New Online Ad: Bruce Rauner: Adamantly Against What's Right for Illinois

Today, American Bridge is releasing a new online ad highlighting billionaire Bruce Rauner's attacks on minimum wage workers in Illinois.…

New Web Ad: Scott Walker's Ditch

American Bridge is releasing a new web ad today highlighting Scott Walker's failed economic record. The governor was once considered…

New Web Ad: Ducey Misleads On His Record At Coldstone

Former Cold Stone Creamery CEO Doug Ducey has repeatedly bragged about building his ice cream empire without any help from the…

Thom Tillis tries to mansplain away his contraceptives contradiction

In last week's North Carolina Senate debate, Speaker Thom Tillis declared his support for over the counter access to birth control, a statement that flies in the face of not only his earlier comments on contraceptives in particular, but his broader record on reproductive rights. Tillis' proclamation in last week's debate, no doubt a deliberate attempt to whitewash his position on these issues in the face of a significant gender gap in the race, rightfully earned the scorn of his hometown paper, the Charlotte Observer. The paper's Sunday editorial referred to Tillis' contraceptives comments as having the "pungent odor of politicking," considering his previous support for defunding Planned Parenthood and dangerous personhood amendments that could severely limit access to or even criminalize women's health services. The Observer notes that his support for over the counter birth control is "quite the turnaround," given that earlier this year, during his bid to secure the GOP nomination for Senate, Tillis agreed with his fellow GOP candidates that states should be able to ban contraceptives, according to a report from the Raleigh News & Observer.

Two More Months To Enjoy Scott Brown’s Hilarious Campaign

Republicans have their candidate in the New Hampshire senate race. But he'll be the first to tell you, he's not from New Hampshire.

Beyond that obvious shortcoming, Scott Brown comes with plenty of non-carpet baggage as well. As he enters a new stage in his disastrous attempt to become a New Hampshirite and then become a New Hampshire senator, here are the top 10 lowlights from his haphazard campaign thus far:

1. He said, "I'm not going to create one job" as Senator of New Hampshire -- although he seemed more interested in job creation in Massachusetts. [VIDEO]
2. In an attempt to close a massive deficit among female voters, Brown awkwardly dished out "hero awards" to female supporters, at least one of whom was confused, embarrassed, and not even sure who she would vote for.
3. He woke up to this lovely headline about sitting on the board at Kadant: "Brown’s $270K income from Mass. company exporting jobs overseas belies campaign promises"
4. In his attempt to pander to the right during primary season, Brown made a fool of himself by denying that man-made climate change was scientifically proven -- in direct contradiction with his position from 2012.
5. He got clobbered for helping to tank Jeanne Shaheen's bipartisan energy bill -- which was supported by Kelly Ayotte -- just to try to strip her of an accomplishment to run on.
6. He abruptly resigned from an advisory role at obscure Florida-based company froom which he had received $1.3 million in stock after questions began to swirl over the business's practices and his involvement.

Everything you need to know about today's oral arguments in Walker's John Doe Lawsuit

Today, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals will release oral arguments in a lawsuit stemming from a John Doe investigation into Walker’s 2012 recall campaign. The probe began in February 2012, when evidence surfaced of illegal campaign coordination between Walker’s recall campaign and outside groups. Like before, Walker will dismiss the evidence against him as partisan. But the facts don’t lie. The investigation into Walker was launched by a bipartisan group of prosecutors, and the lead prosecutor is a self described supported of the governor. In addition, the probe was approved by Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board – the majority of which had been appointed or re-appointed by Walker himself. Already this case has raised the specter of pay to play politics, with documents showing enormous secret  donations from mining interests for whom Walker signed favorable legislation. What else will come to light in this case? American Bridge will be watching.

