NRSC Weekly Rundown: Ad: Trump’s take down of Tester, Scott outraises and outworks Nelson, unemployment down, consumer confidence up and more!
And here’s this week’s edition of the NRSC Weekly Rundown:
#MTSen: The NRSC dropped a new ad in Montana highlighting President Trump’scampaign against Jon Tester for his baseless allegations against VA Secretary nominee Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson. After calling Tester’s allegations an “absolute disgrace,” the President called for Tester to resign and tweeted out that Tester is weak on border security. White House staff also slammed Tester in a Montana radio interview highlighting his hypocritical attempts to convince Montanans he works with the Trump administration. The far-left’s Elizabeth Warren was quick to come to the rescue of Tester’s struggling campaign. Making a bad week worse, Tester continues to rail against dark money spending but has uploaded secret documents to his website signaling what he would like to see out of his dark money allies’ TV ads.
#NationalSmallBusinessWeek: Small businesses are booming thanks to the GOP tax cuts. In a recent survey, 72% of small business owners cited new hiring and expansion as a top priority in 2018. As the tax cuts continue to drive growth, it’s no surprise that jobless claims are at a 45-year low and that consumer confidence is on the rise.
#FLSen: Within the first three weeks of his campaign, Rick Scott raised $3.2 million, outpacing Bill Nelson’s best fundraising quarter. On Tuesday, Scott announced a major endorsement from Puerto Rico’s Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón, as his campaign announced a seven-figure ad buy, in a double dose of bad news for Nelson. With Nelson’s long history of voting for higher taxes for Florida families, Democrats should be very worried by Scott’s candidacy.
#MOSen: More bad news for Claire McCaskill. Once again, a poll found McCaskill with the support of just 45% of voters on a ballot against Attorney General Josh Hawley. With just six months until Election Day, McCaskill’s numbers continue to plummet and she continues to run to the far-left for support. McCaskill’s reuniting with one of her best friends, Barack Obama, at a swanky fundraiser in Hollywood this weekend.
#MNSen: Tina Smith got a primary from the left as Trump-hating impeachment advocate Richard Painter announced his candidacy. Painter’s arrival to the race will force Smith to either continue her lurch to the left or alienate her radical base.
#NVSen: Jacky Rosen’s inexperience and inability to get results in Congress presents a real danger for Nevadans when it comes to Yucca Mountain. Unlike Rosen, Senator Heller has made a career out of defending Nevada and preventing the state from becoming the nation’s nuclear waste dump.
NEWS AND NOTES:
CBS News: NRSC runs ad in Montana against Sen. Jon Tester over Ronny Jackson allegations
Republicans are taking out an attack ad against Sen. Jon Tester in an attempt to make good on President Donald Trump’s pledge that the Montana Democrat will pay for scuttling his Department of Veterans Affairs nominee. READ
Fox News: Tester feeling heat from Trump in Montana Senate race
Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is now feeling the full weight of Washington Republicans’ drive to unseat him in the midterms, on the heels of President Trump’s attacks for helping derail his pick to lead Veterans Affairs. The National Republican Senatorial Committee plans to air a statewide ad for at least a week starting Wednesday, highlighting Trump’s charge that the Montana senator’s actions were a “disgrace.” READ
Washington Examiner: Trump’s assault on Jon Tester gives GOP room to run in Montana
Republicans believe President Trump’s public attacks against Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is giving them a new opening against a Democratic incumbent, in a year when every Senate seat is important. READ
Politico: Scott raises $3.2M in first 3 weeks, topping Nelson’s best 3 months
Scott’s campaign is touting the number because it was the amount Nelson raised over the first three months of 2018. It was the three-term senator’s biggest single quarter. READ
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Bad news for McCaskill: New poll says majority of Missourians think it’s time for new senator
More than half of Missourians say they want to elect a new U.S. senator, according to a new Morning Consult poll that also shows Sen. Claire McCaskill with the worst job-approval ratings of any incumbent Democrat running in states won by President Donald Trump. READ
Politico: Menendez admonishment gives New Jersey Republicans a lifeline
The Senate Ethics Committee’s “severe” admonishment of Menendez last week over gifts received from and favors done for a friend gave some much-needed ammunition to New Jersey Republicans. READ
The Hill: The incredible state of small business in America
Nearly a third of Main Street businesses say it’s a good time to expand, the highest since the National Federation of Independent Business began asking in 1973. Fifty-nine percent of small business owners said they anticipate economic expansion in the next year, according to CNBC. READ
Washington Examiner: Jobless claims running at lowest levels in 45 years
After hitting the lowest level since 1969 the week before, new claims for unemployment benefits rose just 2,000 to 211,000 in the last week of the month, the Department of Labor reported Thursday morning. That number was well below the 224,000 that forecasters had expected. READ
CNN: Unemployment is below 4% for the first time since 2000
The United States added 164,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department reported Friday. That was slightly below what economists expected. Unemployment dropped to 3.9%, the lowest since December 2000. READ
USA Today: ADP: Businesses added 204,000 jobs in April, above economist expectations
ADP, the large payroll processor, said Wednesday that businesses added 204,000 jobs last month, possibly signaling the government’s employment report this week will reveal a rebound in hiring after a weak showing the prior month. READ
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