Transplant Turmoil: Another Bad Week for the GOP’s Out-of-Touch Senate Wannabes, Part 25
Big Pharma contributions, conflicts of interests, calls to transfer public land
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.
“With only 67 days until November’s election, these wealthy carpetbaggers have run out of time to prove their failing campaigns are more than a way to perpetuate a MAGA agenda and line their pockets,” said End Citizens United Spokesperson Grace Silva. “Voters see their disastrous policies will only serve wealthy donors and corporate special interests at the expense of working families.”
Here’s what the GOP’s out-of-touch candidates have been up to:
#MISen: Florida-Man Mike Rogers Sold Out Michiganders to Big Pharma Companies Involved in Opioid Crisis
- A damning new report from Bridge Michigan revealed that despite Mike Rogers’ promise to fight the opioid epidemic, while in Congress, he pushed for opioid access following Big Pharma contributions to his campaign. From 2001 to 2015, Rogers was a leading voice for greater access to pain medications, which are “typically variations of opioids”. He raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the same drug companies that now are paying billions of dollars in national opioid settlements for their roles in causing the epidemic. His record demonstrates his consistent pattern of selling out Michiganders to corporate special interests.
- Having just moved to Michigan from his Florida mansion, Rogers completely mischaracterized how voters in the Wolverine state can cast their ballots without a photo ID on a recent appearance on Newsmax, attempting to sow the seeds of doubt on Michigan’s election security. When describing the process of voting without a photo ID, Rogers purposefully failed to note that these voters must sign a legally binding affidavit to cast their ballot. The affidavit states that making any false statement on it is perjury, a felony in Michigan that is “punishable by a fine up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.” This has been Michigan’s policy since 2007—Rogers himself was voted into Congress three times under the very law. Since announcing his candidacy, Rogers has aligned himself with Trump and the Big Lie, even refusing to answer whether he’ll accept the results of the upcoming election. Given Michigan Republicans’ history with fake electors, it’s alarming that Rogers is spreading election misinformation and will not commit to accepting election results.
#PASen: Connecticut Hedge Fund Millionaire Dave McCormick Doesn’t Know—or Understand—Pennsylvania
- Dave McCormick’s latest ad hit the airwaves this week and made local news—but not for the reasons he hoped. The ad, which claimed Senator Bob Casey voted “to sell American oil to China,” was fact-checked by PolitiFact, which quickly rated the claim ‘False’. This follows a different local outlet fact-checking a different McCormick claim against Senator Casey and also finding it to be false. The millionaire’s extreme agenda is out-of-touch with Pennsylvanians and he is trying—and failing—to spread lies against Senator Casey.
- The lies didn’t end there, though. In a now-deleted tweet, McCormick shared a story to drum up false controversy on Senator Casey’s record on crime. The problem—the story, which contained a clear picture of the city’s police car, wasn’t from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was instead from Philadelphia, Mississippi. Even after deleting the tweet, voters pointed out that Philadelphia cop cars don’t look like the ones in the story McCormick shared. Maybe if McCormick ran in the state that he actually lives in, he would be able to recognize a story coming out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—let alone a cop car.
- But, he wasn’t done with spreading misinformation. On the same day, while attempting to spread more lies, McCormick’s campaign incorrectly reported Pennsylvania’s Hersheypark ticket costs as proof of rising costs. Hersheypark was quick to respond, letting the out-of-stater know that he was “not quite accurate” and ticket prices hadn’t risen 50% in the past 5 years. Even before the Philadelphia tweet, this is not the first time McCormick has shown his Connecticut colors—nor will it be the last.
#MTSen: Wannabe Cowboy Millionaire Tim Sheehy Caught Lying — Again — About Abortion, Military Record, and Public Lands
- Explosive new audio revealed Shady Tim Sheehy said he wants abortion “all to end tomorrow.” This is some of Sheehy’s most extreme language on abortion yet, saying he finds abortion to be “a terrible, terrible thing” and that he thinks “it’s sinful… it’s a repulsive thing to do.” Sheehy’s rhetoric on abortion and calls for it “all to end tomorrow” will not go over well in Montana, where voters value their freedom and right to make their own decisions without politicians getting in the way.
- Shady Sheehy still can’t get his military stories straight. The Daily Montanan dropped a bombshell report this week that Sheehy lied on the campaign trail about “parachuting” into Glacier National Park as part of a military training mission. Glacier National Park and the U.S. Navy both disputed Sheehy’s version of events. Unsurprisingly, Shady Sheehy did not respond to a request for comment. You may be old enough to remember that this isn’t Sheehy’s first lie about his activities in Glacier National Park. Sheehy has also given inconsistent explanations about his departure from the military, at times saying he was medically discharged for combat injuries, and other times saying he left voluntarily after a training incident.
- Wannabe cowboy Tim Sheehy, who came to Montana, bought up large swaths of land, and closed it off to the public, has been slammed for his support of selling the state’s prized public lands to wealthy out-of-staters like himself. Sheehy has been desperate to distance himself from the claim. But, one of his surrogates who was supposed to help clear Sheehy’s name, claimed that he and Sheehy want to transfer the management away from the federal government. This is just another confirmation that Sheehy does in fact want to transfer public lands. Anything to the contrary is a lie. It’s clear—he will say anything to get elected, but all Montanans have to do is look at his record to know where he stands on privatizing their public lands.
#WISen: California Bank Owner Eric Hovde’s Unresolved Financial Conflicts of Interest
- Following Eric Hovde finally releasing his personal financial records, Finbold published an analysis of the findings, including flagging the millionaire’s potential conflicts of interest. Hovde’s refusal to state if he’d divest from Sunset Bank was reiterated, before warning that if he “manages to become a senator, he will have to account for several conflicts of interest, primarily his CEO positions in several banks.” Instead of presenting Wisconsinites with a plan to ensure he has no conflicts of interest, Hovde is dodging any and all accountability to ensure his own self-enrichment.
- The Cap Times editorial board released a scathing response to Hovde’s criticism of Senator Tammy Baldwin’s DNC speech. They wrote, “Hovde’s statement read as if he didn’t even listen to the speech he was attacking. Why? Perhaps because actual criticism of Baldwin on the question of Social Security and Medicare would have been absurd.” They emphasize that anyone from the Badger State—not California—recognizes Senator Baldwin’s record of fighting for every Wisconsinite.
#NVSen: Scam Brown Falling Behind in Polling
- New polling shows the gap between Senator Jacky Rosen and Sam Brown widening, with Senator Rosen leading. The Emerson College Polling/The Hill/8 News Now poll found Senator Jacky Rosen ahead with 50.4% to 39.5% — in the latest poll of Nevada voters. Scam Brown’s connection to Trump’s Project 2025, his anti-abortion stance, and his calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act and dismantle the Department of Education are too extreme for Nevadans and they are ready to reject him at the ballot box.
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