Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, allegedly falsifying nomination signatures, and raising taxes on everyday Americans
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.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg outlined the GOP’s strategy of deploying untested wealthy out-of-state candidates to run for Senate. The report detailed the candidates’ questionable baggage, their never-ending gaffes, and their work against bettering the lives of the American people.
“Mitch McConnell’s untested and unvetted carpetbaggers continue to embarrass themselves by touting extreme policies that would harm working families,” said End Citizens United // Let America Vote Spokesperson Grace Silva. “As the pressure heats up, it’s clear that relying on out-of-touch millionaires is a failing strategy. Voters know that these out-of-staters are only running to enrich themselves and will send them packing come November.”
Here’s what the GOP’s out-of-touch candidates have been up to:
#PASen: Connecticut Hedge Fund Millionaire Dave McCormick Spews Anti-LGBTQ+ Rhetoric
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This week, Connecticut hedge fund millionaire McCormick joined Moms for Liberty, the right-wing book-banning group, and anti-public education extremist Besty DeVos, for a fireside chat. During his conversation, McCormick attacked LGBTQ+ youth and slammed 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 Pennsylvania youth and will undo policies that protect vulnerable students across the state.
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A pro-McCormick super PAC is reserving $30 million of television ads in the Keystone State. The majority of funds raised by the super PAC come from Wall Street executives and investors with the largest contributions coming from Ken Griffin, the chief executive of Citadel. Close behind Griffin are the millions of dollars from Paul Singer, the president of Elliott Management, and from Jeff Yass, a founder of Susquehanna International Group. Once again, McCormick is relying on his billionaire buddies to bolster his campaign since he can’t garner grassroots support.
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Pennsylvanians across the state are voicing their opposition to McCormick’s campaign. In a collection of letters to editors, they slammed McCormick for lying about his childhood, for pretending to be a Pennslyvanian, and for his attempts to buy himself a Senate seat.
#MISen: Florida-Man Mike Rogers Hit With Nomination Signature Fraud Allegations
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New fraud allegations have been filed against Rogers’ nomination petition, building on a previous complaint against four of the five Michigan Republican Senate candidates. The supplemental complaint claims there were additional indications of apparent fraudulent signatures found on Rogers’ petition, including: declarations from Michigan voters stating they did not sign—or do not remember—signing the petition, voters not registered in Michigan, and circulators who have been accused of engaging in fraudulent signature collection activity in other candidate petition challenges. If these claims are found to be true, Rogers’ nomination petition could drop below the required 15,000 signature threshold—putting his entire candidacy at risk.
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Mike Rogers’ inability to unite Michigan Republicans has taken a toll on his campaign. A new poll found Rogers’ total approval rate is down nearly 30 points since May 1st. The Florida-Man has taken hit after hit from both his Republican opponents and voters across the state. GOP candidate Sherry O’Donnell slammed Rogers’ lack of residency and Sandy Pensler spent seven-figures in an ad buy targeting Rogers. This follows an April editorial exposing the “fractured” GOP Senate Primary, 25 Michigan RNC delegates signing a resolution urging Trump to rescind his endorsement, and a separate petition signed by over 1,100 Michiganders calling on Trump to take back the nomination.
#NVSen: Scam Brown Admits Not Knowing History of Nevadan Issues
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Scam Brown is finally starting to reverse course on his unpopular stance on Yucca Mountain. In a stunning admission, Brown acknowledged he did “not know a ton about the history” of Yucca Mountain, showing support for turning it into a nuclear dumping site. Admitting to not knowing “a ton” about an issue that has widespread bipartisan opposition is mind-boggling—especially as Brown tries to out-run his carpetbagger status.
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This week, Brown was slammed by a local news outlet for repeatedly refusing to talk to the Nevada press. Fox11 drew attention to Brown’s absence from their primary coverage, explaining that Brown pulled out of the interview, with no response when asked to reschedule multiple times. They also reminded viewers that Brown walked out of frame and ignored their questions when asked about his refusal to participate in a local debate. The reporters concluded that Brown clearly is “not ready to answer difficult questions from us.” If he can’t answer difficult questions, how can Nevadans trust him to make difficult decisions?
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In a new interview, Brown continued his pattern of dodging direct questions. This time, he sidestepped answering how he would vote on Nevada’s abortion ballot initiative, refusing to state his stance on abortion protection. This is a continuation of his attempt to rewrite and distance himself from his own anti-abortion history. Just last week, it was revealed that he led the Nevada chapter of the staunchly anti-abortion organization, which supported some of the strictest state-level restrictions, despite erasing his presence from their website. While his attempts to appear less extreme on his position on reproductive rights, there’s no doubt that he will do anything to work against abortions.
#MTSen: Wannabe Cowboy Millionaire Tim Sheehy’s Lawsuit Details Efforts to Pad Personal Pockets at Expense of Employees
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New details emerged this week from the lawsuit against Sheehy and his brother from two former employees who claim they were defrauded. It was revealed that the Sheehys told the employees not to discuss ownership shares with other employees or they would lose them and their jobs. The lawsuit also claims that the millionaires breached their fiduciary duties to the businesses in order to “maximize their own financial gain at the expense of minority owners.” As Sheehy leans heavily into his status as a business owner, this lawsuit highlights that he’s only looking out for himself—and his own bottom line.
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The Daily Montanan’s longtime columnist detailed the growing inconsistencies throughout Sheehy’s campaign. He pointed out Sheehy’s trouble with “good communications,” inability to exercise “maximum disclosure, minimum delay,” and his failing strategy of blaming the media for the growing questions into his life. From the lies about Sheehy’s “rural” upbringing to the ever-changing story on his gunshot wound, the column underscores all the ways Sheehy “seems to be having trouble” with telling the truth.
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It’s clear that Montanans aren’t falling for Sheehy’s wannabe cowboy act. In new reporting, Senator Tester outraised Sheehy by about 2 to 1 in a six-week period from April 1 to May 15. With the enthusiastic grassroots support from across the state, Senator Tester has more than five times the amount of funds in his campaign.
#WISen: California Bank Owner Eric Hovde Threatens Tax Hikes for Working Wisconsinites
- With growing calls for Hovde to release his financial disclosures, the California bank owner’s previous tax proposals are being met with increasing scrutiny. During his last Senate campaign, he ran on a plan to cut taxes for the wealthy elite and corporations by reducing corporate tax rate to a flat 25%—down from the 34% to 39% range at the time—and eliminating nearly all deductions for working families. This would have likely meant low and middle income Wisconsin taxpayers would have faced a tax hike while millionaires, like Hovde, received a huge windfall. In 2017, he supported a tax plan that would have raised taxes for low-income Americans and retirees. It’s clear Wisconsinites cannot trust the millionaire not to give himself, the ultra-rich, and businesses tax cuts over the working class.
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