features clips of Mr. Trump telling voters that Mrs. Heitkamp “voted in favor of the deadly sanctuary cities” and of the incumbent Democrat saying there are “very few cities” that not cooperated with ICE officials. READ
Newsmax: NRSC Releases Ad Attacking Heitkamp’s Stance on Sanctuary Cities
The ad features a clip of President Donald Trump saying Heitkamp “voted in favor of the deadly sanctuary cities.” A narrator in the ad says: “Liberals fight Trump giving criminal illegals a free pass and Heidi Heitkamp is with them. Roll Call recently noted Heitkamp is running in a state where Trump won by 36 points. She is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election this year. READ
Free Beacon: NRSC Releases Scathing Ad Against McCaskill for Building ‘Personal Fortune on the Backs of Taxpayers’
The 30-second TV ad, titled “Business Plan,” highlights how the low income housing businesses of McCaskill’s husband have received $131 million in federal subsidies since McCaskill took office. The ad went on to say the Washington power couple has pocketed as much as $22 million thanks to taxpayers’ generosity. READ
Washington Post: Has Russia hacked into Florida’s election system? There is no evidence.
Nelson, however, went on to make a specific and alarming claim several times: that Russia currently has access to Florida’s election systems and could purge voters from the rolls. Not a single speck of evidence backs him up, and we have serious doubts whether the classified information he cited even exists. READ
KMMS Bozeman: Pearl Jam and Senator Tester Have Lost Their Minds
The president is in front of a burning White House and Jon Tester is flying over the ‘dead’ president cheering. Has Senator Tester lost his freaking mind? How could he let a band display such a piece of trash? Why didn’t our Senator call the secret service and report Pearl Jam? READ
Say Anything Blog: The Truth Is Inconvenient for Senator Heitkamp’s Political Strategy
The self-styled “independent” voted with the rest of the national Democratic party against the Trump tax cuts. She has positioned herself in opposition to Trump’s efforts on trade. Heitkamp needs North Dakotans to be bleeding thanks to these policies – or to at least feel like they’re bleeding – in order to demonstrate the efficacy of her decisions. READ
Washington Examiner: Joe Manchin’s abortion record is causing his campaign problems
Manchin, who describes himself as “pro-life,” voted against a bill in 2017 that would have permitted states to deny funding to organizations that provide abortion services. With an upcoming Senate vote on federal funding for Planned Parenthood, SBA List wants to pressure Manchin on his commitment to pro-life issues. READ
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