Subject: POLITICO’s Morning Score, presented by POWERJobs: PPP finds Begich in the lead in Alaska—American Action Network hits Sink’s ‘mess’ in new FL-13 ad—Mark Warner hits the campaign trail—DCCC touts fundraising successes in new memo—Planned Parenthood endorses in NC-12—Christie takes questions
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 05:06:57 -0600

By Emily Schultheis (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ; Twitter: @emilyrs)

With Jose DelReal

FIRST IN SCORE-GOP GROUP HITS SINK AS 'MESS' IN FL-13 AD: As part of a $1.2 million buy by three groups on behalf of GOP candidate David Jolly in Florida's 13th district, the American Action Network is launching the first ad in its $500,000 buy hitting Democrat Alex Sink for making "a mess" of things. "Everywhere Alex Sink goes, a mess follows," the ad says, showing a bucket with holes in it being filled up in a sink. "As President of a Florida bank, thousands of Florida jobs were cut, while Sink collected over $8 million in salary and bonuses for herself. Alex Sink For Congress? Isn't Washington already a mess?" The ad will run starting today as both a 30-second TV ad and a corresponding
 15-second digital ad. See the 30-second version: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241c60a1629ffa609a7a118f1229ebb93d80c94afa7c4a71a4b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241c60a1629ffa609a7a118f1229ebb93d80c94afa7c4a71a4b 

ALSO-Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush backs Jolly in a new TV ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed Jolly on Monday: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd2418a2964dcea1164d4de2e6302ea885f6b594b9973b9a51d96 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd2418a2964dcea1164d4de2e6302ea885f6b594b9973b9a51d96 

SCORE EXCLUSIVE-PPP FINDS BEGICH LEADING ALL GOP OPPONENTS: The latest poll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling finds Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, one of the GOP's top red-state Democratic targets, leading all potential GOP opponents. He leads both Dan Sullivan and Sarah Palin by 4 points: Begich gets 41 percent to Sullivan's 37 percent and he gets 44 percent to Palin's 40 percent. Against Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, Begich leads by 6 points, 43 percent to 37 percent. He leads Joe Miller by the most, taking 45 percent to Miller's 25 percent. (None of the third-party candidates included in the poll get more than 6 percent of the vote in any matchup: Alaskan Independent Party candidate
 Zachary Kile takes between 4 and 6 percent in each one, compared with 1 percent for independent Ted Gianoutsos and 1 to 2 percent for independent Sidney Hill.) Begich's approval rating is almost even at 43 percent approve, 44 percent disapprove. Full results: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ae8c8fc031df862529ec3c44970cbaf03c0ea67fdb805746 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ae8c8fc031df862529ec3c44970cbaf03c0ea67fdb805746 

NEW THIS MORNING-WARNER HITS THE TRAIL: Via POLITICO's James Hohmann: "Mark Warner is stricken with the flu. A snowstorm has just forced Liberty University to cancel the speech he was about to give to 10,000 Liberty University students. Now, fresh off a trip to the pulmonologist, he's trying to win over a lethargic group of 25 community leaders at a technology startup on Jerry Falwell Parkway. &#39;I'm working this, guys,&#39; Warner pleads. &#39;C'mon! Don't be so quiet!&#39; This is not the kickoff to 2014 Virginia's senior senator was expecting. Until December, there was every reason to believe the Democratic former governor, with a 63 percent approval rating and a centrist bearing
 seemingly in sync with his purple state, would coast to reelection. Then along came Ed Gillespie. ... Warner is still a clear favorite to return to the Senate for a second term. But he now has a race on his hands - and is acting like it by coming to small towns like this.' 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241e82b96c08eefbf23c961e0dd04ff49ee59364139ddf4964e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241e82b96c08eefbf23c961e0dd04ff49ee59364139ddf4964e 

PREVIEW-DCCC MEMO OUTLINES FUNDRAISING SUCCESSES: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will release a memo this morning discussing its fundraising victories in the fourth quarter of 2013. "Democratic House candidates are trampling Republican candidates for the House in 2014," the memo says. The committee points to eight House Democratic candidates who raised at least $400,000 in the fourth quarter: Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Scott Peters (CA-52), Andrew Romanoff (CO-06), Gwen Graham (FL-02), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Joe Garcia (FL-26), Sean Eldridge (NY-19), and Nick Rahall (WV-03). It also notes that nine Democratic candidates outraised their GOP incumbent opponents: Romanoff, Graham,
 Eldridge, Amanda Renteria (CA-21), Joe Bock (IN-02), Jim Mowrer (IA-04), Jerry Cannon (MI-01), Roxanne Lara (NM-02) and Martha Robertson (NY-23). Read the full memo: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ed9df98c0213520cce3b6efbc83e461cbe036623cd2d0b84 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ed9df98c0213520cce3b6efbc83e461cbe036623cd2d0b84 

As the Florida candidates debate, Republican governors raise big bucks and Paul Broun says "no," here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 273.

