Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Perry plays defense in Tampa--Crossroads targets McCaskill--Election Day in NY-9, NV-2--Mass Dems targeting Romney, Perry, Brown on Social Security--Why Pawlenty backed Romney and Jindal backed Perry--Arizona locks in February 28 primary
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:15:36 -0600

By James Hohmann (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

EXCLUSIVE - CROSSROADS FLIES AGAIN WITH 'AIR CLAIRE' MCCASKILL: American Crossroads is circling back to the flap over the Missouri Democrat's private plane today, spending more than $75,000 on a new radio spot and two aviation-themed billboard ads near the St. Louis and Springfield airports. 'Sky-high airfares got you down?' the billboards say. 'Senator Claire McCaskill flies in her own jet - and you pay for it!' The radio spot dramatizes a detective asking McCaskill questions, with clips drawn from her public statements. More than a quarter-million of unpaid back taxes on her plane embarrassed McCaskill earlier this year. She eventually reimbursed the Treasury department for political
 trips billed to taxpayers. American Crossroads President Steven Law tells POLITICO's Dan Hirschhorn that "McCaskill's private jet symbolizes everything that's wrong with her candidacy." See the billboard:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=de6093e7b04aae78f8c5384a5ea5e028df1ca789ba4fa70e29e5ff175c994f1f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=de6093e7b04aae78f8c5384a5ea5e028df1ca789ba4fa70e29e5ff175c994f1f . Listen to the radio spot:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e36961ca0d1415e17c8eb9a4dc4f1eb909dd60129910ba4732f8ec65e06dcf2f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e36961ca0d1415e17c8eb9a4dc4f1eb909dd60129910ba4732f8ec65e06dcf2f 

ELECTION DAY IN NY-9 - A REFERENDUM ON OBAMA?: Jay Carney already tried to preemptively distance the president from the results at yesterday's briefing, but press coverage increasingly suggests that the outcome of the race between Republican Bob Turner and Democrat David Weprin will be taken as a referendum on Barack Obama. Check out a sampling of election eve headlines: Associated Press: "Special election a measure of Obama's strength"; Reuters: "New York district race portends trouble for Obama"; Wall Street Journal: "Special House Elections Give View of Sagging Obama"; Washington Examiner: "Anger at Obama may cost Dems N.Y. House seat." Alex Isenstadt looks at the five things to watch as
 returns come in:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0648ff95f6beb0964224565a66e72598bcfe3fbfcaebe6ab8696cbfc7d70b91 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e0648ff95f6beb0964224565a66e72598bcfe3fbfcaebe6ab8696cbfc7d70b91 

BRACE FOR A LATE NIGHT - AP ADVISORY TO EDITORS: Polls close at 9 p.m. ET. "New York City returns are expected to be delayed because of procedures put in place at poll sites by the Board of Elections since vote scanners replaced machines. In 2010, the first time these new procedures were in place, results provided by New York City did not come in until about 10 p.m."

As HPV enters the lexicon, the president heads for Ohio, and the 2012 primary calendar finally starts to fall into place, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

LAST NIGHT IN TAMPA - PERRY FEELS THE HEAT: Rick Perry, treated as the frontrunner, took fire from all sides. Consensus across conservative and mainstream media is that the Texas governor did not perform as well in last night's CNN-Tea Party Express debate as he did in California last week.

THE THREE DEFINING ISSUES OF THE DEBATE -

-PERRY SOFTENED HIS TONE ON SOCIAL SECURITY: "Perry went to some lengths to soften some of his previous remarks," Dan Balz wrote in The Washington Post. "In his opening words on the topic, he sought to assure those who are receiving Social Security and those who are close to retirement. He promised a 'slam-dunk guarantee' that neither group would see its benefits cut. But for younger workers, he said it is essential for the country to face the program's financial problems."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9a7d537188381c94166d59fd3b771a9a82590abe7dd8050eec64e90c4cd9d0c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a9a7d537188381c94166d59fd3b771a9a82590abe7dd8050eec64e90c4cd9d0c 

