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FRIDAY TAKEAWAY – DEMS CONTINUE OUTRAISING CHALLENGERS – NC DEMS LAUNCH STATEWIDE FIELD PROGRAM – TILLIS’ ILLEGAL ADS – REP. SAULS’ COVER UP
NC DEMS HAVE $4.5M CASH-ON-HAND ADVANTAGE
Last week, North Carolina Democrats announced a record $5.8 million cash-on-hand, an unprecedented amount for a midterm election and a sign on the growing Democratic enthusiasm across North Carolina. In comparison, the NC Republican Party reported only $1.3 million, giving Democrats a $4.5 million cash-on-hand advantage.
DEM CANDIDATES CONTINUE OUTRAISING VULNERABLE CHALLENGERS
Republicans’ money problems don’t stop there… Across the state, Republican incumbents are being outraised by Democratic challengers, some with eye-popping numbers. With Democratic challengers in every district and a wave of Democratic enthusiasm, November is shaping up to be the toughest election Republicans have ever faced.
NC DEMS TO HOST WEEKEND OF ACTION
North Carolina Democrats are fired up and ready to knock some doors! This weekend, NCDP and Break the Majority will kick off the largest legislative field program in the country with our first Weekend of Action. At over 18 events across the state, over 250 volunteers will be knocking doors, making calls, and talking to their neighbors about how to Break the Majority this November. This follows in the footsteps of the more than 500 volunteers who have already shown up to volunteer at Community Action Meetings in July.
DID ILLEGAL ADS ‘TIP THE SCALE’ FOR TILLIS?
Thom Tillis is facing his second FEC complaint in months, thanks to a bombshell Politico report that uncovered potential coordination between Tillis’ campaign, their ad maker, and the NRA in 2014. According to Politico, the ad maker was making ads for Tillis and the NRA’s independent expenditure effort with no apparent firewall between accounts. This, despite federal elections laws that prohibit outside groups that are spending on a particular campaign to coordinate with that campaign or any of its vendors.
Tillis is being tightlipped now – but in 2014, he clearly believed the NRA was the deciding factor in his election, saying in a 2015 Washington Times op-ed:
“…countless North Carolinians approached me on the campaign trail to tell me that I had their votes for one simple reason: my proven record of advancing Second Amendment rights. The reason they knew about my record was because of the NRA’s peerless grass-roots mobilization, which quickly got the word out and ultimately helped tip the scales for my campaign.”
FLASHBACK: Tillis’ shady dealings with Cambridge Analytica found him in hot water earlier this year. Now it looks like he may have broken even more campaign finance laws…
DOCTORED EMAILS, A COVER UP, AND REP. SAULS
Rep. John Sauls’ campaign failed to file their first quarter disclosure report – and instead of owning up to their mistake, they tried to cover it up – even doctoring emails to hide their mistake. These actions raise serious questions about Rep. Sauls’ judgment and character – the people of Harnett and Lee deserve better (someone like Democratic challenger Lisa Mathis).
SO MUCH FOR THE CAROLINA COMEBACK…
Republicans in North Carolina have heralded their tax cuts as a “Carolina Comeback,” but a recent study suggests that many North Carolinians are underemployed and that “worker productivity” may be in danger. North Carolinians deserve representatives who put the people’s best interest before corporate tax cuts and partisan gain.
REPUBLICANS CONTINUE TO TAKE ON WATER OVER GENX
The Fayetteville Observer didn’t mince words when it came to efforts from local Republicans to help people suffering from GenX. The paper rightfully said, “The General Assembly did worse than nothing,” and called out local leader like Sens. Meredith and Lee and Rep. Szoka because they “appear to have gone silent.”
Their solution? “Legislative turnover in the November elections.” We couldn’t agree more.
GOV. COOPER LAUNCHES FINISH LINE GRANTS
This week, Governor Cooper unveiled the Finish Line grant program, a program aimed at preventing students from dropping out of community college due to things like unforeseen expenses. The plan directs $7 million in federal funding to community college students who are struggling to afford the costs of their schooling.
ICYMI: NC GOP VOTING CHANGES LEAD TO ‘LONGER HOURS, FEWER LOCATIONS’
Thanks to Republican efforts to rig the system, North Carolina may see fewer early vote locations this year. The GOP’s election bill is stretching budgets thin across the state, forcing local elections boards to make tough decisions about staffing and safety.
GOV. COOPER: END TRUMP TARIFFS
Governor Cooper has urged President Trump to end tariffs that could have disastrous results for North Carolinians. Trump’s Trade War threatens farmers and rural North Carolinians, while passing expensive costs onto consumers for things like homes and transportation.
GOP HEALTHCARE SABOTAGE
Republican’s repeated attacks on the ACA threaten protections for pre-existing conditions, leaving people like Josh Boyd concerned about the future of their health and their healthcare.
WORKER WAGES DROP, CORPORATIONS BENEFIT
Six months after the Trump Tax, and the average worker still isn’t seeing the benefits they were promised. While big corporations are reaping the rewards of corporate tax cuts and stock buybacks, worker wages are dropping while everyday costs continue to rise.
WHAT EDITORIAL BOARDS ARE SAYING THIS WEEK
On Public Education…
News & Observer:
“What’s happening in North Carolina is that a concerted effort by the Republican-controlled General Assembly is starving public schools of resources and encouraging the expansion of educational options that lack standards and oversight.”
On Constitutional Amendments…
The Reflector:
“Thanks to tinkering by North Carolina’s General Assembly, voters this November will face a virtual book of a ballot, chock full of somewhat bewildering constitutional amendments... some are simply naked power-grabs that will be bad for the state, regardless of which political parties are in power.”
On Trump and Russia…
Charlotte Observer:
“Donald Trump’s meeting Monday with Russian president Vladimir Putin was historic in all the wrong ways. It featured an American president siding with an enemy of the U.S. over his administration and intelligence officials. It was the first time in memory a president was this deferential, this weak, in the presence of an adversary.”
Winston Salem Journal:
“So whom does Trump believe? His own intelligence authorities or the dictator of a foreign adversary? Does the president think he is serving the best interests of the nation by demeaning an investigation of significance to national security?”
WRAL:
“The dark bond between President Trump and Vladimir Putin reached a new level this week, as the American president betrayed his own intelligence agencies — and the entire nation — by publicly snuggling up to his Russian counterpart. Mr. Trump’s fawning over Mr. Putin was so disgraceful and creepy — oh, that wink! — that even many Republican lawmakers felt moved to express their discomfort.”
TWEET OF THE WEEK
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