Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Newt touts SBA List pledge - DSCC raises $4.1M in May - Perry decision 'at least weeks' away - Pataki to Iowa - Utah poll: Hatch on the ropes - Nev. GOP picks Amodei
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:26:05 -0600

By Alexander Burns (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ) and James Hohmann (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] )

POPPING THIS A.M. - NEWT HUGS SBA LIST - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the latest 2012 candidate to tout his support for the Susan B. Anthony List's anti-abortion pledge, sending a message to his supporters in Iowa and South Carolina this morning that emphasizes his "deep belief in the sanctity of every human life." GINGRICH: "By signing this important pledge, I commit myself to actively advancing pro-life policies and legislation if I have the opportunity to serve as your next President ... On the first day of my administration, I would immediately reinstate President Ronald Reagan's Mexico City Policy, so that no U.S. taxpayer money is used to pay for abortions overseas. I would
 also reinstate President George W. Bush's Conscience Clause, so that no medical professional is forced to perform any procedures that violate their religious beliefs."

THE BACK STORY - Gingrich is one of five candidates - along with Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum, who signed the SBA List pledge. The outliers: Herman Cain and Mitt Romney, who authored a National Review post explaining that he opposes abortion, but feels the SBA List pledge is overly broad. Santorum and Bachmann have already attacked Romney on the issue. Read here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfc63906f22f4f8ea4302011da6ab87e65c654db7898f863fd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfc63906f22f4f8ea4302011da6ab87e65c654db7898f863fd ; here
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf2adcf5cd3735a36735c15617d058f08e0c85293546ac8730 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf2adcf5cd3735a36735c15617d058f08e0c85293546ac8730  ; and here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf849a0371ef074bfdc6edd60ac1de802dd09436206dffb430 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf849a0371ef074bfdc6edd60ac1de802dd09436206dffb430 

BREAKING - DSCC OUTRAISES NRSC - $4.1 MILLION IN MAY - The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee brought in $4.1 million last month, a million dollars more than the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The DSCC had $7.8 million on hand as of June 1 and they've raised $18.6 million this year. DSCC executive director Guy Cecil gave one explanation for the cash influx: "The game changer this last month was the Republican plan to end Medicare. It is helping motivate Democratic donors in every corner of the country, helping us out raise the Republicans and surpass our own fundraising goals." The DSCC did not share how much debt the committee has, but that number stood at $4.3 million at
 the end of April. The NRSC announced last week that it has paid all its debt carried over from 2010.

TODAY IN THE DEBT FIGHT - NRSC VS. 'BLANK CHECK' - The GOP committee will blast out a video showing Democrats promising on the campaign trail to cut the national debt, and asking: "Now they want a blank check?" Watch here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf5bdc68cb8a5c423f08c8a0378f79f8544a341848862b54cb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf5bdc68cb8a5c423f08c8a0378f79f8544a341848862b54cb 

As Dave Carney sets the odds, Herman Cain bristles and Minnesota heads for a shutdown, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

5 QUESTIONS ON 2012 - We're getting one more announced presidential candidate, while even more line up in the wings. Here are a few of our top questions for the week ahead:

(1) How many times will Jon Huntsman mention Barack Obama in his announcement speech? (Tim Pawlenty said his name 11 times. Mitt Romney said it eight times.)

(2) Who is the most prominent non-Texan officeholder who will push for a Rick Perry presidential run?

(3) Will Tim Pawlenty attack Mitt Romney in any public appearances, without being prompted by an interviewer?

(4) When will her fellow congressional Republicans start sharing what they really think about Michele Bachmann?

(5) How will the White House respond if gay marriage becomes legal this week in New York?

