Ignoring local issues, threatening thousands of jobs, and eating cheesesteak on camera
Welcome to another week 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.
This week, Vanity Fair highlighted the growing trend of wealthy carpetbaggers looking to buy themselves Senate seats as they “parachut[ed] back into states they have only a tangential relationship with.” As voters within these key states continue to realize how out-of-touch these candidates are, they’re reminded that “money doesn’t necessarily mean political mastery.”
In this week’s edition, it seems only fitting to include election-denier Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake—who may not be from out of state but has decidedly moved her campaign to a national level instead of focusing on the issues working Arizona families care most about.
What the GOP’s out-of-touch candidates have been up to:
#AZSen Extreme Election Denier Kari Lake Abandons Arizonans While Taking 50 Out of State Trips Since Jan. 2023
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As Arizona’s Senate race heats up, it’s becoming more apparent that Lake is more focused on her national profile than connecting with local voters. According to a new report, by the end of April, she will have taken over 50 out-of-state trips since January 2023. This includes more than a dozen out-of-state appearances since launching her Senate bid in October and three trips this month alone.
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Though she’s desperately tried to backpedal, there’s no denying that Lake holds extreme stances on almost every issue that concerns the Copper State. When it comes to reproductive freedoms, she’s called abortions the ‘ultimate sin’, believes birth control pills should be illegal, and has supported laws to restrict reproductive rights in other states. Lake also wants to end mail-in voting, which 75% of Arizonans use, spread dangerous COVID-19 misinformation, and spent the majority of her time puppeting Trump’s talking points. All of this, of course, is in addition to her repeated lies that the 2020 Presidential election and Arizona’s 2022 election were stolen in favor of President Biden and Governor Hobbs.
#PASen: Connecticut Hedge Fund Millionaire David McCormick Continues Tourist Trip Around the State
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As part of his ongoing attempt to portray himself as a Pennsylvanian, McCormick decided the best way to do so was to call the news to watch him eat a cheesesteak. Looking more like a tourist as he pandered to the cameras, McCormick was joined by the deeply unpopular and far-right extremists Rick Santorum and Pat Toomey.
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During his tourist stop, McCormick said he and Trump are “very aligned” and that their campaigns can complement each other, which makes sense as they both support dangerous policies against the will of the people. It’s ironic that McCormick hopes Trump can help his campaign considering they both lost their last elections and are trailing behind in polling to Senator Casey and President Biden, respectively.
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McCormick’s staunch anti-abortion stance was brought back into the spotlight this week, after a video from 2022 resurfaced. In it, he claims that the laws need to be changed, reaffirming previous comments supporting a national abortion ban.
#WISen: California Bank Owner Eric Hovde Dodges Local Issues
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Two weeks after joining a fundraiser with a man arrested for his role in the January 6th insurrection, Hovde took the stage with Trump at his rally. Given their shared values of banning abortion, repealing the Affordable Care Act, and promoting election conspiracies, it was no surprise that Trump endorsed the California millionaire.
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Despite claiming to be a Wisconsinite, it’s clear Hovde can’t run on local issues. A new report revealed that Senator Baldwin is running a hyper-local campaign, embarking on a ‘Dairyland Tour’ as Hovde keeps his messaging on national issues. Combined with his shiny-new endorsement from Trump and his own self-funding, it’s clear that Hovde doesn’t believe he needs to garner support through local issues.
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Hovde’s anti-abortion beliefs were highlighted following an endorsement by the Wisconsin Republican Congressional delegation. Almost all the congressmen within the group are members of the Republican Study Committee—the group that pushed forward a budget proposal that endorsed legislation that would ban abortion and threaten IVF. And despite Hovde’s attempt at erasing his anti-abortion record, Wisconsin voters will see through the veil and recognize that Senator Tammy Baldwin has always been a fierce advocate for full access to reproductive health care.
#MTSen: Wannabe Cowboy Millionaire Tim Sheehy Puts Federal Employees at Risk of Unemployment
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In a new podcast interview, Sheehy said he wants to “vaporize” federal agencies just like far-right Argentine leader Javier Milei. With over 8,000 Montanans employed by federal agencies, it’s unbelievable that Sheehy wants to put their jobs—and the state’s economy—in such jeopardy. From education to agriculture, it puts into question what other avenues of federal support Sheehy wants to gut at the sacrifice of everyday Montanans.
#MISen: Florida-Man Mike Rogers Fails to Unite Republicans
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Afraid of losing Trump’s endorsement, Rogers downplayed the former president’s statement that Russia was able to do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO. Instead, Rogers chalked it up to a simple joke, saying that Trump was “just being funny.” The verdict is still out on Rogers actually knowing what a joke is…
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Florida-Man Rogers continues to fail at uniting Michigan Republicans as the infighting ramps up. A new editorial exposed the “fractured” GOP Senate primary, and claimed that “Republicans stand to lose” the race this fall. This follows the 25 Michigan RNC delegates signing a resolution urging Trump to rescind his endorsement and a separate petition signed by over 1,100 Michiganders also calling on Trump to take back the nomination.
#NVSen: Scam Brown is a Threat to Reproductive Rights
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If Brown hoped he could quietly rewrite his anti-abortion history, he’s in for a rude awakening. After refusing to elaborate on his support for IVF and after his campaign website was exposed for directing women to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers that rely on scare-tactics, a scathing new report highlights the sudden change in his stance. His threats to abortion stand in stark contrast to Senator Rosen’s leadership in protecting reproductive freedoms.
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