NRSC Weekly Rundown: Rally Time with POTUS & VPOTUS, Economy Soars, Dems’ Fake Mailers, *SPOILER* National Dems Can’t Save Heitkamp and more!
And here’s this week’s edition of the NRSC Weekly Rundown:
NRSC’s New Ads: #INSen, #WVSen
#BOOM: With just four days until Election Day, voters are reading an onslaught of positive economic news. The October jobs report revealed 250,000 jobs were added by U.S. employers and workers enjoyed the largest average pay increase in nearly a decade. And with unemployment at a five-decade low of 3.7%, it will be even more difficult for red state Dems to explain why they voted against President Trump’s economic agenda consistently over the past 23 months.
#MTSen: Jon Tester and his liberal dark money allies tried to deceive voters by sending potentially illegal mailers attacking Matt Rosendale in an effort to steer votes to Libertarian Rick Breckenridge. Unfortunately for Tester, the tactic backfired big time, as Breckenridge decided to throw his support behind Rosendale and denounced Tester’s shady campaign. Making Tester’s problems worse, National Review published a blistering exposé that showed Tester has broken every plank of his signature ethics pledge.
#MOSen: On the campaign trail, Claire McCaskill pretends to be an advocate for Missouri’s veterans, but her record in the Senate shows that she missed nearly half of all Senate Armed Services hearings. After desperately claiming she’s not one of“those crazy Democrats” in a campaign ad, McCaskill continued her attempt todistance herself from radical liberals like Elizabeth Warren. But McCaskill’s rhetoric doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, considering Warren donated $10,000 to her campaign and even sent a fundraising email on McCaskill’s behalf in September. The Kansas City Star reported this week that voters in at least four counties in Missouri have received anonymous mailers attacking Attorney General Josh Hawley on guns and urging them to vote for third party candidates. While McCaskill continues to feign outrage at dark money in politics, she’s content to let her allies do the dirty work for her. President Trump also visited Columbia this week, telling Missourians McCaskill will “never vote with me. That’s the problem…She never has. And she didn’t even vote for Justice Kavanaugh.”
#NDSen: In the second debate, Heidi Heitkamp reinforced why she’s losing in the polls, as she failed to defend her disastrous record and showed she’s out of touch with North Dakota voters on taxes, immigration, national security, health care and trade. With just days until Election Day, Heitkamp is abandoning her efforts to appeal to the Republican voters she needs and instead, embracing her liberal bona fides by inviting Cory “Spartacus” Booker, who led the Democrats’ smears of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and called Kavanaugh supporters “complicit in evil,” to campaign for her in North Dakota. And weeks after sending out a campaign ad outing sexual assault survivors without their consent, Heitkamp admitted she and her campaignstill have not been in touch with several of the victims after her “colossal mistake.”
#FLSen: Just days before Election Day, Bill Nelson decided to drop his phony “moderate” act and campaign with liberal darling and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris. Her help comes right after a slew of other extreme liberals have rushed in to save Nelson, including far-left billionaire Tom Steyer, Hillary Clinton’s super PAC, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker. A new ad released this week by Governor Rick Scott’s campaign highlights a shady real estate deal Nelson took part in, selling his Washington mansion to Lebanese business tycoon Rafik Hariri for $2 million more than fair-market value and using that money for his political campaign. Was this deal just a laundering scheme to hide an illegal foreign donation to his campaign? Floridians deserve an explanation. Over the weekend while campaigning, Nelson outrageously compared the U.S. political climate to the Rwanda genocide, one of the worst mass slaughters in history, right after decrying inflammatory rhetoric in politics. To make matters worse, President Trump was in Estero this week hammering Nelson’s record of doing nothing for Floridians and everything for his party bosses saying, “a vote for Bill Nelson is a vote for Chuck Schumer.”
#AZSen: Leaked video just keeps coming back to haunt Kyrsten Sinema. A new video shows Sinema’s campaign staff openly mocking Arizona values, “whatever the f*** that means” as one staffer put it, and admitted Sinema’s moderate act is a complete fraud. Predictably, Sinema tried to deflect by saying she didn’t know one of the staffers recorded in the video, but the staffer’s Facebook reveals photos of the two smiling side by side. Sinema’s lie was quickly called out by KTAR, revealing an extremely troubling pattern of deception for Sinema as she tries to cover up her radical record.