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Good Tuesday morning and welcome to Morning Score. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked]  or tweet them to @emilyrs.

CHRISTIE TAKES QUESTIONS: As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed his office has been subpoenaed over the Bridgegate scandal (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd2415341b6b4b42d63a080256472690a667cbd3e1db8037c7ea3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd2415341b6b4b42d63a080256472690a667cbd3e1db8037c7ea3 ), he also took questions from listeners on a radio show. Reuters: "During a mostly friendly hour-long 'Ask the Governor' session on local radio, Christie, a likely Republican candidate for the White House in 2016, said he was awaiting 'all the facts,' but would not allow the scandal known as 'Bridgegate' to distract him from running that state. 'The most important issue is, did I know anything about the plan to close those lanes?' Christie said. 'And the answer is still the same. Unequivocally no.' 'I&#39;ll be damned if I let anything get in the way of me doing my job,' he said." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd2416db08535e2c6507d1de93ed886dd7cf455911ef7cb241b16 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd2416db08535e2c6507d1de93ed886dd7cf455911ef7cb241b16 

MORE-Fired Christie aide Bridget Kelly invoked the Fifth Amendment, per local media: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241fb65d86a8af554807315c561f2c5ceab96efd3f8a9b5c954 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241fb65d86a8af554807315c561f2c5ceab96efd3f8a9b5c954 

GOP GOVS POST STRONG FUNDRAISING NUMBERS: Your Score correspondent reports: "A trio of Midwestern GOP governors - Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder - vastly outraised their Democratic opponents. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, too, has a huge cash edge in his race against former Gov. Charlie Crist. Kasich raised $3.6 million in the second half of 2013 and has $7.9 million on hand heading into 2014. His Democratic opponent, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, raised $1.6 million in the second half of 2013 and the first month of 2014. Snyder, who just officially launched his reelection bid with a new 60-second TV ad calling him "Michigan's Comeback
 Kid," raised $5.08 million in 2013, and still has $4 million on hand. ... Schauer raised $1.6 million since he entered the race in June ... And Walker's campaign announced it had raised $5.1 million in the second half of 2013. His Democratic opponent, former Trek Bicycle executive Mary Burke, raised $1.4 million and put in $400,000 of her own money." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241d62690155bfededa57dbbd6e809e12a8c033a332a4266088 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241d62690155bfededa57dbbd6e809e12a8c033a332a4266088 

SCORE PREVIEW-PLANNED PARENTHOOD ENDORSES IN NC-12: Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of Planned Parenthood, will announce later today that it's backing state Rep. Alma Adams in North Carolina's 12th district. "Alma Adams has fought for women's health in the State House, and she would be a powerful champion for women as a member of Congress," said PPAF President Cecile Richards. Adams is facing a crowded Democratic primary to fill former Rep. Mel Watt's House seat.

DEBATE RECAP IN FLORIDA 13TH: POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reports on the candidates' first major debate: "Florida special election rivals David Jolly and Alex Sink traded blows in a Monday evening debate, with Jolly casting Sink as a carpet-bagging-Obama ally and Sink painting Jolly as a lobbyist and political insider. The one-hour debate - held at St. Petersburg College - came ahead of the closely watched March 11 contest to replace the late GOP Rep. Bill Young, who passed away in October after holding the 13th Congressional District seat for more than four decades. It was the first showdown between Jolly, a Republican and former lobbyist, and Sink, a Democrat and former state chief
 financial officer. With polling in the swing district showing a tight race, neither candidate seemed to deliver a knockout punch or corner their opponent in a damaging "gotcha" moment that could be played and replayed in TV ads. They spent much of the evening clawing and scratching their way to a draw." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ece642124505ac401034a6f6914b121465265b1de1f029fe 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ece642124505ac401034a6f6914b121465265b1de1f029fe 

BREAKING TODAY-RNC LAUNCHES TECH INITIATIVE: The Republican National Committee will announce today that it's launching Para Bellum Labs, a tech initiative aimed at creating a startup culture at the RNC. Watch: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241c65a963b52431ee21e25918b998bd3990d3bd58a7f09ecce 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241c65a963b52431ee21e25918b998bd3990d3bd58a7f09ecce 

SNEAK PEEK-PCCC ENDORSES COLLINS CHALLENGER: The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is endorsing Democrat Shenna Bellows in her Senate bid against Republican incumbent Susan Collins. 'We call Shenna Bellows the &#39;Elizabeth Warren of civil liberties&#39; because she&#39;s campaigning boldly on constitutional freedom and economic populism,' said PCCC co-founder Stephanie Taylor.

