DNC Battleground Brief

February 14, 2020

This is the DNC’s Battleground Brief — a weekly wrap-up of Trump’s broken promises and everything you need to know across the path to 270.

ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, DONALD TRUMP’S BUDGET SCREWS OVER YOU (AND YOUR VALENTINE TOO). Democratic state parties across the battlegrounds slammed Trump for his new batch of broken promises to Americans via his ruthless proposed budget cuts which take aim at critical safety net programs like Social Security and Medicaid while giving an even bigger windfall to his rich friends. But Democrats across the battlegrounds spent the week holding Trump accountable for this new wave of broken promises. Take a look:

 

MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS: “‘Donald Trump broke his promise to Michigan voters, working tirelessly to slash Medicare and Medicaid despite his repeated promises to protect these critical programs,’ said MDP spokesman Christian Slater. ‘Working families need more than lip service and empty promises from a president who refuses to truly fight for them.’”

FLORIDA DEMOCRATS: “We have the potential as a state to also be a leading voice in taking on climate change,” said state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani. “But unfortunately President Trump has made it very clear — to not just us, but the entire country and world — that he cannot be trusted when it comes to protecting our environment and taking on climate change.”

WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS: “‘President Trump is intentionally shattering his promises to Wisconsinites to protect programs like Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP — programs that are vital for seniors, children, and those with disabilities — all so he can give his rich benefactors another handout at our expense,’ Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wiker said.

OHIO DEMOCRATS: “‘Donald Trump thinks that closing GM Lordstown ‘doesn’t really matter,’ and he has certainly acted that way, as he’s been to Ohio six times in the past year and has never once come to Lordstown to look the workers and community members in the eye,’ said Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper.

PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRATS: “‘Trump’s budget makes clear that he’s beholden

to wealthy special interests who care more about the needs of massive corporations than those of working Pennsylvanians,’ said Pennsylvania Democratic Party Executive Director Sinceré Harris.

TEXAS DEMOCRATS: “‘Once again, Donald Trump and John Cornyn have broken their promises to everyday Texans, this time on preserving and protecting critical programs like Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP benefits, and Medicare,’ said Texas Democratic Party Communications Director Abhi Rahman.

More from these states and others here.

READ AND WATCH THE COVERAGE:

NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATS SMASH TURNOUT RECORDS.

  • Axios: Voter turnout breaks New Hampshire Democratic primary record. “New Hampshire voters broke the state’s 2008 record this week for the most votes cast in a New Hampshire Democratic primary election, the party announced Wednesday. More than 300,000 Democratic votes were cast on Tuesday — easily breaking 2008’s record of 288,000 votes — while roughy 156,000 Republican votes were cast, per New Hampshire’s secretary of state.”

  • New Hampshire Union Leader: Dem. party chair touts ‘flawless’ election, high turnout. “‘Flawless,’ is how New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley thought Tuesday’s primary election went and he praised the cooperation of local election officials, the Secretary of State’s office and Attorney General’s office. ‘We all worked together as a team to make sure New Hampshire shined,’ Buckley said. ‘It could not have been a better result.’”

  • Fox News: DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa: Trump should be ‘very scared’ about Democrats’ NH turnout. “Democratic National Committee spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa told ‘Outnumbered Overtime’ on Wednesday that ‘if I were Donald Trump, I would be very scared’ about high voter turnout in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary. ‘What happened last night is a lot of people turned out and it was more than 2008’s turn out, which is a really big deal for Democrats in a very close race,’ Hinojosa told host Harris Faulkner.”

PEREZ HIGHLIGHTS PARTY UNITY AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE: Appearing on MSNBC and CNN this week, DNC Chair Tom Perez highlighted the importance of party unity, record-breaking Democratic turnout in New Hampshire, voters’ anger at Donald Trump’s abuse of power, and how the DNC is building the general election infrastructure throughout battleground states our eventual nominee will need to win.

FROM CNN’S NEW DAY:

  • “Women are what won us elections in ’17, ’18 and ’19, and they’re going to do it again in 2020.”

  • “People understand that when you do things like Donald Trump did yesterday at the Justice Department, you are breaking the norms of democracy. Voters are watching that.”

  • “We’re focused on making sure we’re building that infrastructure, especially in those battleground states. Our Battleground Build-Up is all about handing the nominee, whoever he or she is, that infrastructure to succeed and hit the ground running. That’s exactly where we’re focused on.”