#TNSen: At a campaign event for Marsha Blackburn this week, Phil Bredesenbackers interrupted a moment of silence for the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting. The incident served as another example of Bredesen being tied to the liberal mob. Bredesen has stood by a current Tennessee Democratic Party spokesman who has criticized President Trump’s voters, calling them idiots and racists. Bredesen’s silence makes it clear that Tennesseans can’t count on him to speak up or condemn the disturbing actions of the unhinged liberal mob.
#NVSen: After a visit from President Trump in Elko recently, Dean Heller got another boost this week from Eric, Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump who rallied voters and praised Senator Heller’s work on the GOP tax cuts. Ivanka told the audience that she’s learned in Washington there are talkers and there are doers, and Dean Heller is a doer.
#INSen: Mexico Joe Donnelly came out of this week’s debate with nothing but bad headlines after a bizarre gaffe. And after weeks of trying to convince Hoosiers that he’s a conservative despite his liberal voting record, Mexico Joe is abandoning his moderate facade down the stretch, inviting Barack Obama and Cory “Spartacus” Booker to campaign for him in Indiana.
#WVSen: In the only debate, Joe Manchin made it clear he is no longer fit to continue serving as West Virginia’s Senator. On issue after issue, Manchin dodged and misled, offering no answers to why he continues to side with liberals in Washington over West Virginians. Patrick Morrisey proved he is the conservative fighter West Virginians need to defend their values in the Senate and that is why President Trumpis in Huntington today.
#NJSen: Democrats continued to panic as the possibility of an upset in deep blue New Jersey becomes more and more likely. The New York Times reports that Democrats’ internal polling shows disgraced Senator Bob Menendez’s lead down to just two points in the Garden State, forcing national Dems to spend $11 million in an attempt to prop up his campaign. But it might be too little too late.
#OHSen: In the debate this past weekend, Sherrod Brown was clear that on the issues that really matter to Ohioans, from tax cuts to illegal immigration, he does not have their interests at heart. This debate made it clearer than ever that Jim Renacci is the only one in this race who Ohio voters can count on to put them first.
#MNSen: With less than a week until the election, Senate Dems are making their last-ditch efforts in Minnesota to save Tina Smith. National Democrats are being forced to spend crucial resources to shore up what they assumed was a safe seat with reports showing the DSCC has booked $400,000 on TV, its first buy in the state. Looks like Smith should have bothered to show up to debate Karin Housley last week.
#PASen: This past weekend’s debate proved once again that Lou Barletta is the best choice for Pennsylvania families. Barletta showed a strong command of the issues and put forward fresh ideas to grow Pennsylvania’s economy and protect our national security. In stark contrast, Bob Casey regurgitated tired liberal talking points and made it clear he would continue to be a rubber stamp for Chuck Schumer and Washington Democrats’ worst ideas if reelected.
NEWS AND NOTES:
CNN: Trump Preparing To Crisscross The Country For Final Midterm Push
Trump’s battle plan for the final week includes a three-day sprint to the finish line, with multiple events a day slated for the Saturday, Sunday and Monday before voters cast their ballots, a source close to the process said. Another source familiar with discussions said the White House is considering a joint rally with both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on the eve of Election Day. Trump has rallies on the books next week in Florida, Missouri and West Virginia — all states with Senate races where Republicans are looking to flip a Democratic seat. READ
AP: US added 250,000 jobs, wage growth fastest since 2009
U.S. employers added a stellar 250,000 jobs last month and boosted average pay by the most in nearly a decade in an effort to attract and keep workers. The Labor Department’s monthly jobs report, the last major economic data before the Nov. 6 election, also shows the unemployment rate remained at a five-decade low of 3.7 percent. The influx of new job-seekers lifted the proportion of Americans with jobs to the highest level since January 2009. READ
Bloomberg: U.S. Consumer Confidence Hits 18-Year High on Jobs, Income Views
U.S. consumer confidence rose in October to an 18-year high amid optimism about jobs and the economy, according to figures Tuesday from the New York-based Conference Board. Confidence index rose to 137.9 (est. 135.9) from 135.3 in Sept. The results, coming amid a rout in U.S. stocks, bode well for continued gains in consumer spending, which accelerated in the third quarter to the best pace since 2014. A solid job market is helping to support household confidence as well as Americans’ purchases, which account for about 70 percent of the economy. READ
Washington Post: Sen. Joe Donnelly says he has black and Indian American staffers, ‘but’ they’re terrific