T MINUS 1 DAY - HUNTSMAN LAUNCHES TOMORROW - The most buzzed-about and enigmatic member of the Republican presidential field is a little more than 24 hours away from announcing his candidacy. This week, we'll finally start to find out whether Jon Huntsman is a real, flesh-and-blood contender for the GOP nomination, or a smoke-and-mirrors creation of the Beltway political class. The New York Times raises the curtain: "Huntsman ... is joining the presidential campaign scene as a relative unknown outside Utah. Yet he is among those who are being taken most seriously by Mr. Obama's aides ... Mr. Huntsman's time in China has indeed created a potential roadblock for his campaign ... But in some
 ways it has proved to be a help. It has bolstered his position as the only candidate in a field dominated by former governors to have direct foreign policy experience. And it put him in proximity to some of the nation's leading chief executives - and potential campaign donors and fund-raisers - as they sought assistance in doing business with China."

MORE - NOTED: "Diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks show meetings with the leading executives from Cisco, Pfizer and Wal-Mart; close contact with the United States Chamber of Commerce; and requests for help from the Las Vegas Sands casino, the chairman of which, Sheldon Adelson, is a major Republican fund-raiser."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfc2f732f82b3db40d4c4c337c84b6ee1c7ad80fce5398b662 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfc2f732f82b3db40d4c4c337c84b6ee1c7ad80fce5398b662 

SNIPING FROM SALT LAKE: Utah Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Holland is holding a press call this afternoon on Huntsman's presidential run - or as the Dem press release calls it, his "political reinvention tour the likes of which has never been seen in Utah." See the video version of the party's message on Huntsman, featuring a familiar soundtrack and a familiar-looking motorbike:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfdcffb81a2f793b8f1a85b413f079a0a6df1d8f1ef195945d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfdcffb81a2f793b8f1a85b413f079a0a6df1d8f1ef195945d 

PERRY WATCH - '50-50' - There's an even chance that Texas Gov. Rick Perry will enter the Republican presidential race, according to his chief political adviser, Dave Carney. POLITICO's Jonathan Martin reports from New Orleans: "Perry's closest political adviser said Saturday that the Texas governor is '50-50' about whether to run for the White House. That was before Perry brought down the house here with a rousing speech at the Republican Leadership Conference." The Texas Tribune reports on the Perry timeline: "Perry's top strategist said Saturday that the Texas governor is still 'at least weeks' away from making a decision about whether to run for president, a daunting financial and
 logistical undertaking even without the time pressures of a late entry ... 'We don't even know all the logistics of it. This is not a situation where you throw your hat into the ring and say "I'm next." There's a lot of effort that has to go into this,' Carney said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfc0c865a14ad82d917272f77ba6eb9d795b3d1b928543e0dc 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcfc0c865a14ad82d917272f77ba6eb9d795b3d1b928543e0dc and
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf23d9ee8f41e3468c209f7bb59821ea26cd51d32908fcf03c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf23d9ee8f41e3468c209f7bb59821ea26cd51d32908fcf03c 

WHY NOT HIM? For all Perry's strong points as a Republican primary candidate, the list of his liabilities may be even longer. The Wall Street Journal elaborates: "[P]olls show his popularity in Texas has flagged since he won a third term as governor last fall. The state lags in many key areas, ranking near the bottom, for instance, in the rate of high-school graduation. Lawmakers are expected to pass this month, backed by the governor, legislation that would slash $4 billion from state education ... Mr. Perry would face questions about whether the country is ready for another Texas Republican after eight years of George W. Bush."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcff9435523998e376c3f242f8d6543d86cf66e9569270ea5c2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcff9435523998e376c3f242f8d6543d86cf66e9569270ea5c2 

TPAW'S HOME-STATE HEADACHE - SHUTDOWN LOOMS - Minnesota faces a projected $5 billion deficit and state government will shut down if lawmakers can't pass a budget that closes that gap by July 1. Neither party has budged since Tim Pawlenty left office: Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton wants to raise taxes, while the GOP legislature wants to cut spending. And the Star-Tribune reports that the whole standoff could put an unwelcome spotlight on Pawlenty's record: "If the current state budget impasse leads to a government shutdown on July 1, it could also heighten the growing national scrutiny on Pawlenty's legacy as governor and undercut his case as a fiscal conservative willing to tell the American
 people the truth... Democrats contend that Pawlenty ran his own Ponzi-like scheme in Minnesota, employing short-term budget band-aids that put the state's books in technical balance."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf8bc3e5a689533af6f4222970d1adf5512d740555b186fce7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fff45cf84a3fcf8bc3e5a689533af6f4222970d1adf5512d740555b186fce7 

