Alternately, this post could be titled “Democrats Start Shooting Themselves In The Foot In Senate Races,” because in three supposedly tight Senate races, new developments are opening up either leads or opportunities for the Republicans.

Let’s start in Texas, where Victory Girls favorite, Ted Cruz, has been in a reelection battle with Beto O’Rourke. Let’s just say that Beto, who has a ton of Democrat support outside of Texas… seems to have a problem inside of Texas.

If Beto could only combine his likely margins in white suburbs w/ Clinton’s margins/turnout in the Rio Grande Valley & low-income urban cores, #TXSEN would be a helluva tight race.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) October 11, 2018

I can’t imagine why Texas voters aren’t just lining up to vote for Beto “Kennedy” O’Rourke. It’s a real mystery.

But never fear, Michael Avenatti is here to save Beto’s day!

.@BetoORourke deserves all of our support. He is fighting the good fight every day. He would make an exceptional senator for Texas. https://t.co/3Jn7a8HXqP

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) October 10, 2018

In reality, Michael Avenatti just made Ted Cruz’s day.

What did Michael Avenatti do right after beclowning himself with absurd and slanderous allegations during the Kavanaugh circus? Endorse Beto. https://t.co/YkhRZSgAy1

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 11, 2018

Avenatti still thinks that he is relevant, and that the Democrat establishment looks kindly upon him because he was able to embarrass Trump. He really has zero self-awareness. If Beto O’Rourke had any sense, he’d tell Avenatti to take a hike. I doubt he has the guts or the brains to do that. While we still have a few more weeks until Election Day, things are definitely on the plus side for Ted Cruz right now.

In Tennessee, Democrat Phil Bredesen was probably awaiting a poll jump after he got the coveted Taylor Swift endorsement. Leave it to Project Veritas to absolutely crush that dream. James O’Keefe and his crew have Bredesen campaign staffers chatting away, on video, about how his entire “support for Kavanaugh” announcement was a calculated political position.

Maria Amalla and Will Stewart, staffers in Bredesen’s campaign, both say on hidden camera that if he were in the Senate, Bredesen would not actually have voted to confirm then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh. They explained that the statement Bredesen issued in support of Kavanaugh was a political ploy to gain the support of moderate voters in Tennessee.

When asked to clarify that Bredesen is only saying he’d vote for Kavanaugh to “get the Republican vote,” Amalla, a field organizer for Bredesen’s campaign, affirmed, “Yes.” Amalla reiterated, “[Bredesen] thought that like by coming out in support [of Justice Kavanaugh] that it would get more republicans on his side. He wasn’t doing as well in the rural parts.”

In multiple conversations, Bredesen staffers admitted that Bredesen does not want to fully communicate his connection to the national leadership of the Democratic party. Stewart and a colleague on the Bredesen campaign, Drew Marshall say:

MARSHALL: “We would scare all the people who would vote for Phil Bredesen, but not [Senate Democratic Leader] Chuck Schumer.”

STEWART: “Yeah, exactly, because there’s a lot of republicans who are going to vote for [Bredesen…]”

STEWART: “Yeah. And that’s how they’re messaging against us… that he’s gonna be a ‘toe the line’ democrat voter… Because there are people who loved him as Governor but won’t vote for a democrat for national office.”

Stewart reiterated the Bredesen Campaign’s commitment to appearing moderate for the election, “we’re trying to make it so it’s not about democrats.” Stewart makes clear Bredesen’s messaging is purely for political optics, saying:

STEWART: “Between you and me once Phil actually gets into the Senate, he’ll be a good Democrat.”

Call me crazy, but I don’t think the Bredesen campaign is having a good day today. The last poll on the race had Republican Marsha Blackburn up by 8 points, but that was before Taylor Swift and Project Veritas. The race is still listed as a “toss up,” but there is nothing good in that video for Phil Bredesen.

And speaking of crazy, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, who is running for the Senate seat in Arizona being vacated by Jeff Flake, says that Arizona voters are just that. They’re crazy.

Longer version: https://t.co/13nyi43hxx https://t.co/6mvZNps5SG

— The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) October 11, 2018

This video is apparently from a 2011 speech that Sinema gave to the Texas Stonewall Democratic Committee.

Sinema’s comedic routine included an offer of advice on how “to stop your state from becoming Arizona.”

“Over the past several years, people would watch what’s going on in Arizona and be like, ‘Damn, those people are crazy,'” Sinema says in the video. “Is it something with the water?” she asks, and then answers her own question: “No, the water’s fine, we stole it from Colorado.” That line got some especially hearty laughs.

She then shares a more extended riff about how Arizonans are nuts. Not a little bit crazy, mind you, but infected with a serious case, such that “crazy” is the state’s sixth “C” after cattle, copper, citrus, cotton, and climate. That one drew more modest laughs.

The Arizona race is currently considered a statistical toss-up, but the most recent poll numbers are shown to be going in the direction of Republican Martha McSally. If the poll trend continues, then there is no way that Sinema is able to overcome the tacky optics of this speech. She might be able to write it off as a comedy routine, but…

Dems better hope this doesn't go viral. There's always that sneaking sense that they really don't like the people they govern. https://t.co/LybTCkadf9

— AgainstTrumpDude (@TheAmishDude) October 11, 2018

Stay tuned to Victory Girls for continuing election updates as we approach the November midterms. Now is not the time to be complacent. Now is the time to support our candidates, and to be ready to vote.

Featured image via Pixabay