“Carolyn Long knows firsthand the meaning of hard work and the importance of community. After pitching in to help run her family’s small business while growing up, she put herself through college. Carolyn has taken those hardscrabble values and made them the bedrock of her career in service to Southwest Washington, and now her Congressional campaign. The unprecedented grassroots energy in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, combined with Carolyn’s grassroots campaign offer a sharp contrast with a GOP Member of Congress who has lost touch with the voters and listens more to her special interest backers. This is a top Democratic pickup opportunity in November.” -DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos
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To: Interested Parties
From: Andy Orellana, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: August 4, 2020
Subject: The Case Against Jaime Herrera Beutler
Tonight’s primary results have made it crystal clear that Jaime Herrera Beutler is in trouble. Time and again, Jaime Herrera Beutler has demonstrated that her loyalties lie with Washington, DC politicians over the best interests of working people in Washington State. This includes taking millions in special-interest money from corporate donors while voting for the DC GOP’s Tax Scam that not only gave handouts to corporations but put the future of Medicare and Social Security in jeopardy. When Herrera Beutler is not taking care of her corporate campaign donors, she is voting over 50 times to repeal health care and supporting a lawsuit which would undermine health care for 654,000 Washingtonians, including those with preexisting conditions like COVID-19.
In stark contrast, Carolyn Long has dedicated herself to empowering her community and the people of Southwest Washington. She knows firsthand the value of a hard day’s work and what it means to have a job and put food on the table for your family. At 12 years old, she temporarily left school to help open the family’s produce stand. She then continued to work a union job to put herself through college and dedicated 25 years to Southwest Washington at WSU Vancouver. Throughout her life, Carolyn has shown she knows the meaning of hard work, and she’s running for Congress because she’s fed up with career politicians like her opponent.
Carolyn knows that families and small businesses aren’t getting the help they need from Washington D.C. and is determined to give the people of Washington State a representative who works for the people of their community, promising to fight for affordable access to health care, RX drugs, and rural broadband – and not the needs of the special interests, corporate donors, and DC insiders. That’s why she’s pledged to accept no corporate PAC money.
The differences in agendas and priorities between the two candidates couldn’t be clearer, and Carolyn’s intrepid campaigning has built a grassroots army in Southwest Washington. That is exactly why voters in Southwest Washington are ready to elect Carolyn Long and the change they can trust come November.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
EDITORIAL: The Columbian: “In Our View: Herrera Beutler Puts Party Ahead Of Country.” [Vancouver Columbian, 11/3/19]
HEADLINE: Vancouver Columbian: “As Southwest Washington Feels Stress From Tariffs, Congresswoman Herrera Beutler Says She Trusts In Trump’s Tactics” [Vancouver Columbian, 9/18/19]
HEADLINE: Chinook Observer: “Democrats turn up the heat against Herrera Beutler.” [Chinook Observer, 8/6/19]
HEADLINE: Chinook Observer: “Long Beach Protest Condemns Herrera Beutler.” [Chinook Observer, 11/26/19]
“A gathering of protesters waved signs and criticized U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler and current U.S. immigration policy Tuesday afternoon in Long Beach […] Herrera Beutler, who represents Pacific County as part of Southwest Washington’s 3rd district, was subject of several of the signs, including one that read ‘Where’s Jaime?’ and ‘JHB Do Your Job.’” [Chinook Observer, 11/26/19]
HEADLINE: Camas-Washougal Post Record: “Carolyn Long: Our Communities And Small Businesses Are Being Left Behind.” [Camas-Washougal Post Record, 5/21/20]
“Long launched her second campaign a year ago, and her campaign’s messaging has stayed laser-focused on health care costs. The ad points to how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is leaving people in similarly vulnerable situations.” [Vancouver Columbian, 7/24/20]
“Herrera Beutler survived the suburban revolt over Trump in 2018 that put House Democrats back in power after eight years, but it decimated the ranks of GOP women. In Herrera Beutler’s district, an influx of young families has fueled suburban growth and increased the volume of anti-Trump criticism.” [Politico, 12/11/19]
Cook Political Report: WA-03: “Lean Republican” [Cook Political Report, 7/17/20]
“Herrera Beutler, the lone lower-48 Republican from a district touching the Pacific Ocean, edged out Democratic law professor Carolyn Long, 53 percent to 47 percent in 2018 […] Now, Long is seeking a rematch and believes that without other pickup opportunities in the state this cycle, her race will be Democrats’ top priority […] President Trump carried this suburban Portland seat 50 percent to 43 percent in 2016 but may not carry it this time.” [Cook Political Report, 7/17/20]
Jaime Herrera Beutler: Corporate Shill For Special-interests and Washington GOP
HERRERA BEUTLER CHOOSES CORPORATE DONORS AND HOUSE GOP OVER THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON, GUTTING PROTECTIONS, RAISING PREMIUMS AND RX DRUG COSTS, POCKETING CAMPAIGN CASH
In her ten years in Congress, Jaime Herrera Beutler has shown she is nothing more than a creature of DC and a rubber stamp for the Washington establishment and her corporate donors. Rather than sticking up for the best interests of her district and the needs of families in Southwest Washington, she’s voted over 50 times to repeal health care for 52,000 of her constituents including those with preexisting conditions to then go on and brag that she voted over 80 times to dismantle our health care system while taking hundreds of thousands in special-interests money.
