Press Releases

Transplant Turmoil: Another Bad Week for the GOP’s Out-of-Touch Senate Wannabes, Part 15

Jun 14, 2024

Hidden leadership roles and assets, skipping campaign events, and even more in-party fighting  

Welcome to another edition of Transplant Turmoil—the weekly series spotlighting the ways Republican carpetbaggers continue to prove themselves as out-of-touch with the state they’re running in. 

“The only thing these millionaire carpetbaggers have proved is that they don’t know the first thing about running a successful campaign,” said End Citizens United // Let America Vote Spokesperson Grace Silva. “Each week, they somehow find new ways to deceive and keep voters in the dark about their unpopular policies and self-enriching schemes. Voters are ready to kick them to the curb because they know these untested candidates will never fight for them.”

Here’s what the GOP’s out-of-touch candidates have been up to: 

#MTSen: Wannabe Cowboy Millionaire Tim Sheehy Hid Leadership Position at Anti-Public Lands Organization  

  • New bombshell reporting revealed Tim Sheehy, who has been slammed for weeks for supporting the privatization of Montana public land, failed to disclose his role serving on the board of Property Environment Research Center. PERC, a property rights and environmental research nonprofit, has a long history of pushing for privatizing America’s federal lands and rolling back crucial environmental protection laws. With public lands being central in the Montana Senate race, it’s all-too telling that Sheehy refused to disclose this crucial information and work to keep voters in the dark, while he tries to make a pretty penny from Big Sky Country’s land. 
  • Unsurprisingly, public lands were a focal issue in Montana’s first Senate debate. Sheehy’s unpopular policies were on full display as Senator Tester lambasted the wannabe cowboy for carpetbagging and for turning the land into his “personal playground.” Senator Tester took direct aim at the millionaire, “We’re seeing a lot of folks come into the state — rich folks — who want to try to buy our state, to try to change it into something it’s not…They’re locking people off of not only that ranch, but the public lands around it.” 

#NVSen: Scam Brown Can’t Unite MAGA Extremists…Even with Trump Endorsement

  • After relentlessly pandering to the convicted felon, Scam Brown finally won Trump’s endorsement…just maybe not as publicly as he wanted. At a rally in Nevada, two days before the primary, Trump made no mention of endorsing Brown. It wasn’t until after the rally that the endorsement was announced on Truth Social. Even after all of Brown’s attempts to gain Trump’s support, he still couldn’t get an in-person shout-out. Read more about Scam Brown’s far-right MAGA agenda at MAGASamBrown.com
  • The endorsement did little to unite MAGA extremists, who have been staunchly against Brown since the beginning of his campaign. Brown previously distanced himself from Trump and his sudden turnabout hasn’t gone unnoticed by the GOP. His primary opponent slammed  Brown’s campaign and claimed the only reason he was endorsed by Trump was because of a “big check” from potentially a “McConnell-aligned PAC.” Whether this is true remains to be determined but it’s clear Brown cannot unite Nevadan Republicans and has a long road to the election—where his former primary opponent predicts Senator Jacky Rosen will win her reelection. 

#PASen: Connecticut Hedge Fund Millionaire Dave McCormick Tries to Hide Over a Dozen Assets

  • McCormick’s updated financial disclosures have brought new attention and questions to his Connecticut ties. After quietly amending his January submission, the changes include the addition of more than a dozen Connecticut-based investments, totaling almost $1.7 million in assets just in his home state. None of these newly revealed assets are based in Pennsylvania. The update also revealed that he and his wife’s assets amount to $7 million more than disclosed in January. There’s no doubt that these assets weren’t just forgotten but instead part of McCormick’s ongoing work to buy a Senate seat and deceive Pennsylvanians along the way.
  • In a new radio interview, McCormick attempted to attack Senator Bob Casey for co-sponsoring the Equality Act, which prohibits LGBT housing discrimination. This is just the latest in his assault on LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians after joining Moms for Liberty to bash President Biden’s work to protect students from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. McCormick has made it clear that he stands with the fringe right over the LGBTQ+ community and undo years of progress. 

#WISen: California Bank Owner Eric Hovde Skips Wisconsin Campaign Stop to Relax on California Beach

  • Last week, Hovde was supposed to attend a meet and greet in Oconto County, Wisconsin but skipped town and was caught in Laguna Beach instead. He was seen lounging on the beach with the president of Hovde’s California bank instead of meeting with working families in the Badger State. Looks like Hovde just got a little homesick and needed a weekend trip to recharge before continuing his carpetbagging. 
  • After having the field cleared for him, Hovde probably assumed he’d have an easy time uniting Wisconsin Republicans under his campaign. But, that’s not quite the case. Former Milwaukee sheriff and MAGA extremist, David A. Clarke, Jr., slammed Hovde’s failing campaign, saying Hovde, “isn’t going to win like this.” He also added that the Californian is “still struggling with his identity” and that Wisconsinites don’t know what he stands for.  Although in Hovde’s defense, voters like him less as they learn that he stands for banning abortion, ending protections for those with preexisting conditions, and raising the retirement age for medicare and social security.

#MISen: Florida-Man Mike Rogers is Unfit to Serve 

  • This week, Florida-Man Rogers’ campaign and history in office was ripped to shreds by the Detroit Free Press as they announced their GOP endorsement of Rogers’ opponent. The outlet didn’t just detail why they were supporting the other candidate, but also included an entire section of why they are staunchly against Rogers. They slammed his abrupt about face regarding Trump, claiming “that alone would render Rogers unfit to serve.” They also detailed Rogers’ refusal to answer questions on his support for Trump, explaining to their readers that “his plans for the future aren’t particularly well-considered.” They also criticized his back-and-forth on important issues, like abortion, before concluding that his “transactional” approach to policies may win him the primary, but makes him without the principles needed to be a U.S. Senator. 

###