Daily Digest: The battle for Congress
Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. Here's the Digest:
1. Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, said Tuesday in Minnesota that disarray in the Republican Party relating to presidential nominee Donald Trump has invigorated her party as it mounts a long-shot bid to reclaim Congress. But Pelosi noted the dynamics could change, and she expects a flood of money that could have gone to Trump to now be deployed in Congressional races around the country. (MPR News)
2. One of those districts where money is already flowing is Minnesota's 8th, north and east of the Twin Cities. Republican Stewart Mills got a boost this week when a super PAC associated with former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman said it was spending $1.9 million on ads designed to help defeat DFL U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan. The contest is poised to once again be one of the most expensive in the country in terms of spending by outside groups. (Pioneer Press)
3. Over the weekend Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen said he wouldn't vote for Trump. The statement came after months of Paulsen saying that Trump hadn't yet earned his vote and months of Paulsen's 3rd District opponent Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, trying to tie Paulsen to Trump. Bonoff released a new TV ad Tuesday saying Paulsen waited too long long to make his position clear on Trump. But is the Republican presidential nominee really jeopardizing Paulsen's chances of re-election? (MinnPost)
4. Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had been freed from “the shackles” of the Republican Party and would now campaign as he saw fit, furthering his split from the party he says has been disloyal to him. In a series of messages on Twitter, the Trump said Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan was a “very weak and ineffective leader” who had given his candidacy “zero support.” Trump now appears to be at war with major factions of his own party. (Wall Street Journal)
5. Hillary Clinton on Tuesday proposed a new tax break designed to help working parents with very young children. She wants to double the current $1,000 tax credit for children ages 4 and under. An estimated 15 million children would be eligible. The new help would come in the form of a tax credit, which cuts the amount of federal taxes owed dollar for dollar. The plan would cost $150 billion to $200 billion, spread over a decade. To find money for it and other tax breaks, Clinton would push for new taxes on Wall Street, the wealthy and corporations. (NPR)
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