DAGA Download – October 2
October 2, 2020
ON THE TRAIL
ROKITA’s ALL WRONG ON HEALTH CARE
In a recent ad, Indiana Republican AG nominee Todd Rokita claimed he will protect pre-existing conditions as Attorney General – a blatant lie. In Congress, Todd Rokita voted more than 50 times to repeal or amend the Affordable Care Act, including votes to eliminate protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In addition to his attacks on health care, Rokita’s attacked Hoosier seniors by supporting an “age tax” and increasing the Social Security retirement age. Read more here.
FACT CHECK(MATE)
Matt Larkin, the Washington Republican AG candidate, repeatedly refers to himself as a “proven prosecutor” with experience “in Spokane and Pierce counties” or as someone who has “prosecuted on both sides of the mountains.” The only thing Larkin is proven to be is misleading. Public records reveal Matt Larkin is not being truthful about his experience with voters. A public records request shows that Mr. Larkin never served as a Prosecutor or Deputy Prosecutor in Spokane County. Read more in this recent blog post here.
MOMENTUM IN MONTANA
Recent coverage in Montana reinforces the momentum building around Raph Graybill, the Democratic nominee for Montana Attorney General. A new Missoulian article highlights the grassroots support propelling Graybill’s campaign. The analysis found 3,661 Montanans have donated to Graybill, which is more than double the number of donations received by extremist Republican Austin Knudsen. The same article discusses the importance of affordable health care access and the dangerous ACA repeal lawsuit being brought by out-of-state, extremist Republican AGs to the Montana race for AG. Read more about Raph’s momentum here.
ENDORSEMENT CORNER
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MISSOURI: Democratic AG nominee Rich Finneran was endorsed by two Editorial Boards: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch & The St. Louis American.
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NORTH CAROLINA: AG Stein was endorsed by Stacey Abrams, Serve America, and two Editorial Boards: The Raleigh News & Observer & the Charlotte Observer.
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PENNSYLVANIA: AG Shapiro was endorsed by the organization vote pro-choice.
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VERMONT: AG Donovan was endorsed by Vermont Conservation Voters.
- WASHINGTON: AG Ferguson was endorsed by two Editorial Boards: The Seattle Times & The Columbian.
ON TV
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PENNSYLVANIA: AG Shapiro released a new video highlighting his work to protect access to affordable health care for Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth.
MULTISTATE MOMENTS
REPUBLICAN AGs SILENT
During the first Presidential debate, President Trump refused to denounce White Supremacist groups, including the extremist Proud Boys. In response, DAGA Co-Chairs Massachusetts AG Maura Healey and Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum said, “Instead of condemning white supremacists on national television, Donald Trump chose to give a wink and a nod to a far-right hate group with ties to violence. We call on Republican Attorneys General to do what the President refused to do: denounce white supremacy. Without their clear condemnation in this critical time, they are contributing to racism, division, and fear.”
UPDATE: As of Friday morning, ZERO Republican AGs have spoken out against hate groups and white supremacy.
PROTECTING THE USPS
Democratic AG coalitions had several key wins this week in their efforts to stop the Trump administration and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s dangerous and politically-motivated actions to significantly change service at the U.S. Postal Service just a few months before the November election. Democratic AGs went undefeated in various lawsuits led by Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro, Washington AG Bob Ferguson, New York AG Tish James. “This is win for every senior who has not received their timely shipment of prescription drugs & every voter who needs reliable delivery of their mail-in ballot,” tweeted AG Shapiro. Read more about these victories here.
PROTECTING THE PLANET
DAGA Co-Chair Massachusetts AG Maura Healey and Washington AG Bob Ferguson joined MSNBC for a panel on the intersection of the law and climate change, just one day before the first Presidential debate. The dual coast AGs also expressed disappointment that climate change was not included in the initial list of discussion topics for the debate. During the panel, AG Healey said, “I want to hear: What’s your plan, how are you going to get it done, and how are you going to work with the states?” AG Ferguson said, “Wherever you live in this country, climate change is impacting you.” Watch the panel here.
AG SPOTLIGHT
Michigan AG Dana Nessel filed charges against two conservative hacks, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, for allegedly orchestrating a series of robocalls aimed at suppressing the vote in the November general election. AG Nessel joined Rachel Maddow last night on MSNBC to discuss the charges and what comes next.
Nevada AG Aaron Ford called out President Trump’s dangerous comments during the first Presidential debate encouraging voter intimidation at the polls. AG Ford tweeted, “he wasn’t talking about poll watching. He was talking about voter intimidation. FYI — voter intimidation is illegal in Nevada. Believe me when I say it: You do it, and you will be prosecuted.” AG Ford joined MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle (here) and CNN’s Don Lemon (here) to talk about the difference between poll watching and voter intimidation.
Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro called out President Trump’s lies about voting in Philadelphia. AG Shapiro quickly dispelled Trump’s dangerous comments tweeting, “Donald Trump’s comments are reckless and irresponsible. We can’t listen to that nonsense. Let me set the record straight: our elections are safe and secure.” AG Shapiro joined MSNBC’s Chris Hayes (here) and CNN’s Erin Burnett (here) to discuss the facts on the ground.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
This week, DAGA announced historic grassroots support during Quarter 3. Digital Media Director Emily Rossi has the details:
VIDEOS OF THE WEEK
North Carolina AG Josh Stein shared an encouraging and hopeful video with supporters saying, “I urge you to reject hopelessness and embrace hope. You have the power.” Watch the full video below.
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison reminded voters that they have the power to make change saying, “At the end of the day it’s not an irresponsible, blowhard leader who has the power and it’s not a bunch of street thugs who are trying to intimidate people, it is YOU. You have the power.” Watch the full video below.
