Key Figures: Dean Heller

Senate Brief: 1 Week | Closing Arguments

Week of Monday, October 29

IN BRIEF: One week out from Election Day, Republican Senate candidates are en route to fall far short of expectations. Here’s why:

This cycle’s map was supposed to be a Republican juggernaut. After the 2016 election, onlookers predicted a Republican sweep of 10 Senate seats held by Democratic Senators in states that Trump won.
But multiple recruitment failures, a deeply unpopular president, and Republican ineffectiveness have evened the playing field. States once thought to be in play — Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin — are effectively off the map. And even in redder states like Montana and West Virginia, flawed Republican candidates have failed to overtake popular incumbents.
The GOP has failed to find any meaningful message on which to campaign. Democrats have displayed across-the-board message discipline on the cycle’s #1 issue — healthcare — forcing Republicans to play defense on policies […]

Read more after the jump.

QUICK CLIP: Tarkanian Tells The World About Heller’s Trump Flip-Flop

The morning of the Nevada Senate debate, Congressional candidate and one-time Dean Heller primary opponent Danny Tarkanian took to national television to remind the world that Heller has performed some truly impressive flip-flops on his support for Donald Trump.

After telling Chuck Todd he was recruited by Trump’s allies to run against Heller, Tarkanian underscored Heller’s brazen flip-flop: “I know that he became very supportive of President Trump after I got in the race. I don’t think he would have had a chance to win in this race if he hadn’t.”

Ouch. 19 days out from the election, this probably isn’t the message Heller wants delivered to Nevadans by a fellow Republican.

Watch Tarkanian highlight Heller’s Trump flip-flop:

Watch the full clip here.

Read more after the jump.

NEW AD: American Bridge Launches Call to Action to Nevada Women Before Kavanaugh Confirmation Vote

American Bridge launched a new digital ad calling on Nevada women to ramp up their pressure on Dean Heller before he casts a “yes” vote on Brett Kavanaugh.

“No Laughing Matter” blasts Heller for his description of Dr. Blasey Ford’s allegation as a “hiccup” and his emphatic statement that he has “no reservations” about supporting Kavanaugh. Heller has continued to stand with Trump as the President routinely mocks and demeans women.

The ad urges Nevada women to call Heller’s office before the final passage vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation. It will run on social media, targeted to Nevada women.

“If Dean Heller votes ‘yes’ on Kavanaugh, it will solidify his legacy of spinelessness,” said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman. “Heller’s career has been defined by lip service and empty promises. Nevada women will make sure Heller answers for that in November.”

Watch “No […]

Read more after the jump.

WATCH: Heller to Nevada Women: Call My Office

Today we caught up with Dean Heller outside his D.C. fundraiser to ask him what his message for women in Nevada is following allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh.

Heller said, “Go ahead and call my office and I’ll have a statement ready for you.”

When asked if he wants all women in Nevada to call his office, Heller said, “I do, I do.”

Heller then refused to answer a follow up question about the gravity of sexual assault.

Here’s the kicker: when we called his office, his staff couldn’t provide us with a statement.

“If Dean Heller wants to convince Nevada women that he’s serious about allegations of sexual assault, he’ll need to do a lot better than ‘call my office.’ Nevadans deserve more than a Senator who deflects when faced with tough questions,” said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman.

Watch Heller deflect questions about Kavanaugh’s sexual assault allegations:

Watch the full clip here.

Read more after the jump.

WATCH: Danny on Dean

#TBT! Before Dean Heller and Danny Tarkanian take the stage with President Trump tonight in Las Vegas, we thought we’d take a walk down memory lane.

We’re sure tonight will be all about unity, but just one short year ago, with Tarkanian and Heller locked in a bitter Senate primary fight, they weren’t what we’d call allies.

Here’s a round up of Tarkanian’s greatest hits against Heller, to start the night off on the right — or, at least, the honest — foot:

WATCH Danny on Dean here.

Read more after the jump.

REALLY? Heller Calls Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Allegations a “Hiccup”

“Nevadans are finally seeing who the real Dean Heller is: a rubber-stamp Republican who will casually dismiss sexual assault allegations against political allies — but only on a top-secret GOP conference call,” said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman. “Voters should wonder what else Heller is saying behind closed doors — and whether he’s thinking of anyone but himself.”

