Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score, presented by Sinclair Broadcast Group: Mystery super PAC in Missouri gubernatorial race blurs legal line — DSCC, NRSC March fundraising totals — GOP groups keep pushing Young in Indiana
From: Morning Score <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 21 Apr 2016 08:03:08 -0600

By Elena Schneider | 04/21/2016 10:00 AM EDT

With Scott Bland and Kevin Robillard

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro's Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races - and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day's most important campaign news - sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)

MYSTERY MONEY - "Super PAC blurs legal lines in Missouri governor's race," by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer: "A conservative super PAC that roiled the Missouri governor's race last year may be in legal trouble after finally revealing who funds the effort - a newly formed nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors - and just how it has spent its money. ... What could land Patriots for America in trouble ... is the fact that it spent money on a state-level race without filing reports with Missouri's campaign finance authorities, which requires faster disclosure for some activities, according to multiple attorneys. It has sent out mailers and run digital ads bashing [candidate
 Eric] Greitens, but none of that activity has been reported to Missouri's Ethics Commission. That could make it one of the few super PACs of the Citizens United era to face significant legal trouble, observers said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab356d78b12e7b51fbc065ffaf562c62cd015f5b3d4779e9d0ba

FINAL COUNTDOWN - The DSCC is making one last push to nominate Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania: Senate Democrats expanded their ad buy backing McGinty by another $330,000, according to a FEC report. That brings the DSCC's total spending in the primary close to $2 million, when you combine the $1.5 million independent ad campaign with the committee's coordinated spending with McGinty's campaign. 

- SNAPSHOT - Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania ... "Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidates Katie McGinty and Joe Sestak are tied in a new Monmouth University poll, less than a week before their primary. McGinty, a former chief of staff to Gov. Tom Wolf, and Sestak, a former congressman, are both at 39 percent among likely primary voters. Braddock Mayor John Fetterman is far behind at 4 percent. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab352bccaac98298f0479fc91e6607f5822ca064fa230b77a58b 

- In New Hampshire ... "New Hampshire's Senate race is tied, a new poll from the University of New Hampshire says, and Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte has seen her favorability drop over the past two months. The poll has Ayotte earning 43 percent of the vote to Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan's 42 percent." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab359abb53c55e546be1b3bcae7d9ab32fa1370585854c0893b8 

- In Wisconsin ... "Democrat Russ Feingold leads GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, 51 percent to 41 percent, in a rematch of their 2010 Senate race, a new Wisconsin Public Radio poll says. The poll finds Johnson with 42 percent approval to 35 percent disapproval. The poll didn't test Feingold's favorability." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35702ca1c2aa8465c6c39fec61b211876eeb7a18b7dd7ed445

Days until the Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island primary: 5. Days until the 2016 election: 200. 

Thanks for joining us. You can email tips to the whole Campaign Pro team at [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked] and [email-masked].

You can also follow us on Twitter, where we tweet a lot about campaigns and occasionally about our suggestions for the Treasury: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, and @theodoricmeyer.

FUNDRAISING ROUNDUP - FIRST IN SCORE - Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raises $8.2 million in March: The DSCC topped its Republican counterparts in March fundraising, $8.2 million to $6.16 million. "It is the best on-year March in committee history," according to a committee statement to be released today. But the NRSC has a cash on hand advantage, with $20 million in the bank, while the DSCC has $19.2 million in cash on hand. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35c7190b870e5895725f603f512d80f10dde3574ea8b46a4f4 

FACEBOOK STALKING PAYS OFF - "Senate candidate bills campaign for family trip," by he Associated Press' Brian Slodysko: "A Facebook page belonging to the wife of an Indiana congressman touted the family's visit to the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California, with photos showing the two children by the conservative icon's grave and the couple in front of a 'humble' wooden table where Reagan signed a massive tax cut. Although a caption on one of the photos describes the trip as a 'family vacation,' documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Rep. Marlin Stutzman's Senate campaign paid more than $2,000 for the four airline tickets to Los Angeles and covered
 expenses for a van rental and Hilton hotel room recorded during the August trip. Federal Election Commission guidelines forbid the use of an official campaign fund for personal expenses." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35bb62faa7b9cd520a692f701471e50953ecdbab9034537d73 

