Ellison’s Must Read of the Day
My must read of the day is “Bill Clinton plays savior for Arkansas Democrats,” by Brianna Keilar, on CNN.com. Pryor Donor Pleads Guilty to Bribery
A former Democratic state politician and donor to Sen. Mark Pryor (D., Ark.) pleaded guilty to bribery, the Department of Justice announced on Thursday. Ellison’s Election Tip Sheet
In a piece Friday morning, Politico writes that three of the “big Senate races” are breaking toward Republican candidates. If you look at the latest headlines about each state, it seems like they’re right. Donor Blames Harry Reid for Low Approval Ratings, Being Out of Touch
Democratic leader comes under fire at private fundraiser for Mark Pryor
A $1,000-per-plate fundraiser with Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor (Ark.) turned into an anti-Harry Reid gripe fest last month, after one donor blamed the majority leader for the Senate’s poor public approval ratings and said the idea of him leading the institution was laughable. Ellison’s Election Tip Sheet: Battleground Polls
The latest polls from three ‘toss up’ races
SENATE: ALASKA
There are two new polls out of Alaska this week, and Republicans have the lead in both of them.
Any poll that places a candidate ahead is going to be seen as a positive by their supporters, but polls aren’t always right so it’s never wise to hold a single poll in high esteem. However, it obviously matters when multiple polls suggest a lead.
What makes these two particularly significant is that they’re results from well respected polling firms (Rasmussen Reports and Public Policy Polling), they were released and conducted around the same times, and they both found Republican Dan Sullivan ahead. Ellison’s Election Tip Sheet
Polls, polls, polls
There are quite a few new polls out this week, so the tip sheet might as well reflect that. Here are the three noteworthy polls, all giving Republicans a nice end to the first week of September. Ellison’s Election Tip Sheet
SENATE: KENTUCKY
Many red state Democrats have come out as critics of the EPA’s proposed rules to restrict carbon emissions.
Alison Lundergan Grimes was one of those Democrats, but Grimes had a bit of an embarrassing flub toward the end of last week when her campaign sent out a pro-coal ad that said “President Obama and Washington Don’t Get It … Alison Grimes Does.” The ad, according to Politico, was accompanied by a picture of a coal miner, but turns out it was not actually a coal miner—it was a European model.
Was this a huge deal? Probably not, but it does provide Republicans with ammunition to “raise doubts about the authenticity of her pro-coal position.”
That was further compounded this week when it was reported that Grimes attended a D.C. fundraiser and neglected to defend Kentucky’s coal industry, despite previous promises to address it. Ellison’s Election Tip Sheet
Tuesday’s Big Three: Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas
Six states held primaries on Tuesday, setting the ballot in three key Senate races: Georgia, Kentucky, and Arkansas.
They’re all races that are varying degrees of toss-ups, and they are all important in the GOP’s efforts to take control of the Senate. Cotton Memo: GOP Outvoted Dems in Ark. for the First Time Since Lincoln
The number of Republicans who voted in Tuesday’s Arkansas primary surpassed the number of Democrats “for the first time since the Civil War,” according to a memo issued this morning by Republican Senate candidate Rep. Tom Cotton’s campaign. 