Making matter worse for families in Southwest Washington, Herrera Beutler voted to support a lawsuit which could cause millions of hardworking families to lose their healthcare and strip protections for those with pre-existing conditions, including COVID-19.
Last but certainly not least to the families and small business hurting in Washington’s 3rd District is Herrera Beutler’s longstanding opposition and votes against expanding Medicaid and undermining vital critical support for rural hospitals in Southwest Washington. While the pandemic has put rural hospitals in Washington on the “brink of financial collapse,” Herrera Beutler has time and again opposed expanding Medicaid in her state despite it being crucial to keeping rural hospitals open and strong. Even more alarming for the families of Southwest Washington is that Rural hospitals serve over 70 percent of Washington, including in Herrera Beutler’s district where six rural hospitals accommodate for over a quarter million medical visits and over 5,000 hospital admissions every year. Not to mention, Herrera Beutler’s vote for the GOP Tax Scam, a vote that she called “a defining moment” in her entire Congressional career is projected to leave millions without health insurance and cause record numbers of small and rural hospitals to close.
TAX HANDOUTS FOR CORPORATIONS AND MILLIONAIRES, WHILE VOTING TO ENABLE RISING RX DRUG COSTS AND SQUEEZING SENIORS
It was Herrera Beutler’s “defining moment” in her Congressional career, a vote for the GOP Tax Scam, that sealed the deal with the voters and revealed her true self for who she is – a creature of the Washington GOP’s corporate special interests. Herrera Beutler not only has taken thousands from the prescription drug industry, and then voted their way, she voted to let pharmaceutical companies keep drug prices high and to give them a giant tax handout. Those same companies then turned around and doled out an extra 50 billion dollars to their wealthy investors, while drug prices for real people rose by as much as 200 percent.
Herrera Beutler’s desire to put corporate donors and the GOP Party line over Washington State was made abundantly clear with her vote for the GOP Tax Scam, which will give 83% of the benefits to the wealthiest 1% of Americans and allow many corporations to pay no federal taxes while increasing the deficit by $1.9 trillion. In order for Herrera Beutler and Washington Republicans to pay for their tax handouts to corporations and wealthy individuals, the future of Social Security and Medicare — which Washington’s seniors have paid into and depend on every month — is being put at real risk.
It is these multitude of bad votes that are actively harmful to the health care needs of her district, coupled with the millions of dollars in donations from corporate-special interests that show how much she’s in the pocket of her party and corporate donors, and how extremely out of touch Jaime Herrera Beutler is with the needs of families in Southwest Washington. While her campaign coffers might be chock-full of corporate special-interest money from her DC corporate donors, the voters of Southwest Washington know full well who she is working for, and it is clearly not them. Meanwhile, Carolyn Long has sworn off the old corrosive and corrupt politics of Washington DC and campaigned on never taking a dime from Washington DC special interests, but to remain steadfast and committed solely to the interest of Southwest Washington’s families.
Carolyn Long understands the needs and health care challenges families in Southwest Washington are going through right now because she has lived them firsthand, and that is exactly why she is ready to take on big drug companies to bring down costs for hardworking Washingtonians, while making sure people with pre-existing conditions are protected and Washington state’s seniors get the care they deserve.
PATH TO VICTORY
With Jaime Herrera Beutler’s long and deep voting record of putting her corporate donors and Washington, DC Republican’s interests over the people of Washington State, she is extremely vulnerable to an incredibly strong rematch from Carolyn Long.
The 3rd Congressional District is a majority suburban district in Washington’s southwest corner where President Trump took just over 49% of the vote. The outlook for Democrats is very likely to improve upon the 2018 results, given that the demographic makeup is similar to those districts that have swung heavily against Republicans during President Trump’s administration and lost House Republicans who have staked their careers on acquiescing to the president’s reckless agenda – nowhere is that more salient then in the state of Washington who has been at the forefront of this Administration’s failed response to the pandemic and ensuing economic crisis.
From in person at the beginning to online in this current environment, Carolyn Long has held more than 53 Town Halls focusing on the issues that matter to voters in Southwest Washington – access to affordable health care and RX drugs, greater investment in rural broadband and Federal leadership that is present and accountable to the people of Southwest Washington. Carolyn’s longstanding accessibility is a strong contrast with Herrera Beutler who has clearly spent more time in Washington DC in recent years then in her supposed home state of Washington.
There is a desire for change in the district and Carolyn’s messaging of hard work, honesty and accountability is resonating with base Democrats, independents voters and disaffected Republicans. This winning message coupled with a grassroots fundraising operation that has built a sizable campaign war chest to communicate to all parts of Washington’s 3rd District will make the difference in Democrats winning in November.
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