DNC Battleground Brief
July 31, 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.
“THIS IS NOT A TEST” — NEW BATTLEGROUND AD SLAMS TRUMP’S SCHOOL REOPENING FAILURES. The DNC released a new ad this week calling out Donald Trump for gambling with children’s health and safety. Targeted to teachers and parents with school age children, the ad is airing in the Milwaukee and Detroit media markets, and a Spanish-language version is airing in Phoenix and Miami.
- Detroit Metro Times: New DNC ad airing in Michigan accuses Trump of forcing schools to reopen too soon in attempt to save his reelection. “A new ad that aired in the Detroit area Tuesday flunks President Donald Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The 57-second spot, paid for by the DNC War Room, accuses Trump of making the coronavirus crisis worse by ignoring experts and publicly insisting for months that the pandemic would go away on its own.”
- WisPolitics.com: DNC’s latest ad knocking Trump running in Milwaukee. “‘Do you trust him to do what’s best for our children? Because this is not a test,’ the narrator says, adding ‘Trump is failing.’”
- Florida Politics: Democrats’ new Spanish ad in Miami warns against school reopening. “The Democratic National Committee’s effort to hoist Joe Biden to victory is launching a new Spanish-language television ad in Miami Thursday questioning the wisdom of reopening schools under President Donald Trump‘s direction.”
- La Voz Arizona: Comité Nacional Demócrata lanza anuncio en español ‘Esto no es una prueba’, en contra de Trump. “El Comité Nacional Demócrata lanzó hoy un nuevo anuncio televisivo en español en Arizona titulado ‘Esto no es una prueba’, mediante el cual critica al presidente Donald Trump por presuntamente jugar con la salud y la seguridad de los niños.”
HOW IT’S PLAYING: While Trump gets hammered on the airwaves, he isn’t faring any better on the ground.
- Florida Phoenix: FL educator: “I don’t want to die going back to the classroom.” “‘Like every other teacher, I’m dying to get back into the classroom,’ Schlake said. ‘But, I don’t want to die going back into the classroom.’”
- Las Vegas Sun: Dina Titus: Families, caregivers deserve better than Trump’s failures. “As coronavirus cases surge throughout the country, and as the start of the academic year draws closer, Trump’s failure to offer a concrete plan for schools to reopen safely is jeopardizing the health, safety and livelihoods of our families, educators, students and caregivers.”
- Charlotte Observer: Former NC gov: Donald Trump, in NC today, is striking the wrong tone on opening schools. “At this moment of crisis and uncertainty, we need leaders who will follow the science and data wherever they lead us, and right now, President Trump is failing to meet the moment.”
“WE’VE LOST A WHOLE LOT” — TRUMP SLAMMED ON FAILURES TO COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. On Tuesday, while Joe Biden unveiled his plan to advance racial equity as part of the United States’ economic recovery, Democrats across the battleground states slammed Trump’s disastrous record with communities of color.
In Georgia:
Democratic Party of Georgia Chair and State Senator Nikema Williams: “At every level, Donald Trump’s failed leadership has made life harder for Black Americans and people of color. While Trump used his economic policies to enrich big banks and corporate cronies, Black and brown Georgians were left out, and our racial wealth gap has grown.”
In Nevada:
Nevada Assemblyman Edgar Flores: “From day one, Donald Trump’s rhetoric has demonized the Latino community, while his anti-immigrant agenda has terrorized our families. Now, as a direct result of his failed pandemic response, Latinos are bearing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis as our communities, businesses, and priorities get left behind.”
In North Carolina:
North Carolina Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue: “Four years ago, Donald Trump asked African American North Carolinians what we have to lose by voting for him. We knew the answer then and we know it now — we have everything to lose by supporting Donald Trump. Trump has spent his presidency supporting big businesses and wealthy investors over communities of color; undercutting affordable housing opportunities and undermining efforts to reduce racial disparities in education.”
In Pennsylvania:
State Senator Sharif Street: “Four years ago, Donald Trump tried to sell himself to Black Americans by asking us ‘What the hell do you have to lose?’ It turns out we’ve lost a whole lot under the Donald Trump presidency … We’ve watched Donald Trump go after our health care, undermine civil rights protections, and in recent months, fail to address the COVID-19 pandemic which is disproportionately killing Black and Brown Americans.”
Check out much more HERE!
WHILE BIDEN LEADS WITH WOMEN’S AGENDA, TRUMP BLASTED OVER BROKEN PROMISES. This week, Joe Biden unveiled an aggressive and comprehensive plan to further women’s economic security and civil rights. While Biden continues to lead, Democrats across the battleground states slammed Trump’s nearly four years of broken promises to women.
