Endangered Democrats brag about Trump ties in final stretch

Some of the most vulnerable Democratic senators in this election are using the closing stretch to boast about their ties to former President Trump.

Why it matters: Even candidates in presidential battlegrounds are now featuring Trump cameos in campaign ads — as Democrats up and down the ballot run to the middle.

  • The trend comes as split-ticket voting declines, making it more likely that a Senate candidate’s fate will be tied to their state’s presidential results.
  • It’s a sign of just how close Rust Belt races could be this year.

Driving the news: Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Bob Casey (D-Penn.) both released ads on Friday that include images of Trump — and not to bash him, according to an Axios analysis of ads.

Zoom out: They aren’t the first Democrats to draw connections with Trump.

Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are viewed as the most vulnerable senators this year, running in states that will almost certainly vote for Trump.

  • Both have made concerted efforts to distance themselves from the Biden/Harris administration on key issues and present themselves as moderate voices in their party.

What they’re saying: “These Senate Democrats all voted to impeach President Trump twice, so it is surprising that they are now running ads praising his work as President…”

https://www.axios.com/2024/10/18/senate-democrats-campaign-ads-trump-2024