-PERRY TOOK HEAT ON IMMIGRATION: "Perry, who signed a Texas version of the DREAM Act (which allows young people in the country illegally to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities) drew several rounds of boos when he defended the policy," the LA Times reported. "Romney piled on Perry (a recurring theme of the evening). 'Of course we build a fence, and of course we do not give in-state tuition credits to people who have come here illegally.' And then he took the opportunity to knock Huntsman, who, while Utah governor, allowed illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses (though the documents were not to be used as a form of legal identification)."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1a201ed0a8fab435e5cec351efc19584c1e109c9e99963fe91ac44e6dfb14872 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1a201ed0a8fab435e5cec351efc19584c1e109c9e99963fe91ac44e6dfb14872 

-PERRY LOST THE FIGHT ON HPV: "Bachmann took on front-runner Rick Perry with a tough attack on his attempt to mandate an STD vaccine for preteen girls in Texas - and his relationship with Merck, the drug company that manufactured it. When he tried to shut her down, Bachmann went right back at him. 'The governor's former chief of staff was the chief lobbyist for this drug company. The company gave thousands of dollars in political donations to the governor, and this is just flat-out wrong,' Bachmann said. 'If you're saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I'm offended,' Perry responded. Bachmann shot back: 'I'm offended for all the little girls and the parents that didn't have a choice.
 That's what I'm offended for.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f92221f57c906b83c7e63b1a039d45c900215693a5db4490ddb6f3a03be084b3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f92221f57c906b83c7e63b1a039d45c900215693a5db4490ddb6f3a03be084b3 

MSM ANALYSIS -PERRY LOST, ROMNEY OR BACHMANN WON:

- POLITICO's Jonathan Martin and David Catanese - "Perry Pain Marks Romney Gain": "Mitt Romney's path to the Republican nomination became clearer Monday night - and it had little to do with his attacks on Rick Perry over Social Security. Instead it was the fire Perry took from the right at the CNN-Tea Party Express debate that suddenly seemed more threatening to the Texas governor's chances than Romney."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1f831c2c3f753a23490c520bdae45b6b756df7d3a397c6009cff243782e145f0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1f831c2c3f753a23490c520bdae45b6b756df7d3a397c6009cff243782e145f0 

- The Huffington Post's Jon Ward: "If Rick Perry felt like a pinata during his first debate last week, the second debate on Monday night might have left the Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate feeling like the bashed-in fax machine in the movie 'Office Space.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce305f1be09cde2e0c36f558a9d1fa79828cdb00a1bdb885b4ce79040800fb8c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ce305f1be09cde2e0c36f558a9d1fa79828cdb00a1bdb885b4ce79040800fb8c 

- The Des Moines Register's Kathie Obradovich: "Rick Perry was both lucky and unlucky that tonight's debate was co-sponsored by the Tea Party Express. Lucky, because his rivals mostly soft-pedaled their criticism of Perry's 'Ponzi scheme' assessment of Social Security. Unlucky, because it gave Mitt Romney a chance to side with the tea party on the Texas decision to allow in-state tuition for the children of illegal immigrants."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2951eddc4981ec77ccc8bf81d22b10a9fb470e35bee558b2feac86f2ff248b4 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2951eddc4981ec77ccc8bf81d22b10a9fb470e35bee558b2feac86f2ff248b4 

- Texas Monthly's Paul Burka: "Perry was clearly off his game during the tea party debate. He looked uncomfortable, his face was strained, his combativeness was muted. He looked to me like a man with back pain. I wondered if he were wearing a brace. I've had back surgery, and it hurt to watch him. I thought Romney won the debate."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=529aa96bdce3b68d40d4183cb824fff7502b15ffd3e969cee717cefc1445d064 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=529aa96bdce3b68d40d4183cb824fff7502b15ffd3e969cee717cefc1445d064 

