Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amid Roe Reversal, McConnell Admits GOP Might Not Retake Senate In Fall
The Washington Examiner: McConnell Admits GOP May Not Retake Senate In November
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expressed doubt that the Republican Party could gain a majority in the upper chamber in the midterm elections. He cited "candidate quality" as a reason the GOP could struggle as it hopes to flip several swing seats and ward off Democratic bids for vulnerable Republican seats. ... McConnell has been cautious about heralding a red wave before it comes. In April, he remarked that although the political environment looked like a "perfect storm" of problems for Democrats, it was "actually possible" that Republicans could "screw this up." (Aabram, 8/18)
The Washington Post: McConnell Warns GOP May Not Win Senate, As Group Linked To Him Invests Heavily In Ohio
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning that the GOP may not win back control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections — a cycle that typically would be favorable to the party not in power — as a political action committee linked to McConnell stages a rescue effort in the Ohio Senate race. Asked Wednesday by reporters in Kentucky about his midterm predictions, McConnell said there’s “probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate.” (Wang and Alfaro, 8/18)
In related news about J.D. Vance's campaign in Ohio —
CNN: McConnell Previews 'Extremely Close' Senate Races This Fall As GOP Hopefuls Struggle
A super PAC tied to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell came to the rescue of J.D. Vance, the struggling Senate Republican candidate in Ohio, a state Democrat Joe Biden lost by 8 points in 2020. The National Republican Senatorial Committee resorted to cutting and shifting ad spending to preserve resources, as many of their candidates trail their Senate Democratic opponents in fundraising. And election forecasters altered their view of a crucial contest in Pennsylvania in favor of Democrats. ... Democrats have benefited from a recent burst of legislative activity, including signing a sweeping bill to lower prescription drug prices and carbon emissions into law. (Rogers, Zanona and Wright, 8/18)
AP: Vance's Anti-Drug Charity Enlisted Doctor Echoing Big Pharma
When JD Vance founded “Our Ohio Renewal” a day after the 2016 presidential election, he promoted the charity as a vehicle for helping solve the scourge of opioid addiction that he had lamented in “Hillbilly Elegy,” his bestselling memoir. But Vance shuttered the nonprofit last year and its foundation in May, shortly after clinching the state’s Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, according to state records reviewed by The Associated Press. An AP review found that the charity’s most notable accomplishment — sending an addiction specialist to Ohio’s Appalachian region for a yearlong residency — was tainted by ties among the doctor, the institute that employed her and Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin. (Smyth, 8/18)
In other election news from New York, Wisconsin, Iowa, and California —
Politico: Want To Know If A Red Wave Is Happening? Watch This Special Election Next Week
A special election here next week could offer Democrats a preview of the pain coming their way in November. Or it could provide powerful evidence that a Republican wave election is not in the offing. Both parties are dumping money into this Hudson Valley district to notch a short-lived but symbolic victory in the last competitive race before the midterms. The winner will succeed Democrat Antonio Delgado for just a few months. But the messaging, turnout and margin of the contest will offer tea leaves into what lies ahead this fall in the battle for control of the House. For Democrats, a win would offer proof that the party can translate their recent legislative victories and voter anger over the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling into tangible gains. (Mutnick and Ferris, 8/19)
AP: Post-Roe Differences Surface In GOP Over New Abortion Rules
For decades, Republicans appealed to conservative voters — and donors — with broad condemnation of abortion. But the Supreme Court’s decision is forcing Republicans from state legislatures to Congress to the campaign trail to articulate more specifically what that opposition means, sometimes creating division over where the party should stand. (Fingerhut and Bauer, 8/18)
Fox News: Vulnerable House Democrats Defend Vote On Inflation Reduction Act, Expansion Of IRS
Two House Democrats facing tough re-election bids are defending their party's expansion of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that was included in the Sen. Joe Manchin-backed Inflation Reduction Act, which does little to immediately address inflation. (Morris, 8/18)