Nevada Independent: Heller predicts Kavanaugh confirmation to Supreme Court despite ‘hiccup’
By Riley Snyder | September 19th, 2018

“Republican Sen. Dean Heller is predicting that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will be confirmed to the nation’s highest court despite the “hiccup” of a recent allegation that the judge sexually assaulted a woman when they were both teenagers.”
“In a ‘VIP’ conference call arranged by the Nevada Republican Party on Wednesday ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the state, Heller — who is running for re-election against Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen […]

Read more after the jump.

Senate Brief: Republicans On Kavanaugh Assault Allegation: Ignore, Dismiss, Distract

Week of Monday, September 17.

IN BRIEF: A sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is putting Republican Senate candidates in a pickle.

After months of blind support for Kavanaugh’s nomination, GOP candidates will face increased scrutiny on a nominee they thought was airtight. And if their reactions so far are any indication, don’t hold your breath for Republicans to do the honorable thing.

Josh Hawley was dogged by questions from reporters after the first Missouri Senate debate last Friday. Asked about the allegation, Hawley said the Senate should move forward and vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination. Asked “Do you believe the woman?,” he refused to answer and made a quick exit.
Dean Heller doubled down on his support for Kavanaugh in a local radio interview conducted hours after the allegation was made public, saying “America will be better off” […]

Read more after the jump.

Heller: “America Will Be Better Off” With Justice Kavanaugh

Last Friday Dean Heller doubled down on his blind support of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, praising Kavanaugh’s credentials hours after a sexual assault allegation against the judge surfaced.

In a radio interview with KKOH’s Dan Mason Show, Heller called public confirmation hearings “unfortunate,” said Kavanaugh’s confirmation was a “no brainer,” predicted “America will be better off” because of Judge Kavanaugh, and agreed that Kavanaugh’s qualifications were “just not questionable.”

Listen to Heller go all in for Brett Kavanaugh: Part 1, Part 2.

Part 1:

HOST: “Is the debate on the floor going to be as silly as some of the stuff we’ve already seen?”

HELLER: “Well my prediction hasn’t changed. By the end of the month we’ll have a Justice Kavanaugh, and America will be better off because of it.”

HOST: “We would be better off if we stopped […]

Read more after the jump.

Hey Dean Heller, Here’s a Dog Leash To Help Lewandowski Keep You in Line

American Bridge Sends Heller a Dog Leash As He Campaigns With Corey Lewandowski

Today Dean Heller is campaigning across Nevada with Trump’s disgraced former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.

Dean Heller has tried and failed to pretend he’s independent of Trump. And just last month, Lewandowski made it clear to the world that he won’t pull any punches when it comes to Heller’s absolute loyalty to Trump:

“Mr. Lewandowski was even blunter, recalling a Las Vegas dinner he attended in 2017 with Mr. Heller, in which he bluntly told the senator that if he did not fall in line with Mr. Trump, the president’s allies would aggressively target him. ‘I said, ‘With all due respect, I will not miss,’’ Mr. Lewandowski recalled.” [New York Times, 8/27/18]

Well, it appears Heller has taken Lewandowski’s threat to heart as he remains in political and rhetorical lockstep with Trump. And just in case it […]

Read more after the jump.

Dean Heller Is Silent As Trump Slashes Pay for Over 11,000 Nevada Workers

The Trump Administration announced executive action yesterday that would rob over 2 million federal civilian employees of a built-in pay raise next year — and cited the federal deficit as an excuse.

But Senator Dean Heller — the ultimate Trump yes-man — has refused to stand up for the over 11,000 Nevadan federal civilian employees who stand to lose their hard-earned raise. 

That’s the same Senator Heller who bragged about authoring the tax bill that blew a $1.5 trillion hole in the federal deficit.

The workers not getting a built-in pay raise include Customs and Border Patrol agents keeping our border secure, and over 4,700 Nevadan VA workers fighting for our veterans. As of 2016, approximately one-third of federal employees were veterans.

“Dean Heller crafted a tax bill that gave massive handouts to the ultra-wealthy and will add trillions of dollars to the national debt,” said American Bridge spokesperson […]

Read more after the jump.