- ABC's Amy Walter - "Analysis: Michele Bachmann Wins Tea Party Debate": "Bachmann, the founder of the Tea Party Caucus in the House, knew her audience well and it showed...The crowd initially stood behind the Texas Governor - cheering him on during his defense of his jobs record and Social Security positioning. But as the debate wore on, Perry was clearly exhausted by having to play defense for almost two hours and the crowd seemed weary of him too."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=989c2165e9e7e915e21bfb9940d813d320f48e4f9fa0547e72e7c3e77c8c5a07 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=989c2165e9e7e915e21bfb9940d813d320f48e4f9fa0547e72e7c3e77c8c5a07 

THE BUZZ ON THE RIGHT-

- The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes on "ROMNEY'S WIN": "Romney was crisp and succinct, prepared and focused, and aggressive in going after his chief rival [Perry] ... when he needed to be. [He] showed once again that he's a far better candidate now than he was four years ago."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=05fad14ba0ac788fe68bf4f53f762ea97f03af9e1181887251ada64b12d80672 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=05fad14ba0ac788fe68bf4f53f762ea97f03af9e1181887251ada64b12d80672 

- The Washington Examiner's Byron York: "When it was over, Perry had not been knocked out, but he was definitely wobbly on his feet."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2502b6de50b8369c461bd4c0ebd5045e3d4020bb435e1692c5e677599465bb46 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2502b6de50b8369c461bd4c0ebd5045e3d4020bb435e1692c5e677599465bb46 

- The Iowa Republican's Craig Robinson: "Perry offered some good one-liners, but candidates pummeled him in this debate from the right. Perry needs to win the Iowa Caucuses, but Bachmann and Santorum are not going to make it easy for him."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bfa4a2a219eaf5c1201f181311d76f5502729e57adea9723fb61e3e153937be6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bfa4a2a219eaf5c1201f181311d76f5502729e57adea9723fb61e3e153937be6 

- Power Line Blog's John Hinderaker: "Michele Bachmann clobbered Rick Perry. If Tea Party credentials are your only criterion, vote for Michele."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4fc4bea13161c05879ed8f6f328e2d8c662f9d41d5c7760eeedef6ff3e1db67 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4fc4bea13161c05879ed8f6f328e2d8c662f9d41d5c7760eeedef6ff3e1db67 

- National Review's Rich Lowry: "Bachmann was better than last time and showed she's not going to quietly fade away. I liked both Santorum and Gingrich and wonder if either of them can still catch a little gust in Iowa. Huntsman is becoming more confident on the stage, which means even more annoying. He's a smart ass who isn't funny."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a7aaf08fd8ef7752f3c572ed998b54dcc334ac42fca984525b6a76b06ac4a4b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7a7aaf08fd8ef7752f3c572ed998b54dcc334ac42fca984525b6a76b06ac4a4b 

POST-GAME - PALIN SLAMS PERRY ON HPV, "CRONY CAPITALISM": Sarah Palin, on Fox News right after the debate, sounded more like a surrogate for Bachmann than a potential candidate herself. She called out Perry by name for mandating the HPV vaccine after his chief of staff went to work for the drug company that manufactured it. "That's crony capitalism," she told Greta Van Susteren. "That's part of the problem that we have in this country is that people are afraid, even in our own party, to call one another out on that...Michele Bachmann tried to make that point tonight and she's going to get potentially crucified." The former governor, who said she is still deciding whether to get into the
 race, also noted that she fought against requiring the HPV vaccine in Alaska at the same time Perry pushed it in Texas.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ec27023d9d8b36495a31a775f01a62d659aa4bce2e2921e879d3546fa35bf12c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ec27023d9d8b36495a31a775f01a62d659aa4bce2e2921e879d3546fa35bf12c 

