Senate Republicans recruited a number of wealthy entrepreneurs as their candidates in key swing states this fall. While the GOP strategy hailed their candidates as successful businessmen who could self-fund campaigns, Democrats have repeatedly seized on their histories in the private sector to attack them.
In Ohio, Montana, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, GOP Senate candidates are wealthy political outsiders who’ve never held public office before. In Michigan, the Republican candidate is a former House member who found success in the private sector after leaving Congress. Here’s a look at the coordinated Democratic strategy to bash their Republican opponents over their business records.
Pennsylvania: “Wall Street CEO” Dave McCormick
During last week’s debate, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) slammed Republican Dave McCormick for his hedge fund’s investments in China. Casey’s campaign and the DSCC have hit McCormick all cycle for his time helming Bridgewater.
The Democratic ads constantly refer to McCormick as a “Wall Street CEO” — similar to the attack that former President Donald Trump aimed at McCormick during the 2022 Senate GOP primary. Of course, Trump is all in behind McCormick this time around.
Montana: “Multimillionaire outsider” Tim Sheehy
A consistent theme of Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-Mont.) reelection fight against Republican Tim Sheehy is his argument that Sheehy is a wealthy out-of-stater who is driving up Montana home prices. Tester’s ads have called Sheehy “shady” and contrasted the Republican with Tester’s longtime Montana ties.
Tester has also criticized Sheehy for his lobbying efforts to benefit Bridger Aerospace, the firefighting company Sheehy founded. Media reports have shown the firefighting company is struggling.
Ohio: “Fat Cat” Bernie Moreno
Ohio Democrats launched a tour with an inflatable “fat cat” to paint Bernie Moreno, Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-Ohio) GOP opponent, as a greedy boss. Brown is running ads portraying Moreno, who owns multiple car dealerships, as a slick salesman who can’t be trusted.
One ad from Brown’s team slams Moreno for a lawsuit alleging Moreno’s dealership didn’t pay appropriate overtime to its employees. Moreno contested the allegation but was ordered by a judge to pay $416,000.
Wisconsin: “Multimillionaire California banker” Eric Hovde
Republican Eric Hovde, who’s challenging Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), grew up in Wisconsin before moving to Orange County, Calif. Democrats have hammered Hovde as out-of-touch all cycle and pointed to reports that the bank Hovde owns may have ties to Mexican cartels.
In Michigan, Democrats have also slammed former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) over his post-Congress career. One ad, which highlights a multi-million dollar mansion Rogers bought in Florida after leaving the House, claims Rogers is bought by special interests.
The GOP pushback: McCormick and Hovde have run ads cementing their home state bona fides, with McCormick touting his Pennsylvania wrestling career and Hovde taking viewers on a tour of his Wisconsin roots. In a recent debate, Sheehy parried Tester’s criticism that he’s an out-of-stater by pointing out he “couldn’t control where my mother’s womb was when I crawled out of it.”
In Ohio, an NRSC/Moreno ad hits Brown for failing to combat inflation. In Wisconsin, an NRSC/Hovde spot features a sheriff criticizing Baldwin for her stance on the border.
And hybrid NRSC ads in Pennsylvania and Montana tie Casey and Tester to “radical” Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We’re talking about how Democrats have destroyed the economy, opened the border and unleashed chaos around the globe,” NRSC Communications Director Mike Berg said in a statement. “Like the socialists they are, the Democrats are attacking our candidates for their success in the private sector.”
