The politics of terrorism are back.
Republicans are pivoting to national defense on the campaign trail, using rising public fears about terrorism as they look to move the needle in a number of races.
In contests across the country, GOP candidates are criticizing President Obama for his handling of the growing threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), with some warning of additional vulnerabilities from an unsecured border.
The issues are hitting the airwaves in a number of key Senate and House races — and Republicans say they expect that more candidates will feature them in coming weeks.
{mosads}Polling shows President Obama has lost the public’s trust on his handling of national security issues. The new line of attack gives Republicans a new way to tie vulnerable Democrats to the unpopular president — and forces Democrats to spend valuable resources talking about an issue that isn’t a winner for them in red states.
SENATE SHOWDOWN
NEXTGEN: The environmental outside group NextGen raised $15 million in August — but just $3,500 from donors not named Tom Steyer, according to newly filed campaign documents. The group had raised a half-million dollars from other donors in July.
KS-SEN (ROBERTS): Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is heading to Kansas to help Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) in his tight race against independent Greg Orman, Bush’s latest foray to help Republicans across the map.
According to a report, Orman has deeper ties than were originally disclosed to a former Goldman Sachs executive convicted of securities fraud.
KY-SEN (MCCONNELL): Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes reportedly owns a small stake in a vacant lot that was cited for code violations and for a failure to pay over $20,000 in fees.
AK-SEN (BEGICH): Republican candidate Dan Sullivan’s parents contributed $300,000 to the GOP outside group American Crossroads, which has been spending heavily on Sullivan’s behalf and against Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska).
BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE
NRCC: The National Republican Congressional Committee has taken out a $20 million line of credit for the election, giving it flexibility to borrow funds to close the gap with the better-funded Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee if they choose to do so this fall. The DCCC has $9 million more in the bank right now; the NRCC had a similar line of credit last election and ended up borrowing $12 million total.
FL-18 (MURPHY): The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy (D) over GOP nominee Carl Domino, making him the sixth Democrat it’s have endorsed this cycle.
AD WATCH
KY-SEN (MCCONNELL): Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes’s new ad hits Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for missing committee hearings and votes.
OR-SEN (MERKLEY): Sen. Jeff Merkley’s (D-Ore.) ad highlights his efforts to reform student loan programs, while Republican Monica Wehby is up with a new ad hitting Merkley for a gender imbalance in salaries for his D.C. staff.
CO-SEN (UDALL): The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is up with a new ad highlighting Rep. Cory Gardner’s (R-Colo.) support for a federal “personhood” measure.
NY-11 (GRIMM): The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee accuses embattled Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) of thinking “he’s above the law” in a new ad.
AZ-01 (KIRKPATRICK): Republican Andy Tobin takes aim at wasteful government spending in his first ad. Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee has upped its advertising buy in the district and is now spending more than $3 million on the race through Election Day.
CA-26 (BROWNLEY): The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attacks “lobbyist” Jeff Gorell (R) for “living the high life” on the taxpayer’s dime in a new spot.
MN-8 (NOLAN): The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee paints Republican Stewart Mills as an out-of-touch millionaire in a new ad featuring a yacht.
LA-05 (MCALLISTER): Rep. Vance McAllister’s (R-La.) wife appears in his newest ad, saying she’s “blessed to have a husband who owns up to his mistakes, never gives up, always fighting for the good people of Louisiana.”
POLL POSITION
MI-SEN (OPEN): Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) leads former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (R) 47 percent to 40 percent, according to a poll conducted for the pro-Peters League of Conservation Voters. Most polling has found Peters with a lead.
KY-SEN (MCCONNELL): A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) leading Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes by 4 points among likely voters, taking 46 percent support to Grimes’s 42 percent support.
NH-SEN (SHAHEEN): A survey conducted by Democratic firm Public Policy Polling for the League of Conservation Voters, which has endorsed Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), finds her leading Republican Scott Brown, 50percent to 44 percent, among likely voters.
AR-SEN (PRYOR): Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) has a 46 percent to 43 percent lead over Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) according to a poll conducted for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Recent nonpartisan public polling has found Cotton with a lead.
CA-7 (BERA): Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) leads former Rep. Doug Ose (R-Calif.) 47 percent to 43 percent, according to a new poll conducted by Democratic firm Garin-Hart-Yang for the House Majority PAC. Ose’s campaign released a poll last week showing him with a small lead.
IL-13 (DAVIS): Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) leads Democrat Ann Callis 55 percent to 36 percent, according to a new internal poll from Davis’s campaign.
NY-11 (GRIMM): A poll conducted for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee shows Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and his Democratic challenger, Domenic Recchia, each taking 46 percent support among likely voters, while 8 percent are undecided.
2016 RUMBLINGS
CLINTON: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is hosting a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for a longtime New Hampshire friend and ally, just weeks after heading back to early-voting Iowa for the first time.
PAUL: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is opening up a Silicon Valley-area office, the latest sign he’s moving toward a presidential run next year.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“They need to get a sense of humor, and they need to get a life — it’s just the way we roll.”
—Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), on her controversial keg stand assist at an LSU tailgate on Saturday