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While Many Vulnerable Democrats Hid From DNC, These Ones Took the Stage

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  August 25, 2024 5:30 PM

Last week at the DNC, there were some notable absences, mainly vulnerable incumbents. Some, however, were bold enough to show up and heap praise upon Vice President Kamala Harris, who accepted the Democratic nomination on Thursday night, despite having never won a primary vote. Their Republican challengers were quick to notice, criticizing their opponents while also tying them to Harris and her role in the failing Biden-Harris administration.

Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) spoke on Thursday night. This comes even as other vulnerable Democratic incumbents, like Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Jacky Rosen of Nevada were among those staying away. They still received a shout-out from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in his Tuesday speech, though.

Casey's speech was a brief but nevertheless weird one. He focused on rising prices, despite how he is the one in office, with Democrats controlling the Senate and White House. Casey blamed so-called corporate greed, as has been a Democratic narrative. 

"Prices are up because these corporations are scheming to drive them up," namely "food conglomerates" who are "extorting families at the checkout counter," which he referred to as "greedflation," Casey insisted, something he claimed he and Harris have been fighting against. 

He also brought up what he described as fighting against "price gouging," or price controls, a communist-style policy proposal that the Harris campaign announced earlier this month. Despite such concerns, Casey promoted such an idea as a matter of being "fair" and "honesty," that he and Harris are supposedly fighting for.

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These economic proposals have even been criticized by Democratic economists, like Jason Furman from the Obama administration, as well as mainstream media outlets like CNN and The Washington Post. 

Casey's Republican challenger, Dave McCormick, certainly took notice. "Weak career politician Bob Casey voted for every bill that is driving higher prices, enabling open borders and the flood of fentanyl, crushing Pennsylvania’s energy sector, and encouraging violent crime. This November, Pennsylvanians will retire Bob Casey because our commonwealth cannot afford four more years of the dangerously liberal Biden-Harris-Casey agenda," he said in response to Casey's speech. 

The Team McCormick X account also put out a thread on Thursday.

The McCormick campaign also sent out emails throughout last week, reminding how Casey was not one of the vulnerable Democratic incumbents to skip out. 

"Thursday night in Chicago, as antisemitic protests and free vasectomies take place outside the arena, weak Bob Casey will speak in support of the most liberal presidential ticket in American history. Pennsylvania families are being crushed by the high cost of living because the liberal Biden-Harris-Casey agenda has failed them, and yet career politician Bob Casey is going to continue to tell the American people it's someone else's problem. Ridiculous," a McCormick spokesperson said last Wednesday.

McCormick has been warning against Casey's liberal record, whether it was President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket before he dropped out, or Harris. He put out an ad tying Casey's liberal record to Harris' record, which was played during the Olympics. 

Casey has a slight advantage in the race according to most forecasters, with a rating "Lean" or "Tilt Democratic." The presidential race in the Keystone State is particularly close. Former and potentially future President Donald Trump has a slight edge of +0.2 over Harris, according to RealClearPolling.

Then there's Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), who also spoke at the DNC on Thursday. He too gave another brief speech, specifically about Harris shaking the hands of every cadet graduating from West Point and the "respect" and "reverence" she showed them. As Ryan claimed to applause from the audience, "that day I saw our next commander-in-chief!" Tellingly, this was before Biden had dropped out of the race, though. 

When it comes to Biden and Ryan's own race, the congressman had found himself in a tricky spot and ultimately called on the president to withdraw from the race a little more than a week before he did.

The congressman went on to discuss the honor code about West Point, claiming that Trump has supposedly violated that code. Ryan called him "a serial liar, cheater, thief" and claimed he "looked soldiers in the eye, then turned around and called fallen heroes 'suckers and losers,'" to boos from the crowd. 

Speaking of someone who is a "liar," though, while Biden, Ryan, and other Democrats may repeat this false narrative about Trump, fact-checkers confirm there's "no evidence" he said such things. Trump also addressed it during that June 27 debate against Biden, where the president gave a performance so disastrous that many of his fellow Democrats called on him to step aside. 

In a not so classy move, Ryan said he wanted to be able to curse about the Republican nominee, but that he wasn't allowed to. He did use the army term of FUBAR, to cheers from the crowd, and then told people to "Google it." Such a phrase means "F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition/Repair."

"These last few weeks have felt like a new day in America, when we are waking up, rising up as patriots to demand our next president is someone who not only treats our veterans with respect, but every one with respect, with dignity, with decency, with the truth," Ryan said, though again, he had just repeated a debunked narrative. "Someone like Kamala Harris! Our next commander-in-chief!"

This speaks further to Biden, since he's still the president. No matter how desperately Democrats, especially at the DNC over the past few days, wanted the American people to think otherwise, Trump is not in office. Even more telling is that Harris is the sitting vice president. 

Ryan's Republican challenger, Alison Esposito, slammed what she called Ryan's "political ambitions" in her statement from Thursday night. "Hudson Valley residents are concerned about crime, rising cost of living, our unsecure Southern border, and deteriorating quality of life. Ryan did not address any of these issues, many that he helped create himself as a rubber stamp for the Biden-Harris administration. Every decision he has made has been driven by his own political ambitions, not the good of the people. This speech was no different. After watching Pat Ryan speak and hearing feigned outrage and a forced false narrative, I am ready to fight even harder to ensure Team Esposito wins big on November 5th," she declared.

A press email from Esposito's campaign also highlighted what Ryan conveniently neglected to mention in his speech:

  • As Ulster County Executive, Ryan made Ulster County a sanctuary county in 2019, barring ICE from working with local law enforcement to deport criminals.
  • Voted against the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2), the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 7511), and supported a Senate Border Bill that would have allowed 5,000 illegal migrants to cross our Southern border every day.
  • Voted in support of allowing non-citizens to vote in U.S. Elections.
  • Voted against several aid packages to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel.
  • In June, Pat Ryan voted against critical funding for veterans and service members. 
  • Served as a rubber stamp for the Biden-Harris administration.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also slammed Ryan for the ways in which he prompted Harris' candidacy before his speech as well as afterwards, during his Sunday appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation."

That Ryan and other Democrats promote Harris' candidacy in such a way is especially hypocritical, and an insult to the American people Harris claimed to accept the nomination on behalf of. In addition to putting out very few original policy proposals, she's also refused to grant interviews or hold a press conference.

During that appearance, Ryan continued to mislead about Trump, this time about his policies, as he claimed the election is about "freedom."

He also was quite clear that he believes with Harris at the top of his ticket that he'll have an easier chance at winning reelection. Most forecasters currently regard the Ryan-Esposito race as "Lean Democratic," giving Ryan a slight edge. 

Although, he’s the one challenging the incumbent, Democratic Rep. Colin Allred is still in a tight spot against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for that U.S. Senate race in Texas. Although he spoke at a Texas delegation breakfast event at the DNC, his tepid support for Harris and his campaign tactics are being criticized and creating a headache for his fellow Democrats. The Cruz campaign meanwhile has reminded that Allred very much supports the Biden-Harris agenda. 

Republicans have a particularly good chance at winning back control of the chamber, especially in contrast to 2022, because of the seats they're looking to pick up as well as defend. While Democrats may have their eyes set on ousting Cruz and/or Republican Sen. Rick Scott in Florida, both races give the incumbents a particular edge, since the races are regarded as "Likely Republican."

Schumer also referenced Allred and Scott's Democratic challenger, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in his speech from last Tuesday.