Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Huck ramps up S.C. presence - DGA takes blowtorch to Bill Brady - Conservative group on air against Murray - NRCC makes Ganley a 'Young Gun' - Poll: Bachmann's race competitive - DNC doles out big cash
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:40:11 -0400 (EDT)

By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, [email-masked])

SCORE EXCLUSIVE -- HUCK TOUCHES DOWN: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee left a deeper footprint in the early presidential primary state of South Carolina last quarter, doling out $11,500 to state and federal candidates and putting at least one pair of boots on the ground. Huckabee donated to six federal candidates, giving $2,500 to state Rep. Tim Scott's House campaign and $1,000 each to incumbent Rep. Joe Wilson and House candidates Jeff Duncan, Mick Mulvaney and Trey Gowdy (he also gave $2,000 to retire unsuccessful House candidate Carroll “Tumpy” Campbell's debt.) Four new state-level candidates won checks from Huck PAC, including attorney general candidate Alan Wilson ($1,000), state treasurer candidate Curtis Loftis ($1,000) and state House candidates Rick Quinn and Nathan Balantine ($500 each). Huckabee has dished out $19,000 to South Carolinians in total this cycle.

AND -- NOT JUST CASH: Huckabee also has a flesh-and-blood presence in Columbia, where Huck PAC executive director Hogan Gidley, the former executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, has held meetings with consultant Richard Quinn and legislators including state House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham, a source close to Huckabee said. The former 2008 presidential candidate's ramped-up presence in South Carolina comes as he has also been hitting the trail harder for Republican candidates in big-ticket states including Florida, Texas and California.

As Karen Handel lands Sarah Palin, Chet Traylor lands a punch and Marco Rubio sets a land-speed fundraising record, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections.

GOVS EXCLUSIVE -- CARPET-BOMBING BRADY: The Democratic Governors Association is dropping some heavy ordnance today on Bill Brady, the Republican nominee for governor of Illinois, running a cutting negative ad in the Chicago media market at what one strategist called “saturation levels.” The commercial, called “Daughters,” targets female voters with the message that Brady has “made a career voting against working women,” warning: “Brady opposed the creation of family medical and maternity leave. He was one of only three legislators to vote against expanding mammogram coverage, and Bill Brady opposes a woman's right to choose even in cases of rape and incest. Our daughters and our state deserve better.” The ad takes advantage of two of Brady's most serious weaknesses: his downstate base, which leaves in a weaker starting position against Gov. Pat Quinn in Illinois's population center, and his conservative voting record. The DGA is posting the ad at a new anti-Brady website, stopbillbrady.com. Watch it here. http://bit.ly/a9c4nA

SENATE EXCLUSIVE -- POLITICO's Jonathan Martin reports: “The conservative American Action Network is going up with a major ad buy in Washington state, hammering Sen. Patty Murray and using her famous 'mom in tennis shoes' iconography against her. The memorable spot, produced by Fred Davis, depicts an unidentified woman in scuffed-up sneakers walking on people's backs as an announcer says 'you wore your tennis shoes out on our backs,' and accuses Murray of increasing spending, raising taxes and killing jobs. The group is spending over $750,000 on a statewide buy of broadcast TV, a significant purchase in the relatively inexpensive state.”

HOUSE EXCLUSIVE -- LOCK AND LOAD: The NRCC will add a 40th name to the top tier of its “Young Guns” list Tuesday, promoting Ohio auto dealer Tom Ganley's campaign against Democratic Rep. Betty Sutton. Ganley's competing in a Democratic-leaning district, but Republicans view his wealth and his biography as assets -- in addition to his success in the business world, Ganley has a story to tell about standing up to a local mob shakedown. House Republicans scored a major recruiting win earlier this year when Ganley decided to test the limits of his bank account against Sutton instead of mounting a Senate primary challenge to presumptive GOP nominee Rob Portman.

TODAY -- VOTING IN ALABAMA -- Here are the three races to watch in tonight's runoff primaries: (1) The Republican race for governor between Bradley Byrne, the anti-teachers' union candidate with the backing of the state GOP establishment, and Robert Bentley, the self-funding physician with a softer record on education; (2) The 2nd District GOP primary between colorful bar owner and Washington Post contributor Rick Barber, and Montgomery City Councilwoman Martha Roby; (3) The 7th District Dem primary between attorney Terri Sewell and Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Smoot, in a race that's effectively the general election for the strongly liberal seat.

DNC FLEXES -- SPREADING THE WEALTH: The DNC has made its first transfer of $2 million to party committees and state parties, according to a Democratic Party official, and the next FEC reports will show that the DNC transferred $666,666 to the DSCC, $666,666 to the DCCC, $333,333 to the Ohio Democratic Party and $333,333 to the Florida Democratic Party. This is only the beginning of disbursements through the Democrats' widely advertised $50 million Vote 2010 plan -- and a reminder that it helps for a party to have a financially robust central committee.