MORE ON PALIN - FRED MALEK SAYS IT'S TOO LATE FOR HER TO RUN: Republican power broker Fred Malek, an occasional Palin adviser, told ABC's "Top Line" yesterday that it would be a bad move for Palin to jump in at this point. "She could pick up a lot of support going in. But I think it is too late," he said. "She's doing a very, very good job on the circuit...I don't think she should get in, and I don't think she will." Malek, a major RGA fundraiser, says he's "very happy" Perry got in the race and said the Texas governor has "a very big lead right now, and it's going to be difficult [for anyone] to surmount that."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15cdcfb881590302271f078f2a5444d6fbce03a76e88388d64b85c850fc87fe0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=15cdcfb881590302271f078f2a5444d6fbce03a76e88388d64b85c850fc87fe0 

SNEAK PEEK- MASS DEMS WILL USE SOCIAL SECURITY TO INTENSIFY ATTACKS ON SCOTT BROWN: FDR grandson James Roosevelt, a former Social Security Administration official and member of the Democratic National Committee, will ding Perry and Romney during a 9:30 a.m. conference call for the Massachusetts Democratic Party. [The peg is that Perry is speaking in Boston at a 6 p.m. dinner.] But Roosevelt will also hit Scott Brown for endorsing a candidate [Romney] who once backed private accounts and for supporting the cut, cap and balance pledge. Watch for more Democratic efforts to link the freshman senator to the Republican presidential candidates. A Massachusetts Democratic Party official tells
 Score: 'Even Scott Brown's awe-shucks smile and high-end suede barn coat won't change the fact that voting to give him a full term will give more power - and possibly control of the U.S. Senate - to the Republican Party.'

PAWLENTY ENDORSES ROMNEY-

-THE BACK STORY: "They held a series of telephone conversations following Pawlenty's exit from the race, but the decision culminated with a dinner the two men had with their wives, Ann Romney and Mary Pawlenty, at the Romneys' lakefront home in New Hampshire, during which all four of them hit it off," according to the Washington Post. "The Pawlentys were overnight guests at the lakefront home [on Sept. 2]."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef25da2bde002b8a3e6f4c731765b3f279d9b459464bbdff9408588e7bf57de7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ef25da2bde002b8a3e6f4c731765b3f279d9b459464bbdff9408588e7bf57de7 

-RETIRING CAMPAIGN DEBT? Two Republican sources told Maggie Haberman that there were discussions about Romney helping Pawlenty retire his six-figure campaign debt. 'If Tim Pawlenty wants our help, that's something we'd help him with, just as we help all our friends," said Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=08ee80a73f5f9d173e9d5589db175d985359ca624ee6e8c25cf6ec9531e22c30 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=08ee80a73f5f9d173e9d5589db175d985359ca624ee6e8c25cf6ec9531e22c30 

Pawlenty himself denies that debt motivated his endorsement. 'That wasn't a factor in my endorsement and obviously if he's willing to help with that, we'd love to have his help,' he told NBC News. 'But I anticipate I'll probably end up raising more money for him than he would in terms of anything he might do to help with our campaign debt.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ccb4516c63684d7f2941d71c55656f42cad000f8b03f0370513ec94210a25bb0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ccb4516c63684d7f2941d71c55656f42cad000f8b03f0370513ec94210a25bb0 

-HOW MUCH DOES TPAW HELP? The New York Times uses the Pawlenty announcement as the peg for a front-page story about the GOP elite turning toward Romney. Jeff Zeleny and Mike Shear say it "signals the beginning of an effort by some party leaders to try to slow the ascent of Mr. Perry - or to push him to explain positions that are considered provocative." Vin Weber, a Pawlenty backer who had already gotten behind Romney, describes "'deep concern' inside the Republican Party about nominating someone like Mr. Perry, who has had limited experience appealing to independents and moderate voters who often decide elections."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dea41e1238e42cb2becb63d6160d257e97572034ca3f3b76fc76c122b7453d9d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=dea41e1238e42cb2becb63d6160d257e97572034ca3f3b76fc76c122b7453d9d 

