Subject: ICYMI: Washington Times: Democrats hoping Donald Trump dooms GOP in Senate races
From: Zach Hudson <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: Wed, 4 May 2016 12:23:04 -0700

*Key point:* It is a similar story in Nevada, where Democrat Catherine
Cortez Masto’s campaign highlighted the video footage of Rep. Joe Heck, the
likely Republican nominee, saying he “will support whoever the nominee is
coming out of the convention.”

The Nevada race is for the seat being vacated by retiring Senate Minority
Leader Harry Reid. Mr. Heck is running for the GOP nomination in a crowded
GOP primary that includes tea party favor Sharron Angle, who lost to Mr.
Reid in 2010.

“No matter who emerges from the Republican primary for Senate, Sharron
Angle or Congressman Heck, Nevadans will have a Republican nominee who
shares Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda that would tear families
apart,” said Zach Hudson, spokesman for the Masto campaign.

“Whether it’s Trump-Angle, or Trump-Heck, Nevadans will reject this
anti-immigrant ticket and elect Catherine Cortez Masto to the Senate to
focus on solving problems like passing comprehensive immigration reform,
raising the minimum wage and creating an economy that works for everyone,
not just billionaires like Donald Trump,” Mr. Hudson said.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/4/democrats-hoping-donald-trump-dooms-gop-senate-rac/

Democrats hoping Donald Trump dooms GOP in Senate races

By Seth McLaughlin <http://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/seth-mclaughlin/> -
The Washington Times - Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Democrats running in competitive Senate races are giddy about the prospect
of businessman Donald Trump leading Republicans into the fall election,
confident that their GOP rivals could get swallowed up in an anti-Trump
undertow.

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who is running to unseat Sen. Rob Portman,
pounced on the news Wednesday that his successor, John Kasich, planned to
suspend his presidential bid, following in the footsteps of Sen. Ted Cruz
of Texas and clearing the way for Mr. Trump to become the GOP’s
standard-bearer.

“Today, we know that Rob Portman will be running alongside Donald Trump,”
Mr. Strickland said in a fundraising email.

“For nearly a year, as Donald Trump spewed hate, mocked people with
disabilities, attacked POWs, women and people of color, Rob Portman
continued to back him,” he said. “Then he even took it a step further and
said he ‘intends to support’ Trump if he is the GOP nominee.”

Republicans hold a 54-46 seat Senate majority.

To flip control of the chamber, Democrats would either need to net five
seats or win four and the White House because the vice president holds the
tie-breaking vote.

“Almost all of the most competitive presidential states also feature
competitive Senate races, and Republicans are playing defense in most of
those states,” said Kyle Kondik, of the University of Virginia’s Center for
Politics. “It seems likely that the winner of the presidential race will
probably also win the Senate, given this overlap.”

“So if things go south for Trump, one could imagine the Senate majority
also slipping away, unless Republicans can quarantine Trump from having
down-ballot impact,” he said.

Democrats are counting on blowback against Mr. Trump to help them in places
like New Hampshire, where Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte is being challenge
by the Maggie Hassan, the state’s Democratic governor.

The Hassan campaign on Wednesday tied Mrs. Ayotte to Mr. Trump and mocked
her plans to support — but not “endorse” — the GOP nominee.

“The people of New Hampshire will soundly reject the Trump-Ayotte ticket in
November,” said Aaron Jacobs, spokesman for Mrs. Hassan’s Senate campaign.

It is a similar story in Nevada, where Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto’s
campaign highlighted the video footage of Rep. Joe Heck, the likely
Republican nominee, saying he “will support whoever the nominee is coming
out of the convention.”

The Nevada race is for the seat being vacated by retiring Senate Minority
Leader Harry Reid. Mr. Heck is running for the GOP nomination in a crowded
GOP primary that includes tea party favor Sharron Angle, who lost to Mr.
Reid in 2010.

“No matter who emerges from the Republican primary for Senate, Sharron
Angle or Congressman Heck, Nevadans will have a Republican nominee who
shares Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda that would tear families
apart,” said Zach Hudson, spokesman for the Masto campaign.

“Whether it’s Trump-Angle, or Trump-Heck, Nevadans will reject this
anti-immigrant ticket and elect Catherine Cortez Masto to the Senate to
focus on solving problems like passing comprehensive immigration reform,
raising the minimum wage and creating an economy that works for everyone,
not just billionaires like Donald Trump,” Mr. Hudson said.