Republican National Convention speeches and underwhelming fundraising reports
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.
On the last night of the RNC, convicted felon Donald Trump spoke the quiet part of the GOP’s campaign strategy out loud, “I am trying to buy your vote, I’ll be honest about that.” Donald Trump confirmed what has been obvious all along—that the Republican party is banking on their extremely wealthy candidates’ ability to buy themselves a seat in office.
“On the national stage, these ultra-wealthy carpetbaggers did everything they could to distract voters from their abysmal records and the fact that they’re trying to buy out-of-state Senate seats,” said End Citizens United Spokesperson Grace Silva. “After bending the knee and parroting MAGA talking points, they showed that they’re more interested in pursuing Trump’s Project 2025 extremist agenda than helping working families.”
Here’s what the GOP’s out-of-touch candidates have been up to:
#WISen: California Bank Owner Eric Hovde Tries to Dodge Terrible Record Against Wisconsinites
- With Wisconsin hosting the RNC, Hovde used his time to distance himself from his terrible record against Wisconsinites.
- Hovde tried to strengthen his connection to Wisconsin, saying his family has long lived in the state—but, Hovde made no attempt to include himself in the statement. He knows there’s no denying that he has more ties to California. From his $7 million Laguna Beach mansion, his California bank, and his three–time award of Orange County’s Most Influential Person, he’s more West Coast than Midwest. He must have not wanted to draw more attention to the fact that he skipped out on a Wisconsin campaign event to relax on his private beach in California and that one of his recent ads tried to pose senior executives of Hovde’s own company as regular Wisconsinites.
- In a stunning display of hypocrisy, Hovde tried to call Senator Baldwin “detached” from Wisconsin voters during his speech. Meanwhile, he’s insulted almost every demographic of Wisconsinites, including—but not limited to: senior voters, farmers, single mothers, people with obesity, Indigenous Wisconsinites, Jewish Wisconsinites, and young adults.
- This week, Senator Baldwin released a new ad featuring local Wisconsin farmers slamming Hovde for his comments downplaying their hard work. Watch here.
- Outside the convention, Hovde continues to refuse to answer the mounting questions and concerns on his financial conflicts of interests. Despite the reports that revealed Hovde’s California bank has consistently accepted investments from foreign banks and governments dating back to 2017, he won’t commit to divesting from his bank or from giving up ownership of the bank. If elected to the Senate, Hovde would have an immediate pipeline for foreign governments to line his pockets while in office.
#MTSen: Wannabe Cowboy Millionaire Tim Sheehy Pretends to Care About Public Land
- It was clear from Sheehy’s speech that he wanted to keep the focus off of his terrible campaign and the work he’s doing—and would continue to do in the Senate—to profit off of Montanans.
- Sheehy highlighted his aerial firefighting company, describing how he protected Montana’s public lands. While he may have protected these lands from wildfires, Sheehy has not protected Montana from the wealthy elite—like himself—looking to buy public land and close it off. In fact, he’s not only closed off public land to the public, but supports selling and privatizing the state’s prized land. When bragging about his career, Sheehy failed to mention that he served on the board of Property Environment Research Center (PERC), which has a long history of pushing for privatizing America’s federal lands and rolling back crucial environmental protection laws.
- He also tried to frame himself as someone who puts employees first—an ironic sentiment given the lawsuit he faces from two former employees who claim Sheehy defrauded them. The lawsuit also claims that the millionaire breached his fiduciary duties to the businesses in order to maximize his own “financial gain at the expense of minority owners.”
- Montanans know not to trust the wannabe cowboy to be able to represent Big Sky Country. In the latest reports, Senator Tester raised $10.6 million for his campaign, a monumental number compared to Sheehy’s $5.3 million—which includes a $1 million personal loan.
#PASen: Connecticut Hedge Fund Millionaire Dave McCormick Lies About his Leadership at RNC
- Unsurprisingly, McCormick’s RNC speech was riddled with lies and misleading statements about his record and ties to Pennsylvania.
