NRCC Morning Reads For Oct. 20, 2014: Evan Jenkins Gets Big Endorsement, GOP Puts Hawkeye State In Play, Zeldin Delivers Weekly Address
Good morning and welcome to NRCC Morning Reads for Monday, October 20, 2014.
Charleston Daily Mail Endorses Evan Jenkins:
Breaking just a few minutes ago, the Charleston Daily Mail endorsed Republican Evan Jenkins in the tight battle for the state’s 3rd congressional district. Jenkins is facing off against longtime Democrat Nick Rahall, who’s been in Washington since 1976. Rahall’s steadfast support of Obama and the Obama-Rahall war on coal have been huge issues in the campaign.
Via the Charleston Daily Mail:
“With experience in the Statehouse, state Senate and as executive director of the West Virginia Medical Association, the 53-year old Jenkins has the experience necessary to be a good representative.
Voters can show their appreciation to Rahall’s 38 years of service by giving him a nice retirement.”
AP Highlights VA-10 Race And Democrat’s Sexist Comments:
Over the weekend, the AP came out with a story on the battle just a few miles from Washington D.C. for Virginia’s 10th congressional district. The race is pitting Republican Barbara Comstock against Democrat John Foust. Foust has been on the defensive for much of the campaign due to his sexist comments saying Comstock never had “a real job.”
Via AP’s Matthew Barakat:
“Comstock’s campaign has attacked Foust for a remark that he doesn’t think Comstock has ever held ‘a real job,’ portraying it as sexist.
‘Comstock pointed to her time as a working mother on Capitol Hill and later as a spokeswoman for the Justice Department as the kind of jobs that many voters in the 10th District hold.
‘It shows his lack of understanding of the workforce in the area, and it’s insulting and demeaning,’ she said. ‘It stems from his lack of ability to talk about anything he’s done. He’s spent his entire campaign attacking me personally.'”
GOP Puts Hawkeye State In Play:
A story from Roll Call published late Friday showed how the GOP is widening the playing field in Iowa. Led by the popular Terry Branstad and Joni Ernst, Republicans running in the state are certainly benefiting. Not only is GOPer David Young poised to succeed retiring Republican Tom Latham in the 3rd district, but businessman Rod Blum in the 1st and Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the 2nd are closing fast and could flip these blue districts come Election Day.
Roll Call‘s Emily Cahn on the how the 1st district race is shaping up:
“Braley currently holds this seat, and President Barack Obama carried it by a 14-point margin in 2012. The open seat was considered safe for Democrats for most of the cycle, but polling suggests the contest is within striking distance for Republicans. On Friday, The Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call changed its rating of the race to Tilts Democratic.
‘Businessman Rod Blum, the GOP nominee, has been attacking former state Speaker Pat Murphy on the airwaves in the 1st District.
‘The ad features Murphy in an angry tirade on the state House floor, and goes on to contrast Blum’s ideas for the district. Iowa Republicans say it’s an effective ad that, along with Braley’s underwhelming performance, gives Blum a shot on Election Day.”
News and Notes From the Campaign Trail:
- Over the weekend, the Republican candidate for New York’s 1st District, Lee Zeldin, delivered the GOP Weekly Address. Zeldin is facing longtime Democrat Tim Bishop, who is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
- Obama appeared in Maryland over the weekend in an attempt to save the flailing gubernatorial campaign of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. Despite the free tickets to see the leader of the free world, attendees were spotted leaving early.
- Down in Texas, the race between first-term Democrat Pete Gallego and Republican Will Hurd is shaping up to be one of the closest races this cycle.
- Up in Montana, Republican Ryan Zinke and Democrat John Lewis debated on everything from ISIS to energy.
We are just 15 days from Election Day and those have been your NRCC Morning Reads.
-Matt