WMUR's James Pindell says the impact in New Hampshire is "unclear" (http://bit.ly/mZbJIW). Kendra Marr found many surprised former staffers and fundraisers caught off guard by the sudden endorsement. None of the Floridians expected to follow Pawlenty immediately stepped forward: "Pawlenty didn't try to get any of his former staffers jobs on the Romney campaign, or make his endorsement part of a greater movement of supporters to Romney."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3b7da94e914b19ae2d8a052541e919b156cc3eac606d340d1c45784dfba4cb04 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3b7da94e914b19ae2d8a052541e919b156cc3eac606d340d1c45784dfba4cb04 

-PAWLENTY BECOMES A SURROGATE: From The State's write-up of the pair's visit to the Boeing plant in South Carolina: "'Electable' was the key word. As Pawlenty touted Romney during a press conference at North Charleston City Hall, he repeatedly used the word, saying Romney was the 'most electable candidate by far.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a614ade9760d29fed045314b0c03dd4648f63a9f6898a96d5d2c1810329e4840 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a614ade9760d29fed045314b0c03dd4648f63a9f6898a96d5d2c1810329e4840 

Pawlenty insists he's "not even going to consider" being Romney's running mate. And he explained his past criticisms of Obamneycare by stressing that the former Massachusetts governor is committed to repealing the federal law.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fd68978b4afb87e7b70f5725b1ff2e401f30a81a0c8ed1e71ea82cc076d928 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=50fd68978b4afb87e7b70f5725b1ff2e401f30a81a0c8ed1e71ea82cc076d928 

A FLURRY OF ENDORSEMENTS-

-JINDAL BACKS PERRY-SAYS HE'S NOT INTERESTED IN AN ADMINISTRATION JOB: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, facing no credible Democrat challenger in his reelection this year, endorsed Perry yesterday. He stressed the Texan's record of job creation in his announcement. In the spin room after the debate, Jindal shied away from attacking Romney harshly and was also adamant that he did not endorse Perry early for political advantage: "I don't want a job from Rick," he said. "No, I will not be his VP.' This does not mean he will not be talked about as a potential running mate next year, should Perry win the nomination. The short Times-Picayune write-up of the endorsement:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8f9ffc690e0f74e344a392d2053690be0d10071abfe682a0dd4ce2ba44a8f3d6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8f9ffc690e0f74e344a392d2053690be0d10071abfe682a0dd4ce2ba44a8f3d6 . What else Jindal said after the debate:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e38d14758c1ba55c5ce81857c21bece98ad36e7dece60e74d3b55925b4944d3a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e38d14758c1ba55c5ce81857c21bece98ad36e7dece60e74d3b55925b4944d3a .

-SUNSHINE TALENT - ROMNEY SIGNS DOSTER: Brett Doster, the consultant who ran President Bush's Florida reelection campaign in 2004, will head Romney's Florida effort. This is significant because many insiders believed he would sign on with Perry.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f556593003692f3299f3e86de8c2c69c40cd06291b0fac86ab88a72af7fca58e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f556593003692f3299f3e86de8c2c69c40cd06291b0fac86ab88a72af7fca58e 

-SNUBBING TEA PARTIERS - ROMNEY ENDORSES ORRIN HATCH IN UTAH: The same day as a tea party-sponsored debate, Romney endorsed an incumbent that many tea partiers would love to topple. The endorsement is safer after Jason Chaffetz decided not to run. Conservatives like Palin and Steve Forbes backing Hatch's reelection also makes it politically easier. It was a major thumbing of Romney's nose, though, at FreedomWorks, the powerful conservative grassroots group that has launched an anti-Hatch campaign and recently accused Romney of "pandering" for tea party support.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e00ce3ba6aaf72de5800baae131c7497d1f4f7a8a32f927fd20cc22d8c1a43a0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e00ce3ba6aaf72de5800baae131c7497d1f4f7a8a32f927fd20cc22d8c1a43a0 

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO: Perry attends an 8:30 a.m. fundraising breakfast at the InterContinental in Tampa and a 12:30 p.m. lunch in Miami. He finishes the day with a 6 p.m. speech to the Pioneer Institute's 20th annual Better Government Competition Awards Dinner in Boston. Gingrich attends a screening of his 'A City Upon A Hill' movie in Tampa.

WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO - Obama heads for Columbus, Ohio, this afternoon. He will tour a newly modernized graphic design classroom at Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School to promote his American Jobs Act bill. The proposal includes $25 billion to modernize at least 35,000 public schools. He is scheduled to land in Columbus at 1:15 ET and depart at 3:05 p.m. ET.

BRACKETING OBAMA - BOEHNER WEBSITE LETS OHIOANS "VOICE OFF": Speaker John Boehner sent an e-mail to Ohio lists last Friday inviting folks to "speak out" about the president's economic plan and to share stories about how the lethargic recovery is hurting them. Check out the five pages of featured comments on JohnBoehner.com:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9514204255520eec2a1c278ac2d4f37e3dbf7b37a85d3dbdbe405c2bbde2e8d5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9514204255520eec2a1c278ac2d4f37e3dbf7b37a85d3dbdbe405c2bbde2e8d5  .

NEVADA-2 SPECIAL - EARLY VOTING LOOKING SOLID FOR REPUBLICANS: Republican Mark Amodei is expected to handily beat Democrat Kate Marshall in tonight's largely-forgotten special election. "More than 40,000 Republicans cast ballots during the two-week early voting period that ended Friday," according to the AP, in a story posted on the Las Vegas Sun home page. "That's a large swath of the 75,000 votes cast for the 2nd Congressional District seat. Democrats made up 25,600 of those votes... Republicans hold a 32,000-vote registration edge in the district that includes Reno."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4f664c5d76f9bb79d16e17f8b96d7173de02e1f6023dcf6e3762279b81c670cb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4f664c5d76f9bb79d16e17f8b96d7173de02e1f6023dcf6e3762279b81c670cb 

2012 IMPLICATIONS - WHAT TO WATCH IN NV-2 RESULTS: Tonight's results will offer a window into the mood of a state that Obama almost certainly needs to win as part of his reelection. Dan Hirschhorn says that "a weak showing in Washoe County, the district's most populous, could be a devastating precursor for Democrats. Obama is counting on Nevada as part of his path to reelection, and Washoe County, which includes Reno, is key to that strategy. Though Obama lost the 2nd District in 2008 and Sen. Harry Reid lost it in 2010, they both won Washoe County. A Marshall loss there could be evidence that Obama is doomed in Nevada next year."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52fe31206b99c10b639168f9805b05fdc61b957db16cc2d9794149e25f9ebc3b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=52fe31206b99c10b639168f9805b05fdc61b957db16cc2d9794149e25f9ebc3b 

2012 CALENDAR - ARIZONA LOCKS IN FEBRUARY 28 PRIMARY DATE: Gov. Jan Brewer announced yesterday that she will not move the Republican primary up after all. The Arizona Republic: "Instead, the governor has secured preliminary approval to host the leading GOP candidates in an officially sanctioned debate later this year. A date and place have not been set."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2f2b64b77c6537bb0cc7cb194fd5028fb445acbd86d4f08079fd9656ca9588d8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2f2b64b77c6537bb0cc7cb194fd5028fb445acbd86d4f08079fd9656ca9588d8 

HOW THIS AFFECTS IOWA- MOVE FROM FEBRUARY 6 LIKELY: State GOP chair Matt Strawn said last night that it's too early to assess the impact. "The question remains whether [Arizona] will force other states to move up and that would then bump us forward," he said. Republican National Committeeman Steve Scheffler told The Des Moines Register that Iowa's caucuses will probably be moved from their currently scheduled date of Feb. 6. "We're going to be first regardless," he said.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7466e236ed10b8c456e1455b1cf0245fb222c860f4b4587380500b68c4117699 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7466e236ed10b8c456e1455b1cf0245fb222c860f4b4587380500b68c4117699 