Sen. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), a conservative Democrat in one of the tightest reelection battles in the country, made a cringeworthy and puzzling statement about some minorities on his staff during a debate Tuesday night. So it was strange when Donnelly, in what seemed like a genuine effort to compliment his aides, said this when asked how he would bring diversity into his staffing: “Our state director is Indian American, but he does an amazing job. Our director of all constituent services, she’s African American, but she does an even more incredible job than you could ever imagine.” Mr. Senator, but, what? READ
Great Falls Tribune: Libertarian endorses Rosendale in Senate race
Libertarian Rick Breckenridge on Wednesday threw his support behind Republican candidate Matt Rosendale, saying he was standing up against “dark money” in politics. Breckenridge said he was angry about a recent anonymous campaign mailer that said if Rosendale were elected, it would lead to more government surveillance and that voters should cast votes for Breckenridge instead. GOP officials said there were no names attached to the mailer, which arrived in mailboxes Tuesday, nor was it known how many were sent out. The lack of a name is a violation of state and federal election laws. READ
National Review: Senator Tester’s Broken Ethics Pledge
Despite this earnest rhetoric, Tester has followed the Washington playbook to the letter since taking office. He’s hired former lobbyists, sponsored bills that former staffers lobbied in favor of, accepted lobbyists’ campaign contributions, and allowed lobbyists and other special interests to pay for his travel and that of his staff. He has become so comfortable with the ways of D.C. that he has accepted $1,378,387 in campaign contributions from lobbying firms over the course of his career and has accepted more money from lobbyists this election cycle than all but two of his fellow Senate candidates, according to opensecrets.org. Tester’s embrace of the Washington way is by no means a recent phenomenon: Over the course of his Senate tenure, Tester has hired six staffers away from lobbying firms, and, according to Legistorm, 15 of his former staffers have gone on to work at lobbying firms after serving in his office, on his political campaigns, or on his committee staff. READ
The Weekly Standard: New Missouri Poll Shows Hawley Opening Lead over McCaskill
But with under ten days to go until Decision Day, the latest polling shows that Hawley may have opened up his biggest lead of the campaign. The new poll, which was commissioned by nonpartisan news agency Missouri Scout and conducted between October 24 and 25 by GOP polling group Remington Research, shows Hawley leading McCaskill by four percentage points, 49 percent to 45 percent, with three percent undecided and three third-party candidates pulling in one percent each. The poll surveyed more than 1,300 likely voters across the state, and the margin of error was 2.6 points. READ
Roll Call: Claire McCaskill Defines ‘Crazy Democrats’ for Fox News
One week before the midterm elections, Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill has tried to distance herself from the most liberal elements of her party, including high-profile progressive Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. McCaskill refrained from grouping Sanders or Warren in with the “crazy Democrats” her campaign distanced her from in a radio ad last week. But, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, she invoked their names when asked if any of her colleagues were “crazy Democrats.” “I would not call my colleagues crazy, but Elizabeth Warren sure went after me when I advocated tooling back some of the regulations for small banks and credit unions,” McCaskill said. READ
Kansas City Star: Anonymous ads attack Josh Hawley on guns, boost third-party candidates
Voters in at least four counties around the state have received political mailers from an unknown source attacking Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley on guns — and implying that they should support a third-party or independent candidate. the mailers fail to identify who paid for them, which is required by law. But they appear to be connected to mailers attacking GOP senate candidates in Montana and Indiana. The mailers are similar to ones that appear to be circulating in Montana and Indiana, two other states like Missouri where an incumbent Democrat is running in a tight Senate race. In Indiana, the state’s Libertarian Party denied any connection to the mailers. READ
WFB: McCaskill Missed Nearly Half of All Armed Services Hearings
Since joining the Senate in 2007, McCaskill has served on the Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over Department of Defense funding and policies affecting U.S. military personnel. Even though the committee is recognized to be one of the most important in the Senate and certainly the most important to members of the military, McCaskill has missed nearly half of its hearings throughout her tenure in Congress. READ
New York Post: New Jersey should vote out corrupt Menendez
And with Republicans now looking likely to retain control of the US Senate, a Hugin win would give the Garden State a voice with the majority caucus. Voters can choose to believe Menendez’s claim that, after more than 30 years in elected office (and two terms in the Senate), he’s finally learned his lesson and will behave himself in the future. Sorry — we’re not buying it. New Jersey, and the nation, will be much better off with Bob Hugin in the Senate. READ
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