Democrats are increasingly feeling optimistic about their chances of taking back the White House and regaining control of the Senate with just over two weeks left until election day.
President Donald Trump is currently trailing his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, by an average of 9.4 points nationally, according to RealClearPolitics. And as election day draws near, polls in several Senate races around the country appear to have shifted dramatically in favor of Democrats.
Republican senators in states that have been viewed as Republican strongholds in the past, such as Arizona, Texas, and South Carolina, are now locked in tight races.
Senate Majority PAC announced that it will spend $8.6 million on television ads in support of Texas Democratic Senate candidate MJ Hegar. It will run an ad in English titled “Woah” and one in Spanish titled “Importante.”
The PAC noted that Cook Political Report changed its election rating for the Texas race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.”
🚨New SENATE RATINGS changes @CookPolitical 🚨#AKSen: Likely R —> Lean R #TXSen: Likely R —> Lean R#GASen special: Lean R —> Toss Uphttps://t.co/IuYAGSW8fn pic.twitter.com/t2n5sjzv0M
— Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylor) October 13, 2020
The organization in a press release the ads will run from Friday through election day and will “set the record straight on Sen. Cornyn’s lies about his health care record.”
“Sen. Cornyn, who called himself the ‘top salesman’ of the effort to repeal the law that protects Texans with pre-existing conditions, was given ‘Four Pinocchios’ by the Washington Post for his misleading ads,” it added.
J.B. Poersch, president of Senate Majority PAC, said in a release, “Three weeks out and John Cornyn has a weaker standing than Ted Cruz ever did.”
“John Cornyn led the charge to repeal the law that protects those with pre-existing conditions while pocketing millions from the drug and insurance industries. Voters won’t stand for John Cornyn’s lies when he’s trying to take away their health care during a global pandemic, and with MJ Hegar running a strong campaign focused on lowering their costs, she’s making the case for Texans to give Cornyn the boot in November,” he added.
Cornyn responded to the news of the ad buy in a tweet, “More $ from my opponents recruiters and donors in DC, NY and California.”
More $ from my opponents recruiters and donors in DC, NY and California. https://t.co/O8GrYdZ5uj
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) October 15, 2020
A Cornyn spokesperson told The Texas Tribune, “It’s clear that MJ’s campaign strategy is win at all costs — even if that means selling out Texas values to out-of-state liberal donors.”
Polls show that Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the incumbent, is currently Hegar by an average of 7.6 points.