States: Arizona

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(S): McSally Totally Loses It When Confronted With Her Horrible Healthcare Record

Martha McSally is caught in a downward spiral of her own making, thanks to her multiple votes to weaken protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions.

On the campaign trail yesterday, McSally got into a heated argument with reporters who dared to confront her about her record. Instead of owning up to her votes against pre-existing conditions, McSally demanded that they “talk about the things that matter to most voters.” (Reminder: healthcare is the number one issue for voters this cycle.)

Watch McSally break down and lash out over her healthcare record:

Watch the full clip here, and read more on McSally’s pre-existing conditions pickle below.

Politico: GOP alarmed Obamacare attacks could cost them the House
Bloomberg: Clash on Health Care Takes Center Stage in Arizona Senate Race
Roll Call: McSally Defends Health Care Record in Testy […]

Read more after the jump.

McSally Snubbed By Home District Newspaper

Today Martha McSally’s home district newspaper the Arizona Daily Star endorsed her opponent in a major snub. The Daily Star endorsed McSally back in 2016, calling her a “strong, smart and pragmatic representative.” These days? Not so much. Read on below to see what they had to say about McSally’s extreme shift rightward.

Arizona Daily Star: Star Opinion: Kyrsten Sinema for the U.S. Senate
October 18, 2018

“The race to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate is one of the most watched in the country, with good reason.”
“Martha McSally’s Arizona follows the Trump agenda, embraces tax cuts for the wealthy, values veterans, wants a border wall, seeks to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and is itching for a fight on trade, tariffs, immigration, foreign relations and the environment.”
“We have found her determined march to the political right, and her alignment with President Trump, alarming.”
“In her quest for a Senate seat, […]

Read more after the jump.

Rhetoric vs. Reality: McSally Distorts Her Own Record During the AZ-SEN Debate

Martha McSally had a doozy of a debate last night. Defensive and desperate, she distorted her record over and over again. Instead of focusing on the issues, McSally peddled debunked lies. Her debate performance is the clearest proof yet: McSally will do or say anything to get elected.

Below, we break down some of her most egregious falsehoods.

RHETORIC: McSally denied that she put Arizonans’ privacy at risk by voting to allow anyone to buy or sell private information online: “What are you even talking about? Of course, I did not do that.”

REALITY: McSally voted to repeal rules that would prevent internet service providers from selling users private browsing data and received nearly $100,000 from the telecom industry.

RHETORIC: McSally said: “I voted to protect people with pre-existing conditions to make sure insurance companies were forced to give them healthcare, had no caps on insurance, and couldn’t cancel it.”

REALITY: McSally voted for […]

Read more after the jump.

NEW: Martha McSally Doesn’t Have An Issues Page, So We Made One For Her

www.mcsallyhasissues.com

With less than 30 days to go until Election Day, Martha McSally still doesn’t have a webpage detailing her issue stances, so we took the liberty of creating one for her in the style of her campaign site.

McSallyHasIssues.com highlights six key pillars of McSally’s record: enabling corruption in Washington, broken promises to protect healthcare, broken promises to seniors, selling out to special interests, feckless pandering on immigration, and letting down women.

Check out McSally’s issues page here.

“Arizonans seeking more information about McSally’s platform come up short when they visit her website,” said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman. “McSally is clearly trying to hide her real record of political expediency and feckless flip-flops. We’re proud to shed some light on what McSally truly stands for.”

Read more after the jump.

Senate Brief: T-Minus 4 Weeks.

Week of Monday, October 8.

IN BRIEF: 4 weeks out from Election Day, one issue has risen above the rest to define this cycle: healthcare. 

On the campaign trail, Republican Senate candidates are on defense, forced to answer to constituents who are terrified by GOP attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act. 

And they’re not doing a very good job. This week, Mike Braun gets a gold star for healthcare disingenuousness on the campaign trail.

For months, Braun has touted his company’s healthcare plan as a proof point for his commitment to affordable healthcare. Watch him talk it up here and here.
There’s just one problem: Braun’s employees say his healthcare plan was “not real insurance.” Politico reports that former employees of Braun’s company, Meyer Distributing, complained about the “horrendous” benefits that came with a $5,000 individual deductible and a $10,000 family deductible.
Braun has been asking Hoosiers for […]

Read more after the jump.

American Bridge Launches Multi-State Digital Ad Campaign Highlighting Republican Senate Candidates’ Complicity in Kevin Cramer’s Sexual Assault Comments

Today American Bridge launched a multi-state digital ad campaign targeting Republican Senate candidates for fundraising with North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer after he called Dr. Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegation against Brett Kavanaugh “absurd” because “it didn’t go anywhere,” and said “even if it’s all true, does it disqualify him?”

The ads target four Republican Senate nominees who are attending a joint fundraiser with Cramer this Friday: Josh Hawley, Mike Braun, Martha McSally, and Patrick Morrisey. Not one of the four has denounced Cramer’s comments.

The ads will play statewide on social media in Missouri, Indiana, Arizona, and West Virginia, targeted to midterm voters.

“Kevin Cramer has made it abundantly clear over the past week that he is incapable of the kind of judgment befitting a U.S. Senator,” said American Bridge spokesperson Amelia Penniman.“And not only have his fellow Republican Senate nominees failed to condemn Cramer’s remarks, they are attending […]

Read more after the jump.

Senate Brief: The GOP’s October Flop

Week of Monday, October 1.

IN BRIEF: Welcome to October. The start of this month typically signals a shift in campaign messaging towards closing arguments and GOTV. But after a string of major flops, GOP Senate candidates are having a tough time giving voters something to turn out for.

Republicans have lost major messaging battles with the unpopularity of the tax cuts and their neverending healthcare screw ups.
Now, Morning Consult reports that a third pillar in their anticipated platform — the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court — has collapsed, leaving devastating polling losses among Republican women after sexual assault allegations surfaced against Kavanaugh.

Republican Senate candidates apparently didn’t get this memo. While all eyes were on Washington last week, GOP Senate candidates across the country continued spouting insensitive, even offensive comments about Dr. Blasey Ford’s allegation and testimony. Some of their choice words? “ Read more after the jump.

“Childish and Unappealing,” “Sexist,” “Petty”: What Arizonans Are Saying About Martha McSally’s Debunked Campaign Ads

Arizona Daily Star: Letter: What is McSally saying?
By Bette E. Bunker Richards | September 12, 2018

“As a family member who has supported and assisted active duty military members my entire life, I am thoroughly disgusted with Martha McSally’s political ads.”
“Does she think that military family members do not also serve our country? My family members fought — and sometimes died — for the right of Americans to protest any and all government actions.”
“Obviously, McSally thinks I, and other military family members, have no right to protest and she did not fight for that.”
“Why doesn’t she talk about her record as a representative instead of only her past military experience?”

Read the full letter here.

Arizona Daily Star: Letter: Open letter to the Honorable Martha McSally
By Cindy Soffrin | September 12, 2018

“Let’s be clear, you were performing your military service […]

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.