FROM MSNBC’S ANDREA MITCHELL REPORTS:

  • “I think the real thing that folks understand is that what unites us far exceeds what our differences are. There’s no ideological divide on the need to ensure that people with preexisting conditions keep their health care, there’s no ideological divide about the need to ensure that we hold pharmaceutical companies accountable so that we can lower the cost of prescription drugs, there’s no ideological divide on the need to make sure that one good job should be enough. The differences between the Democratic Party candidates and Donald Trump, whoever the nominee is, are 100%.”

Watch more coverage HERE.

WHEREVER TRUMP OR HIS REPUBLICAN CRONIES GO, WE’LL BE THERE TO HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE:

In New Hampshire: “New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley responded to Trump’s tweet by telling reporters: ‘He is giving an enormous boost to the Democratic candidates by reminding people of why it’s so important to vote to participate and get ready for November 2020.’ […] He cited health care and Trump’s attempts to end protections for people with preexisting conditions, Trump’s proposals to cut Medicare and Medicaid and said Trump abandoned a pledge to cut prescription drug costs.”

In South Carolina: “‘Four years ago, Donald Trump promised to cut taxes for South Carolina’s middle-class families. Instead, he and Lindsey Graham raised taxes on more than 800,000 South Carolinians while handing massive giveaways to a few powerful special interests,’ said South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson. ‘Nothing Pence says today can spin this administration’s long trail of broken promises to hard-working families. We deserve better, and in 2020, we’re going to get it.’”

 

COLLEGE DEMOCRATS: ARIZONA IS A BATTLEGROUND STATE. As reported by the Arizona State Press, College Democrats gathered from far and wide in Arizona this past week. The topic of discussion? Arizona’s rise as a battleground state and Trump’s growing obstacles to win in November. Some highlights:

  • “The message this weekend was about empowering eligible voters through grassroots campaigning and voter registration at the College Democrats of America’s winter meeting, hosted this year at ASU.”

  • “In Arizona, the Democrats have closed the gap on the Republican margin of victory, with the 2012 Republican nominee for president receiving a 10.1% margin of victory over the Democratic nominee compared to 3.5% in 2016. This suggests that Arizona may be a state that could be flipped in the next election.”

IN OTHER ARIZONA NEWS: Arizona Republic: Phoenix to host Democratic presidential debate on March 15. “The debate next month will be sponsored by CNN and Univision and is in partnership with CHC Bold, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. […] ‘I personally want to thank Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, members of Congress Ruben Gallego and Greg Stanton, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for their assistance throughout the selection process,’ Perez said. ‘Arizonans can’t ask for better local and national advocates.’”

**TRUMP’S IRRATIONAL TRADE POLICIES ARE STILL WREAKING HAVOC ON FARMERS — AND WEAKENING HIS CHANCES TO WIN IN 2020**

Forbes: Trade War Farmers To Trump: ‘Show Me The Money’

Raw Story: Oklahoma farmer family is done with Trump — after his trade war cost them $32,000

Washington Post: Donald Trump’s continued assault on government workers betrays American farmers

Mother Jones: Trump’s Tariffs Intensified a Farm Crisis. His Latest Plan Would Make It Even Worse.

Yahoo: How Trump’s trade war is hurting swing states

Newsday: Trade war hurts Trump in New Hampshire

WE REMEMBER THE 17 LIVES LOST IN PARKLAND SHOOTING ONE YEAR AGO. DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the second anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which took the lives of 17 people:

“Two years ago today, our nation was shaken by the murders of 17 students and educators in Parkland, Florida. And yet, as we grieved the lives we lost, the survivors of this horrific massacre took action. They marched to honor their fallen friends and teachers, and they demanded their representatives pass commonsense laws to end gun violence. No matter what the NRA says, we aren’t powerless to prevent these tragedies. They are not normal. They are not acceptable. They are not inevitable. And on this anniversary, we must honor the lives we’ve lost by continuing our work to ensure such tragedies become a thing of the past.

“No child should be afraid to go to school. No American should be afraid to go to work or their place of worship. No human being should be afraid to go to a shopping mall or baseball field, nightclub or movie theater, concert or college campus. The courage of the Stoneman Douglas students and families will long outlast the cowardice of the Republican Party and the cruel indifference of the NRA. And one day, we will no longer live in a nation that sees its children murdered and does nothing.”

Make sure to follow the DNC’s War Room (@DNCWarRoom) to get real-time updates on Trump’s abuses of power and broken promises.

Happy Friday!

The DNC Comms Team