SENATE BRIEF: Republicans’ Weak Candidates (Yet Again) Underperform – GOP’s Blankenship Problem – Abysmal GOP Fundraising – Rick Scott Under Fire

IN BRIEF: Their historically weak field of Senate candidates is costing Republicans cold hard cash — and that’s just the start of their problems. From oppo dumps to missed fundraising expectations to misleading (and often bizarre) rhetoric, Republican candidates across the country are proving that they’re just not ready for the bright spotlight of a U.S. Senate campaign. As fundraising numbers trickle in and primary dates approach, the news from the campaign trail is looking grim for Republicans:

• WEST VIRGINIA: Republicans are so terrified convicted criminal Don Blankenship will steal the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, they have launched a secret group to try to stop Blankenship’s candidacy. Count on this group — which is closely tied to the Senate Leadership Fund — to pour millions into West Virginia ahead of the May 8 primary, wasting precious resources.
• MONTANA: Two of the leading candidates in the contentious GOP primary, Matt Rosendale and Russell Fagg, have each only raised a little over $300,000, average money for a competitive congressional race and nowhere close to what it takes to win a U.S. Senate race. Put it another way: Rosendale and Fagg together have raised less than a third of what Sen. Jon Tester raised last quarter.
• NORTH DAKOTA: Last week, Cramer’s allies aired a digital ad that uses images of Syrian children dying from chemical weapons as a campaign prop. Cramer — in the latest example of his divisive and offensive campaign rhetoric — is refusing to call for the ad to be taken down.
  • On a lighter note, check out Cramer’s latest comic gem. Here’s what he had to say recently about President Trump’s stewardship on the stock market: “It’s a bumpy ride. Roller coasters, some people like ’em.”

THREE TO WATCH: 

• Rick Scott: It’s only been a week, and yet shady Rick Scott is already facing two federal complaints: a Hatch Act complaint that shows how he and Interior Secretary Ran Zinke conspired to create a faux “exemption” from offshore drilling for Florida, and an FEC complaint for illegally coordinating with his super-PAC.
• Martha McSally: Facing pressure from Trump supporters Joe Arpaio and Kelli Ward, Martha McSally is running to the far right, embracing Trump, and flip-flopping on her previous positions.
• Mike Braun: At this weekend’s Indiana Senate debate in Indianapolis, Braun was slammed for his corrupt self-dealing as a state lawmaker. As the Indy Star reported, “As a state lawmaker, Braun worked to reduce taxes and regulations on an industry in which he holds a significant personal financial interest — a connection that raises ethical concerns”

THREE NUMBERS:

• 9: Percent of the 500 major companies that make up the S&P 500 index that have paid employees cash bonuses since the passage of the Republican tax plan.
• 109: Billions of dollars in dividends paid to shareholders following the passage of the Republican tax plan, setting a new record for dividend payments.
• 84: Percent of all stocks owned by the wealthiest 10% of households.

ONE FOR THE ROAD: “Crazy In Love” by Beyoncé — and stay tuned to the Coachella livestream again this coming weekend.

AND HAPPY MONDAY from American Bridge. Follow us at @JoshuaKarp @EmmaBeckerman1