● AZ-Sen: Republican incumbent John McCain accuses Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick of being a partisan Democrat. Politico reports that the NRSC is paying for some of the commercial and has put six figures behind it.
● FL-Sen: American Future Fund has launched a $1.9 million ad campaign accusing Democrat Patrick Murphy of reportedly lying about his background and his resume. The narrator makes some vague claims about Murphy lying “about owning a small business” and having “outright false” CPA claims. As we’ve noted in the past, these lines are from a June CBS4 News report that was subsequently edited; however, don’t expect this to be the last time they show up in a GOP ad.
● IL-Sen: Democrat Tammy Duckworth argues that GOP Sen. Mark Kirk wants to help companies that are investing in other countries, while she wants to give tax cuts and incentives to businesses that stay in the United States.
● IN-Sen: Republican Todd Young emphasizes his time in the Marines.
● MO-Sen: Republican Sen. Roy Blunt portrays Democrat Jason Kander as a crazy liberal.
● NC-Sen: Republican Sen. Richard Burr features the parents of two children on the autism spectrum praising him for his work helping families like theirs.
● NH-Sen: The DSCC accuses Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of helping big oil.
● NV-Sen: Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto once again emphasizes her work as state attorney general fighting sex trafficking. The League of Conservation Voters launches an $860,000 ad campaign arguing that Republican Joe Heck is jeopardizing Nevada’s clean energy jobs to help big oil.
● OH-Sen: Republican Sen. Rob Portman’s spot stars professional golfer Jack Nicklaus praising the senator. American Unity PAC spends $300,000 arguing Democrat Ted Strickland wants to give billions to Iran “without concessions for human rights violations.”
● PA-Sen: Democrat Katie McGinty pushes back on the GOP’s attempts to portray her as weak on crime; wisely, she does not repeat the GOP charges against her. The DSCC continues to argue that Republican Sen. Pat Toomey wants to risk Social Security on the stock market. Toomey says that he looks out for the middle class while McGinty wants higher taxes on everyone and “citizenship for illegal immigrants, making them eligible for welfare.”
● WI-Sen: Republican Sen. Ron Johnson says that he’s the only career manufacturer in a Senate that’s largely populated with lawyers and career politicians.
● MO-Gov: Interestingly, Democrat Chris Koster went up with a commercial on gun violence around the same time that he earned the NRA’s endorsement. The spot features people holding up pictures of their loved ones and saying a number, before Koster tells the audience that “[g]un violence is killing our citizens and our city.” Koster doesn’t talk about background checks, though: Instead, he calls for giving police better tools, and tougher bail requirements and longer prison sentences “for felons caught with guns.” Republican Eric Greitens calls for creating jobs.
● MT-Gov: Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock emphasizes his work helping local businesses. Republican Greg Gianforte features a former employee praising him for bringing jobs to small communities.
● NC-Gov: Democrat Roy Cooper argues that Republican Gov. Pat McCrory misled the public about the dangers of coal ash. McCrory hits back and argues that Cooper is the one who made it tougher to protect the public from coal ash.
● OR-Gov: Republican Bud Pierce says that Democratic Gov. Kate Brown wants to push higher taxes on Oregon.
● VT-Gov: The RGA features clips of Republican Phil Scott talking about working together to solve the state’s problems. According to new campaign finance filings, Stronger Vermont, the RGA's front-group, spent $157,000 on TV ads between Aug. 13 and 29. But these filings don't cover expenditures since then, so the total buy may be higher
● AZ-01: Along with NV-03 (see below), this swing seat is the site of the DCCC’s first general election ads of the cycle. The commercial features news reports of the abuse that happened under Republican Paul Babeu’s watch at the Massachusetts boarding school he ran. The spot also features a clip of a home video where Babeu proclaimed the students were there “because they’re hopeless.” The D-Trip is putting at least $155,000 behind the ad.
● CA-24: Republican Justin Fareed argues that while Democrat Salud Carbajal offers the same stale ideas that are already in Congress, Fareed offers fresh proposals. Fareed never bothers to say what his ideas are, nor does he ride a horse in this commercial.
● FL-26: Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo is out with two new spots (here and here). In his first, he talks about protecting Florida’s environment. In his Spanish spot, his parents talk about how they left Cuba for the United States.
● IA-03: In his first general election ad, Democrat Jim Mowrer emphasizes his military record.
● IL-12: In his first ad of the cycle, Republican Rep. Mike Bost talks about reigning in spending and the national debt.
● LA-03: Greg Ellison, one of the many Republicans competing in the November jungle primary for this safely red seat, talks about his military and business background.
● ME-02: The NRCC links Democrat Emily Cain to Hillary Clinton. Obama carried this rural seat 53-44, but the GOP is evidently betting that Donald Trump will do well here.
● MN-08: Republican Stewart Mills almost completely reuses a 2014 spot. Once again, his wife Heather talks about how Mills raises money for victims of domestic violence. Mills has a much shorter haircut now than he did during his last campaign, and the b-roll shots and pictures of Mills have been changed to reflect it, but otherwise, it’s the same footage.
● MT-AL: Democrat Denise Juneau talks about her humble origins and work on state education.
● NJ-05: House Majority PAC does not pull any punches with their newest spot against Republican Rep. Scott Garrett. The narrator argues that, while Garrett’s views “would be perfect for rural Alabama,” he doesn’t fit in with New Jersey. The commercial says that Garrett voted against banning Confederate flags at military cemeteries, and notes that he called for Republicans not to back gay candidates. The commercial is part of a $162,000 buy.
● NV-03: The DCCC goes after Republican Danny Tarkanian’s past business failures and refusal to repay a $17 million judgment for a disastrous redevelopment project. The D-trip is putting at least $46,000 behind the commercial.
● NV-04: The NRCC is up with a commercial to help Rep. Cresent Hardy, one of the most vulnerable members of the GOP caucus. The narrator argues that Democrat Ruben Kihuen is an ambitious politician who helped pass a massive tax hike. That tax increase was pushed by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, and you’ll just be shocked to know that the ad doesn’t mention that
● NE-02: In his first general election ad, Republican Don Bacon calls for term limits and banning former members of Congress from becoming lobbyists.
● NY-01: Democrat Anna Throne-Holst features a classroom full of students practicing a drill for a school shooting, as she hits Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin for making it tougher to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
● NY-19: In her first general election ad, Democrat Zephyr Teachout calls for supporting local jobs and local farming.
● NY-21: Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik talks about her record helping wounded veterans.
● NY-22: House Majority PAC is out with the first commercial in what they say is a $1.1 million buy. They argue that Republican Claudia Tenney is a career politician with no real accomplishments and plenty of missed votes.
● VA-10: Democrat LuAnn Bennett talks about the pay gap between men and women, before the narrator accuses Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock of voting against equal pay.
● WI-08: Republican Mike Gallagher talks about bringing “Wisconsin common sense” to Congress. Wait, is he saying that DC is still a dysfunctional mess even with Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan running the House?