- Senate Leadership Fund, the McConnell-aligned super PAC backing Rep. Todd Young with positive ads in the Senate race, piled on in a statement from spokesman Ian Prior: "Whether he is voting himself a pay raise or using campaign cash to subsidize a California vacation, Marlin Stutzman is a typical career politician who seems to believe that all the money belongs to him, not to Indiana families." Even when it's gotten involved in GOP primaries, the Crossroads network (of which SLF is a new part) has rarely hit out at other Republicans, making this a notable departure from the norm.

** A message from Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest and most diversified television broadcasting company in the country today, delivers not only TV, the primary medium for reaching potential voters, but also targetable digital (mobile, video, email, social media and native) ad solutions. Contact Alan Brittan @ 703-236-9673. Sinclair, busy - Making Political Ads Work! **

ADS, ADS, ADS - In Indiana ... A new ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce boosting Young in Indiana's Senate contest focuses on the congressman's opposition to Obamacare. Young, who is facing Stutzman in the May 3 Republican primary, has received heavy backing from both the Chamber and Senate Leadership Fund. Watch the ad, "Gets Things Done," here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35f8c98f9d992bb16fbe18498ab84ba94058ac31d239fba7bf

- In Maryland ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab356d1d019caee0767844dc395e5820092a63a30fad8e38380e

- In Nevada ... http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab356d1d019caee0767844dc395e5820092a63a30fad8e38380e

- FIRST IN SCORE ... In CA-24 ... Democrat Helene Schneider is going up with her first television ad, which will air districtwide on cable stations next week and on both cable and broadcast stations the following week. The 30-second ad shows the Santa Barbara mayor in front of a garage, saying, "I started my campaign for Congress from my garage because I believe going to the people to get things done." Then, Schneider drives to various locations to describe accomplishments, like "stopping the sale of public parking lots" and "fought for a safer 101." Watch "Garage" here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35b6cabaf3e268c644e6be5d075201ba1dc1c93952540c1b11 

- In Oregon ... Republican Allen Alley, who hopes to challenge Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, released a television ad Wednesday that will air statewide on broadcast and cable stations, part of a six-figure ad buy, according to the campaign. In the ad, Alley speaks to the camera, saying, "Career politicians in Salem spend too much and the lobbyists and special interests have too much power. It's not working." Alley says he'll "take a different approach," by cutting "wasteful spending" and supporting term limits. Watch "Too Much" here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35a435e2abcb1c3e17ced173dddb7a73fb7e4a7014a36db611 

- In NY-22 ... Republican Steve Wells released his first television ad Monday that highlights his outsider status. "We need something different in Washington: Steve Wells. The outsider we've been waiting for," a narrator says. Watch "Outsider" here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab353bb2244737b8f5f3cfff16d8965331ace202e4a39734ec56 

FIRST IN SCORE - WHO SAID IT FIRST, DCCC ASKS - Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will release a video Thursday that they say shows House Republicans preempting Donald Trump in some of his more inflammatory moves. It shows clips of Donald Trump speaking at his rallies saying, "You know what they used to do to guys like that at a place like this? They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks." Then, it shows a clip of Rep. Steve Knight, after being baited, telling a protester he would "drop his ass." It follows with several clips of Trump and House Republicans questioning President Obama's qualifications to be president, like his birth certificate. Watch the nearly two-minute video
 here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35a20cd1225278c128c078c97c8239cc0771bac99d8e83813b 

GETTING THE NOD - DSCC endorsed Democrat Patty Judge: National Democrats backed Judge in her four-way primary, who are all hoping to take on longtime Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in November. "Iowans are frustrated that Senate Republicans refuse to do their jobs on the Supreme Court nomination and want a senator that will put their interests first," said DSCC Chairman Jon Tester in a statement. "Patty will be that senator.."