STATE OF PLAY - GAMING OUT THE LIKELY SCHEDULE: All the other early states will fall into place after Iowa. South Carolina, for example, will move up its Feb. 28 primary to avoid voting on the same day as Arizona. On his blog Frontloading HQ, Josh Putnam looks at where things stand: "With Arizona locked in, though, the picture gets quite a bit clearer: January 30: Iowa; February 7: New Hampshire; February 11: Nevada; February 18: South Carolina; February 21: Florida, Georgia; February 28: Arizona, Michigan... The RNC is pretty close to getting something very close to its ideal calendar out of this." He includes a bunch of caveats:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=112ac4310d3969fef5d098735a65c12cfe27b9e05d5d85170e214c653249d504 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=112ac4310d3969fef5d098735a65c12cfe27b9e05d5d85170e214c653249d504 .

SOLYNDRA UPDATE - CEO IS REGISTERED REPUBLICAN: As the Republican National Committee steps up attacks on the administration over the bankruptcy of the green energy firm Solyndra, which received federal loans and had been touted as a success story by both the president and vice president, Democrats note that the company's CEO is a registered Republican and that one of the major investors is a partnership affiliated with a family that leans toward the GOP.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c51fd902ca0ceff5f224f8a0a7448693ad3b06486e958f3a211d40d428977c7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c51fd902ca0ceff5f224f8a0a7448693ad3b06486e958f3a211d40d428977c7 

MICHIGAN SENATE - HOEKSTRA GETS SOME AMWAY MONEY AFTER ALL: Many in Washington considered former Michigan GOP state chair Betsy DeVos' endorsement a really big get for Republican Clark Durant in the Republican Senate primary, assuming that her family fortune (i.e. Amway money) would come with her endorsement and that this would help Durant compete with frontrunner Pete Hoekstra on fundraising. In the last few days, though, other members of the DeVos family have gotten behind Hoekstra and brought their checkbooks with them. Amway President Doug DeVos and Amway Chairman Steve Van Andel hosted a fundraiser last night for Hoekstra:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4e050567a5703e4df28e65802393ff42f4840da12a0ad053434fd7af67a8eb9f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4e050567a5703e4df28e65802393ff42f4840da12a0ad053434fd7af67a8eb9f .

Morning Score has also obtained a fundraising invitation to a lunch fundraiser next Monday that will be held for Hoekstra at the Amway townhouse in DC. Special guests include Fred Upton, Mike Rogers, Dan Benishek, Candice Miller and Tim Walberg. Durant not capturing the DeVos funds he was assumed to get with Betsy's endorsement gives some comfort to Washington Republicans hoping for as bloodless a primary fight as possible.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6ab8d792eaedc0b9335bc42824515080150d1f9f0edcf30d2499f22a0a4590dc 
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RUH-ROH - PERRY ONCE DISPARAGED N.H. PRIMARY: "In February 1992, after President George H.W. Bush beat Pat Buchanan by a less-than-expected margin in the New Hampshire presidential primary, the Texas agriculture commissioner had some unflattering things to say about the Granite State's nominating process," according to The Boston Globe. "New Hampshire is so small up there...," Perry told the Houston Rotary Club. "So I haven't figured out why that's so important." American Bridge, which has video, also gave The Globe talking points from Perry's speech that downplayed the importance of the state and noted that some small Texas counties gave Bush more votes in 1988 than Buchanan received
 statewide in 1992. Perry is staffing up in New Hampshire, where his strategist Dave Carney is from. His campaign insists - obviously - that the governor values the state's role in the process.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2195e004bf234c60478c2faa9d46044245cce7a85f462bfe4f8a684bf0e9611c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2195e004bf234c60478c2faa9d46044245cce7a85f462bfe4f8a684bf0e9611c 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If you're dealt four aces, that doesn't make you, necessarily, a great poker player." - Mitt Romney, chalking up the so-called Texas Miracle to factors beyond Rick Perry's control, in last night's debate.

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