The GOP Has a "New" Front-runner for 2016

After two straight landslide defeats in presidential election, the Republican Party found itself in desperate need of a fresh face with new ideas and broader appeal moving toward 2016. Simply put, they need a top tier candidate. But as political forecaster Larry Sabato summed up last week:

It’s lonely at the top of the Republican field — like, “top of Mt. Everest” lonely. In our latest shuffle of the 2016 Crystal Ball presidential outlook, we’ve decided that the Republican first tier is…empty. Our Republican friends might object, but deep down, we think they would be hard-pressed to argue for any single name to head this long list."

All the theoretical GOP front-runners are tainted. Chris Christie, Scott Walker and Rick Perry are mired in scandal. Rand Paul's political backflips have been dizzying, leading even conservative pundits to raise the question: "Is he jettisoning his worldview to revive a presidential campaign?"

ICYMI: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel- Investigation into Scott Walker "must continue"

Last week, former Virginia Governor Republican Bob McDonnell became the first Virginia governor to be convicted of a felony, with a federal grand jury finding him guilty of 11 counts of corruption. Across the country, another GOP Governor, Scott Walker, faces questions stemming from an investigation into his own potentially felonious behavior, as highlighted by recent editorials in his hometown newspapers. Indeed, the most recent documents released in the John Doe investigation into Walker illustrate his alleged centrality to a criminal scheme to illegally coordinate campaign spending with an outside group, Wisconsin Club for Growth. The New York Times editorial board last week pointed to a $700,000 contribution from a large mining company to Wisconsin Club for Growth, timed closely with Walker signing pro-mining legislation into law, as evidence that the Governor and his aides "brazenly violated state campaign finance regulations":

Newly released documents show that the mine operator, Gogebic Taconite, secretly gave $700,000 to a political group that was helping the governor win a 2012 recall election. Mr. Walker had urged big corporations to give unlimited amounts, without fear of public disclosure, and many companies that wanted favors from the state happily obliged. Once the recall failed, the favors began to flow, even at the expense of the state’s natural resources.

But perhaps even more damning for Walker are a pair of editorials from two of the local Wisconsin publications that have been tracking the investigation most doggedly, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and the La Crosse Tribune. Both editorial boards not only offer strong rebukes for the Governor's scheme to raise money in support of his campaign during the 2012 recall election, but emphasize the importance of the John Doe investigation itself.

Where does the time go? Maybe it's stuck in that traffic in Fort Lee…

Friends, it was just one year ago this week when some mysterious traffic problems popped up in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Was it a "traffic study?" (Hint: no) Was it a pathetic attempt by the administration of a vindictive governor to exact revenge on his political enemies? (Hint: ding ding ding!) Since the story first broke, Christie's approval ratings have plummeted, he's lost voters' trust (in New Jersey and beyond), and the integrity of his conduct in office has fallen into question. Through thick and thin, American Bridge has been by his side, issuing open records requests to get to the heart of the real story, highlighting the ethical shortcomings of Christie's administration, and having a bit of fun along the way. So here's to the good times over the past year since Christie took out his political anguish on his own constituents, and so many more to come. Join us on a trip down memory lane, before Governor Christie closes it out of political retribution:

BridgegateTapes.com

Cory Gardner and Thom Tillis: Insulting Women’s Intelligence

"At a GOP forum last month, candidates also said they thought states had the right to ban contraceptives. Tillis, who skipped the event, later said he agreed." [News & Observer, 1/31/14]

"When pressed specifically to rebut Brown’s assertion that S.B. 143 would have resulted in longer sentences for abortion providers than rapists and whether that is something Gardner still supports, Siciliano did not respond further." [KDVR, 9/3/14]

Thom Tillis believes that states have the right to ban contraceptives. Cory Gardner sponsored a bill that would have resulted in longer sentences for doctors who provide care for rape victims than to for the rapists themselves. Those are facts. And that is only the tip of the iceberg for each Senate candidate's record on women's issues. Now, both candidates are suddenly supporting over-the-counter birth control and claiming they are the better choice for women than their opponents. It's desperate election-year pandering. It's insulting. And it's fooling nobody. No two senate candidates have been more strongly committed in their careers to taking away women's access to health care and ability to make their own decisions.