In Arizona:
State Senator and National Organization for Women (NOW) Board Member Victoria Steele: “For the past four years, Donald Trump’s utter contempt for women’s fundamental rights has been on full display … Trump promised time and again that he would ‘do more for women than anybody else,’ but over the course of his presidency, Trump has done nothing but wage relentless attacks on women’s rights.”
In Florida:
Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo: “Not only has Donald Trump failed to deliver on this promise to ‘do more for women,’ he’s actively worked to make it easier to discriminate against women.”
In Maine:
Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra: “Donald Trump’s presidency has been a disaster for women … His administration’s cruel and ineffective policies have endangered our health, threatened our physical safety, and reduced our opportunities in the workforce.”
In Minnesota:
Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan: “Donald Trump made a career demonstrating and celebrating behavior that perpetuates violence against Native women and girls … We need a President who will fight for the health and safety of women and Native people across the country. Joe Biden spent his career doing just that and will set a good example for our children as they learn to treat their neighbors with dignity and respect.”
Plus a lot more HERE!
HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE! Marking the three-year anniversary of Republicans’ failed ACA repeal vote, battleground Democrats called out Trump’s continued broken promises and attacks on working families’ health care.
In Colorado:
Colorado Democrats: “Colorado families can’t afford more years of leaders hellbent on ripping away coverage and spiking costs — they want leaders who will work to protect our healthcare and lower costs for everyone across our state. That’s why Colorado will reject Trump and his Republican enablers’ horrific health care agenda come November.”
In Iowa:
Iowa Democrats: “Even during a global pandemic, the GOP’s only plan for health care is to rip it away from as many Iowans as possible … While Democrats are running to expand access to affordable, high-quality health care, GOP leaders like Trump and Ernst have been relentless in their attempt to deny health coverage to Iowans.”
In New Hampshire:
New Hampshire Democrats: “Today marks three years since this fight should have been settled once and for all in favor of the Affordable Care Act, but Republicans continue to attack. Americans everywhere made it clear — you cannot take away our care, we will fight back every time.”
In Virginia:
Virginia Democrats: “On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised Virginians that we would ‘pay much less’ for a ‘great health care program.’ But from his first days in office, he has instead waged a ruthless campaign to overturn the Affordable Care Act, threatening coverage for hundreds of thousands of Viginians and protections for millions more with preexisting conditions.”
You guessed it — read more HERE!
FROM THE GRANITE STATE TO THE SUNSHINE STATE. Wherever Trump and his cronies go, Democrats will be there to hold them accountable. See for yourself:
In Texas:
KOSA: Democratic National Committee launches advertising campaign on Odessa American’s website ahead of President Trump’s visit. “Ahead of President Trump’s trip to Odessa and Midland today, the Democratic National Committee launched a daylong digital advertising campaign on the Odessa American’s homepage. The bright orange ads scattered up and down the newspaper’s website call out the President’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, calling it catastrophic.”
- Dallas Morning News: “Democrats accused [Trump] of trying to shift attention from the pandemic, for which he receives low approval ratings in Texas and nationwide … ‘They’re more concerned about covering up their failures than they are about covering up their faces with a mask,’ said Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, referring to Trump and Abbott in particular.”
- BONUS READ: Houston Chronicle Editorial Board: “Things have only gotten worse since you last visited in June … You can’t take Texas for granted this time. We know you don’t put much stock in independent polls, Mr. President, but a consensus is growing that Texans are losing confidence that you are the person to lead the nation out of the canyon that you and your administration have helped dig.”
In New Hampshire:
WMUR: Ahead of ‘tele-rally,’ Democratic leaders say Trump has broken promises to women. “Three New Hampshire Democratic women who formerly held top elected positions on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of breaking promises to women that he made on the campaign trail, including in New Hampshire, in 2015 and 2016 … ‘When Donald Trump appears on his tele-rally tonight, it will be a glaring reminder that his presidency is defined by a record of broken promises to Granite State women,’ [Former Rep. Carol] Shea-Porter said.”
- Union Leader: “Earlier in the day on a call with reporters, Democrats, including former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, panned what they thought Trump would likely say … ‘In four years, he has dismantled what little our country provides to address the health and wellbeing of half of our country, breaking the promise he made to women in our state.’”
In North Carolina:
WRAL: Former Gov. Perdue: Cooper staying focused on pandemic, but Trump wasting time on politics. “Former Gov. Beverly Perdue praised Gov. Roy Cooper’s efforts to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check in North Carolina while also criticizing the federal response. President Donald Trump spends too much time worried about the political fallout and hasn’t provided a coordinated national response, Perdue says.”