WINNING THE QUARTER -- FUNDRAISING TICKER: Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio blew past Gov. Charlie Crist's previous record for the best fundraising quarter of the 2010 cycle, raking in $4.5 million in the second three months of the year. Crist hasn't released his newest numbers ... North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr raised $1.9 million and had $6.3 million on hand for his fight against underfunded Dem Elaine Marshall ... Washington Sen. Patty Murray took in $1.6 million and had $6.8 million in the bank for her campaign against late entrant Dino Rossi ... Stay tuned for more ....

THE VITTER CHALLENGE -- FURER IN THE CROSSHAIRS: Chet Traylor, the former Louisiana Supreme Court justice mounting a GOP primary challenge to Sen. David Vitter, is already engaging on the issue of Vitter's relationship with his aide Brent Furer, who was accused of domestic violence and stayed on the senator's payroll. Traylor acknowledged in an interview with ABC News that the issue played a role in his decision to run, explaining: “That was a concern for a lot of people. ... And certainly to women. I don't believe you put someone in charge of women's affairs who's had the kind of problems [Furer]'s got.” http://bit.ly/ctfmvk

ERGO PROPTER HOC: Vitter told a crowd in Metairie last weekend that he supported legal challenges to President Obama's citizenship, the Associated Press reports. From the wire: “'I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court,' he said, according to a video of the event. 'I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it.' ... Vitter said the only direct information he has about the issue is what he's learned through the news media 'filter.'” http://bit.ly/a0Au9w

HOUSE RACE MUST-READ -- BACHMANN LEADS, UNDER 50: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann is ahead in her campaign for reelection and leads challenger Tarryl Clark by nine points, according to a SurveyUSA poll. Bachmann currently draws 48 percent support, compared with 39 percent for Clark, a state senator. Independence Party candidate Bob Anderson takes six percent of the vote in the survey and six percent is undecided. Both Bachmann and Clark will have the resources to run aggressive campaigns in the final months of the race: Bachmann raised $1.7 million last quarter and Clark brought in more than $900,000. http://bit.ly/9qlqjm

THE NEXT NIKKI HALEY? Sarah Palin gave her endorsement to Georgia gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel Monday, backing the former secretary of state just eight days before the first round of primary voting. Handel has been running in second place to state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, with an August runoff likely. http://bit.ly/agOFiW

BACK TO THE WELL: President Obama will return to New York City for a DNC fundraiser on July 28, POLITICO's Maggie Haberman reports. It will be only the president's second Big Apple fundraiser of the year, after a DCCC event in May. http://politi.co/bD6WTU

ACROSS THE BIG MAP -- with POLITICO's Tim Alberta:

-- Sestak gets hit on Israel. A new conservative group calling itself the Emergency Committee for Israel is out with an ad slamming Pennsylvania Senate candidate Joe Sestak for criticizing Israel's blockade of Gaza. Sestak signed a letter raising concerns about the blockade, according to the ad, but didn't sign a petition defending Israel circulated by AIPAC. The ad's narrator asks: “Does Congressman Joe Sestak understand Israel is America's ally?” http://politi.co/9QLUwu

-- Kelliher goes on the air. Minnesota state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher is finally out with her first television ad this week, a 30-second biographical spot that calls her a fighter for working families. Kelliher won the DFL Party's endorsement for governor but faces two wealthy candidates, former state Rep. Matt Entenza and former Sen. Mark Dayton, in an Aug. 10 primary. Watch the ad here. http://bit.ly/dzp48Y

-- McCollum running on fumes. The Florida attorney general and gubernatorial candidate is down to $800,000 in his campaign war chest after going on television earlier than expected in the face of a primary challenge from self-funder Rick Scott. Under current campaign finance law -- which Scott is challenging -- McCollum will be entitled to new matching funds if Scott spends more than $24.9 million on his bid. http://bit.ly/aS9wxO

-- Dueling Detroit endorsements. The two Democrats running for governor of Michigan rolled out competing endorsements from Detroit heavyweights: state House Speaker Andy Dillon won the support of former Mayor Dennis Archer, while Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero was backed over the weekend by Reps. John Conyers and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. http://bit.ly/cEJmpU

DOWN BALLOT -- THE POLANSKI EFFECT: Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley was leading his Democratic rival in the California attorney general's race, San Francisco DA Kamala Harris, by three points in last week's Field Poll. This week, Cooley's making international news with sharp criticism of the Swiss government's decision to deny an extradition request that would have landed Roman Polanski in California prison. “Mr. Polanski is still convicted of serious child sex charges,” Cooley said. “I am deeply disappointed that the Swiss authorities denied the request to extradite Roman Polanski. Our office complied fully with all of the factual and legal requirements of the extradition treaty and requests by the U.S. and Swiss Departments of Justice and State.” http://bit.ly/cb2uxX

Go to Morning Score Now >> http://www.politico.com/morningscore

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