- End Citizens United endorses Cortez Masto, Eldridge: End Citizens United PAC, which has endorsed dozens of Democrats who support campaign finance reform this cycle, will add two more to the list today. The PAC will endorse Catherine Cortez Masto for the open Nevada Senate seat in Nevada and Conner Eldridge, who's challenging GOP Sen. John Boozman in Arkansas. 

COURT REPORT - "Supreme Court upholds Arizona legislative redistricting," by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein: "The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that an Arizona redistricting plan that favors Democrats does not violate the 'one-person, one-vote' principle established by the Constitution. ... The court's ruling Wednesday leaves open the question of whether states or localities could justify population deviations of up to 10 percent in the future by claiming an attempt to comply with the core provisions of the Voting Rights Act." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35882a5d82f176671581ef1df18cbb0b875a4f5565ee259d5e 

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Trump sends aides to court the GOP elite," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt and Shane Goldmacher in Hollywood, Fla.: "Fresh off a dominating performance in New York, Donald Trump is pivoting to winning over a far less friendly crowd: The chiefs of a Republican Party, whose nominating process he's bashed almost daily as 'rigged' and undemocratic. The billionaire is dispatching his senior-most aides, including newly ascendant political strategists Paul Manafort and Rick Wiley, to woo the delegates here at the beachfront hotel and resort where the Republican National Committee's spring meeting is being held." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab352a35d0f3c9e67da54f8d83f6850597cd57cf666af4a26e35 

- "Cruz can't seal the deal with GOP colleagues," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Katie Glueck: "Senate Republicans are all for stopping Donald Trump. But they are twisting themselves in pretzels to avoid officially endorsing their colleague Ted Cruz. Increasingly, Cruz's coworkers are grudgingly saying nice things about the Texas senator who's given them headaches for years with his strident stands and scorched-earth tactics. But when it comes down to it, they just can't bring themselves to make it official, ... Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told a Louisville, Ky., TV station over the weekend that he's 'optimistic' that the GOP convention goes to a second ballot, an implicit knock on
 front-runner Donald Trump. Yet he followed it up with a seemingly incongruent comment: 'I'm not going to comment on the presidential candidates.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab350142e2f8aec14668aea8c101f5e59e371db05ae60c5c84f9 

- "Bernie Sanders has trickier, narrower road in Democratic race," by The New York Times' Patrick Healy and Yamiche Alcindor: " ... Mr. Sanders, who took the day off to rest and regroup with his advisers, is under intense pressure to win the Pennsylvania primary on Tuesday or fall even further behind Mrs. Clinton's sizable lead in pledged delegates needed to capture the nomination. A new Pennsylvania poll put Mr. Sanders 13 percentage points behind Mrs. Clinton, despite heavy spending by the Sanders campaign on television advertisements. Another loss could hamper his formidable fund-raising, which Sanders advisers described as steady but not as strong as it could have been with a New York
 victory. In addition to Pennsylvania, four other states hold primaries on Tuesday, and Sanders advisers say that all of the contests will be tough for them." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab351d64959c8c349689cb2797af70be90af744b0f4fa055c6bb 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "There's more chance of you being vice president than me," Gov. John Kasich tells a CNN anchor, POLITICO reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52f8eff0dfc9ab35ac12f9f45d139e49776536f37fa9a9ef0348bbbe5af71ee2 

** A message from Sinclair Broadcast Group: News, opinions, and entertainment surround us 24/7, yet a fundamental truth remains, whether for competitive races or impactful ballot measures, the TV commercial reigns as the medium for reaching potential voters. TV helps strongly at the margins. Television is also the easiest way to reach undecided voters. Those passive folks who don't show up at the rallies or ask for email updates, but will be there to pull the levers on Election Day. At the Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country, we combine TV with targetable digital (mobile, video, email, social media and native) ad
 solutions, to help your messaging break through the noise. Winning is what matters. At the Sinclair Broadcast Group, we have the ad tools necessary to help you to persuade, enlighten and activate. Contact Alan Brittan, Sinclair's Director of Political Ads for more details @ 703-236-9673. **

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