In Florida:
Florida Politics: Democrats decry Donald Trump for fundraising despite weather, virus concerns. “A hurricane is coming, the virus is here, and Florida Democrats are blasting President Donald Trump for fundraising during crisis. A quartet of disgruntled Democrats and Joe Biden surrogates took to Zoom Friday morning to blast Trump’s politically-motivated foray into Florida.”
- Florida Politics: Donna Shalala rips Mike Pence ahead of Miami visit. “Shalala, the former U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services and President of the University of Miami, hosted a conference call with several fellow Democratic party leaders on Monday, and she said Pence and President Donald Trump have a lot of questions to answer.”
- WMFE: Now Is Not The Time To Reopen Schools, Teachers And Democrats Say. “Florida teachers and Democrats say it would be reckless to reopen schools now as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida surges. They spoke out Monday on a conference call with reporters as Vice President Mike Pence visited South Florida.”
In Pennsylvania:
CBS 21: PA Democrats criticize Trump administration’s handling of pandemic ahead of Pence’s visit. “Pennsylvania Democrats are using the visit as a chance to critique the Trump administration’s pandemic response, which they say has been mishandled from the start. ‘Trump has put big corporations and his millionaire and billionaire friends first, giving large bailouts to the corporations he’s tied to, rather than the small businesses that are struggling to survive,’ Nancy Patton Mills, chairperson for the PA Democrats, said.”
- PoliticsPA: Guilfoyle to Headline ‘Catholics for Trump’ Virtual Event in PA. “The Pennsylvania Democratic Party criticized the Trump campaign over its healthcare policies, tax reform, and coronavirus response in a statement about the event … ‘No amount of spin will change the fact that Donald Trump has broken his promises to Pennsylvanians and left us behind,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Andres Anzola.”
In Minnesota:
Refinery29: Why Is Ivanka Trump Taking Credit For Preventing Violence Against Indigenous Women? “Democratic lawmakers and Indigenous women expressed concerns and skepticism that the Trump Administration is doing much to help, especially after failing to quickly provide COVID-19 relief to tribal nations in early 2020.”
- Star Tribune: “Both stops were met by protests and heavily criticized by Minnesota DFL leaders, who derided the tour as a ‘campaign photo op.’ Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Nation of Ojibwe, slammed the president for doing little to promote the health and safety of Native Americans while ‘demonstrating and celebrating behavior that perpetuates violence against Native women and girls.’”
BATTLEGROUND DEMS FLEX THEIR MUSCLE 95 DAYS OUT. Politico: State Democrats mount big comeback in 2020. “Across 15 possible battleground states, nearly every Democratic state party group is hitting higher quarterly fundraising totals or holding more cash on hand in their federal accounts than they did at this point during the 2016 presidential campaign, and a majority of them did both … Many of these state parties — responsible for field operations and coordinating a ticket-wide campaign — are seeing three, four or five times the amount of cash they did before.”
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT! While Trump continues to light his own votes on fire with vote-by-mail conspiracy theories, Democrats are flocking to mail-in ballots with less than 100 days to Election Day.
ABC News: Months away from Election Day, Democrats show signs of outpacing Republicans in mail voting. “In the key battleground of Florida and Ohio, Democrats outpaced Republicans in absentee ballot requests during primary contests. North Carolina, another state that is crucial for the presidential electoral count, is slated to be among the first to mail general election ballots this fall. There, Democrats’ requests for absentee ballots currently top Republicans by nearly five times.”
- CBS4 Miami: More Than 700,000 Vote-By-Mail Ballots Already Cast In Florida As President Trump’s Crusade Against Mail In Ballots Hurts GOP. “Yet over the past few months, President Donald Trump has crusaded to cast doubt on voting by mail and Republicans in the critical battleground state of Florida now find themselves far behind Democrats in the perennial push to urge their voters to cast ballots remotely.”
- The New York Times: “‘He’s assuming that his impact is on everybody, but it’s actually hurting his voters, probably. And the data shows that, because we’re seeing a decline in vote-by-mail requests among Republicans.’”
YOUR WEEKEND READING: TRUMP’S BUMPY ROAD TO CHARLOTTE.
NBC News: In N.C., economic fallout for business and political repercussions for Trump. “The political bickering over the convention has left North Carolina GOP leaders worried about November, with Biden hoping to reclaim a state Democrats last won when he was on the ticket in 2008 but lost in 2012. ‘If Joe Biden wins North Carolina, Trump gets his ass kicked all across the country,’ one state Republican official told NBC News.”
- POLITICO: “The North Carolina Democratic Party blasted Trump’s acceptance speech flip-flop as evidence of his ‘bungled response to the coronavirus.’”
- Charlotte Observer: “Democrats called the situation ‘embarrassing.’ … ‘It seems obvious that a man who’s incapable of managing his own party’s convention certainly can’t be trusted to lead this country out of a pandemic and an economic recession.”
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