- While McCormick attempted to highlight his familial ties to the state, he was unable to say that he currently lives in the Keystone State. He and his family currently live “on Connecticut’s ‘Gold Coast,’ one of the densest concentrations of wealth in America,” and he flies back and forth between the states during his campaign. It was revealed recently that prior to 2022, McCormick hadn’t voted in a single Pennsylvania election in 15 years.
- In his speech, McCormick described himself as a “business leader who helped create jobs,” despite records showing that he actually eliminated hundreds of jobs in Pittsburgh during his tenure as CEO of FreeMarkets. Then, after laying off nearly 200 employees, the hedge fund millionaire announced his business would spend over $4 million to build a new center in India, employing more than 100 people overseas. McCormick has previously said he “doesn’t really care” about outsourcing Pennsylvania jobs—but, of course, he didn’t mention that in his speech.
- He tried to portray himself as a ‘tough-on-drugs’ candidate, but the facts don’t line up. He was recently exposed for investing in China’s biggest fentanyl producer during his time as CEO of his hedge fund. Federal tax forms revealed that Bridgewater Associates held just under $2 million in stock in Humanwell Healthcare, which produces 90% of China’s fentanyl—all while McCormick was overseeing the hedge fund.
#MISen: Florida-Man Mike Rogers Misrepresents Work Outside Elected Office
- Rogers took the time to focus on his work outside Congress and tried to claim that he has a history of protecting Americans. But, when voters dig closer into his record, it’s clear that has only ever protected his own bottom line.
- Rogers brought up his work at the FBI, looking to prop himself up as someone who will defend Americans. But, what he didn’t mention, was that he recently worked for an organization that threatened privacy rights. From 2016 until he launched his Senate campaign in September 2023, he served in various senior leadership roles at Mitre Corporation, including on the board of trustees, chair of the board and director. During his time with the organization, their work was focused on developing technology that lawyers at ACLU and other human rights groups said could infringe on personal privacy rights.
- He also reupped his faux tough-on-China rhetoric, hoping that no one would remember that he lined his pockets with money from Chinese companies and refused to support trade restrictions during his time in Congress. He continues to collect money from a company with direct ties to one that was sanctioned by President Biden and Trump.
- As much as he tries to portray himself as a Michigander—both in his speech and on the campaign trail—he cannot deny that he doesn’t own a home in Michigan,. And it wasn’t until public attention that his voter registration changed from Florida to Michigan.
- As evident by recent fundraising reports, Michiganders’ are all too ready to send Rogers back to Florida. This quarter, Representative Slotkin reported an astonishing $6.5 million in contributions. Compared to Rogers’ $2 million report for the quarter, it’s clear who voters trust to fight for them.
#NVSen: Scam Brown Downplays Extreme, Out-of-Touch History
- During his speech, Brown tried to paint the extreme GOP as the party of hope for the country. His entire campaign is based on an extreme, MAGA agenda that is out-of-touch with Nevadans.
- He tried to claim that Republicans would work to keep America affordable again—but in 2022, Brown suggested a plan that would have thrown the nation into a recession. At the time, he tried to downplay the dangers of his idea by saying that these changes won’t be “pretty or easy” and that the recession would just be “temporary pain.”
- His speech did not deter voters from their heightened attention on anti-LGBTQ+ record. Brown has served as president and chairman to the Nevada Faith and Freedom Coalition, an organization that vehemently opposes marriage equality and backed legislation that permits discrimination against same-sex couples under claims of religious liberty. The group decried President Biden for signing the Respect for Marriage Act, calling it an assault on religious freedom. During his last failed Senate run, Brown praised Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. He also has a long history of affiliating with anti-LGBTQ+ churches, including Las Vegas Calvary Church and Liberty Baptist Church, which are known for their anti-LGBTQ+ doctrines.
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