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO IOWA: New York Gov. George Pataki was in New Hampshire last week to watch the presidential debate in person. Now, he's taking his anti-debt show to Iowa, meeting with the governor there in the process. Fox News: "Pataki's 'No American Debt' organization has been running ads in New Hampshire, home of the first primary, since May and Pataki has visited the Granite State twice in recent weeks. Monday and Tuesday he will make his first Iowa visit of the 2012 cycle with plans to visit Urbandale and Des Moines. Aides say Pataki will hold a 'No American Debt' event Monday in Urbandale ... On Tuesday Pataki will meet with Iowa GOP Governor Terry Branstad, a key gatekeeper in
 the first in the nation caucus state."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5ea3944e971a9e2ccf733cc5dee9157a189b5934fa393728c49 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5ea3944e971a9e2ccf733cc5dee9157a189b5934fa393728c49 

TONIGHT IN THE REELECT - From the White House guidance: "In the evening, the President will deliver remarks at two DNC events at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC. Both DNC events are print pool only. "

POLL OF THE DAY - HEAD-SNAP IN UTAH: A strong majority of Utah voters say it's time to replace Orrin Hatch - maybe even with a Democrat, according to a Deseret News/KSL-TV poll released over the weekend. Thirty-eight percent of registered voters want to reelect Hatch, while 59 percent want someone new. From the paper: "If Utah's lone Democrat in Congress, Rep. Jim Matheson, gets in the Senate race, voters would be evenly split, according to the poll, with 47 percent favoring Hatch and 47 percent for Matheson ... In a primary race, 40 percent of poll respondents said they would vote for Hatch and 41 percent for [GOP Rep. Jason] Chaffetz. Among a slightly smaller sample of voters who said
 they were likely to vote in a Republican primary, Hatch was ahead of Chaffetz, 47 percent to 44 percent."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5eaa1eedfe153de5c5fb0158cf4162589809fb926cee0ec21f2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5eaa1eedfe153de5c5fb0158cf4162589809fb926cee0ec21f2 

ELSEWHERE IN THE WEST - GOP PICKS AMODEI - Nevada Republicans have selected Mark Amodei, a former state legislator and party chairman, as their candidate for the 2nd District special election. Like everything else about this race, this development could be reversed by the Nevada Supreme Court. The Review-Journal explains: "Whether Amodei is the only Republican candidate on the ballot or one of 15 who already have filed their candidacies depends on what the Nevada Supreme Court decides. The court will hold a June 28 hearing to determine whether the race will be a free-for-all open to all candidates, or a race limited to central committee nominees." The leading Democratic candidate for the
 seat is state Treasurer Kate Marshall.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5eab9f09b40e9fc42afcbbd62250cb51571e5bb715bfb4c930f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5eab9f09b40e9fc42afcbbd62250cb51571e5bb715bfb4c930f 

PLUS - AMODEI'S FIRST AD: The 30-second spot starts today in the Reno market, hyping up fear of China with images of the Chinese army marching past the U.S. Capitol. Watch it here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5ea616c196ccc4a4e65c3c3c55171f3e30900dee6c682451e60 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5ea616c196ccc4a4e65c3c3c55171f3e30900dee6c682451e60 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm driving my staff crazy, but I be the candidate, OK?"-Herman Cain, getting impatient at his own RightOnline press conference
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5eacdcc436fa765203ba06e1ccdc0af18edcb42b1386faca955 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5eacdcc436fa765203ba06e1ccdc0af18edcb42b1386faca955 

Go to POLITICO Morning Score Now >> http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0d80ab138c3f5ea40930ea197e09b6eb12bc37f2b617616f96023281845ae18

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