ACROSS THE MAP-Here are Score's top quick takes from races around the country:

SENATE-

-GA-Sen first look: The Democratic Party of Georgia is out with a new web video hitting GOP Rep. Paul Broun for saying he'd impeach Obama: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241321a4c881cb8e3558f501637181780b4291d53f1dbf53d5d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241321a4c881cb8e3558f501637181780b4291d53f1dbf53d5d 

-NC-Sen: Republican candidate Greg Brannon, one of many GOPers seeking to challenge Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan, has been sued by investors with whom he had business relationships. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd24108dead6943773c6e13f55da70c191d687b06823214334fe4 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd24108dead6943773c6e13f55da70c191d687b06823214334fe4 

-TX-Sen: Sen. John Cornyn raised $1.48 million in the 4th quarter of 2013 and has $6.5 million on hand. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd24112cc5c66eb1d51bdff76c24f6fe2cde0aa0d5a9084f770cb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd24112cc5c66eb1d51bdff76c24f6fe2cde0aa0d5a9084f770cb 

HOUSE-

-FL-19 special: State Senate Majority Leader Lizbeth Benacquisto on Monday entered the crowded race to fill Rep. Trey Radel&#39;s vacant seat. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ab12e37732e8a2262196443c9249ece076f32352a6fe354e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241ab12e37732e8a2262196443c9249ece076f32352a6fe354e 

-NC-02: GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers dismissed the seriousness of a challenge to her seat by former "American Idol" contestant Clay Aiken - and mocked his singing career to make her point. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241f0fc1506d33579927f39ebd15c4421e1247f1719d405a0be 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241f0fc1506d33579927f39ebd15c4421e1247f1719d405a0be 

-NC-07: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will come to Wilmington, N.C., on Feb. 17 to fundraise for David Rouzer, who is running for retiring Rep. Mike McIntyre's seat. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241020f2ac0cbca87db7d0cbd9590f43e210d46a6b27584de85 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b9c5213951bbd241020f2ac0cbca87db7d0cbd9590f43e210d46a6b27584de85 

-WV-03: Americans for Prosperity will hit Rep. Nick Rahall over Obamacare in a new TV ad: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a7222e7a83bbf80a042875009a87e5100e6556131814443839 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a7222e7a83bbf80a042875009a87e5100e6556131814443839 

GOVERNORS-

-MI-Gov: The DGA is out with a new ad responding to GOP Gov. Rick Snyder's first ad of his reelection campaign: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a7fee6682057dae3f283b371dceb6df58ea6480cbc63fcda95 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a7fee6682057dae3f283b371dceb6df58ea6480cbc63fcda95 

-KS-Gov: A new GOP poll has incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback leading his Democratic opponent Paul Davis by 11 points. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a77abf1bf40bdd2ba56d084e82aad42ce29c4b72a681abe480 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a77abf1bf40bdd2ba56d084e82aad42ce29c4b72a681abe480 

-AL-Gov: Democrat-turned-Republican-turned Independent Parker Griffith will likely run for governor-as a Democrat again: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a7c44c4052898c7c3a5278f91e15047e5f793dbc9d72d48fb8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a7c44c4052898c7c3a5278f91e15047e5f793dbc9d72d48fb8 

-FL-Gov: Democrat Charlie Crist came out with a new ad Monday charging that it was 'guys like Rick Scott who crashed the economy.' 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a76d46ed41a2e8bf0d71bf840c094fa2c72b9b05c2bce46be9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a76d46ed41a2e8bf0d71bf840c094fa2c72b9b05c2bce46be9 

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "No!" -The only word uttered by GOP Georgia Senate candidate Paul Broun in a new 15-second ad, answering his self-posed question whether the House GOP should give in on immigration or raising the debt ceiling. (Whatever you think of it, the spot does get your attention.) 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a777003ed68b9d64c1debc3f4ca6045b40cc8c21fcdded6ddd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=162291abe6ea04a777003ed68b9d64c1debc3f4ca6045b40cc8c21fcdded6ddd 

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