With a news report from POLITICO raising the specter of national Democrats ceding the U.S. House in order to keep control of the U.S. Senate, the National Republican Congressional Committee is asking if Democrats are “throwing in the towel” on Alex Sink.
Alex Isenstadt reports that some top Democratic party donors and strategists are moving to do something in the midterm election as painful as it is coldblooded: Admit the House can’t be won and go all in to save the Senate. … The triage idea is taking hold in phone conversations among donors and in strategy sessions between party operatives. Even some of the people who have invested the most to get House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi back into the speaker’s chair are moving in that direction.
After Isenstadt’s report made the rounds in the morning political tip sheets, the NRCC sent an email with the subject line, “are Democrats throwing in the towel on Alex Sink?”
NRCC spokeswoman Katie Prill suggests that the strategy discussed in the POLITICO story could be “bad news for Sink who could be left out in the cold so her Washington Democrat friends can keep the Senate.”
There isn’t any evidence yet that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is throwing in the towel on Sink, but credit the NRCC for attempting to dampen enthusiasm for Sink.
The race between Sink and Jolly is entering its most critical phase as tens of thousands of ballots are set to be mailed to Pinellas voters. The polls are not clear about who is leading the race. The Democratic polling shows Sink leading; the Republican poll shows Jolly winning.
What’s also not clear is if either side can throw a knockout punch.
Jolly continues to attack Sink for her lack of roots in Pinellas County. Sink continues to blast Jolly for his lobbying work. The facts have been stipulated and so far the fight is a draw.
Could a knockout punch be delivered during next week’s televised debate? Stay tuned.
