Subject: POLITICO’s Morning Score, presented by POWERJobs: Messina: Democrats’ Karl Rove?—RGA launches second ad against Ross in Ark.—American Bridge goes after Walker, Christie—Milton Wolf story gains traction—Weekend buzz from the NGA
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 04:55:23 -0600

By Emily Schultheis ([email-masked]; Twitter: @emilyrs) and Jose Del Real (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ; Twitter: @jdelreal)

MESSINA'S POST-2012 ROLE: POLITICO's Ken Vogel and Maggie Haberman with a deep dive on the post-2012 life of Obama campaign manager Jim Messina: "It's the first time that Messina, 44, a former Hill staffer raised by a single mother on a tight budget, is making serious money. He appears to be following a path paved by George W. Bush's political guru, Karl Rove, who turned his master strategist role into a vaunted brand and created a shadow version of the Republican Party machinery through his unlimited-money Crossroads groups. But Messina's effort to tap his earning potential while maintaining a hand on the levers of the party's apparatuses has fueled grumbles from various Democratic donors
 and operatives, who accuse him - privately, and without the risk or accountability that can come from on-the-record criticism - of taking more than his share of the credit for a multifaceted victory, and of a cash binge that exposes Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to potential backlash. Some Democrats question whether it's unwise to have a single figure wield so much influence, while many former colleagues see Messina less as a Rove-like figure than as a deft operator who successfully implemented a strategy crafted by others." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623fa4c8f8ac7d8ff583398f58525bb44b8e9b8afccc0a2ef2d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623fa4c8f8ac7d8ff583398f58525bb44b8e9b8afccc0a2ef2d 

SCORE EXCLUSIVE-RGA LAUNCHES SECOND HIT ON ROSS: The Republican Governors Association sees a big pickup opportunity in the Arkansas governor's race - and the group is showing it with a new ad out later this morning. The theme is similar to the first RGA ad against Democratic candidate Mike Ross, playing up his tenure in D.C. and tying him to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Mike Ross helped bring liberal Nancy Pelosi to national power. Ross voted with Pelosi and liberals for $7 trillion in new debt," the ad says. "Ross voted with Pelosi for the Wall Street bailout, the mortgage bailout, and the auto bailout. And Ross voted with Pelosi to waste billions on Obama's stimulus." The Arkansas
 race is getting attention from big name groups and pols: former President Bill Clinton sent out a fundraising email for Ross earlier this month. Watch the ad, which is part of the RGA's original six-figure buy in the race: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a937675336239ef2f18a54e30c7fec82aebab44f99be4e815b1d0a04bef5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a937675336239ef2f18a54e30c7fec82aebab44f99be4e815b1d0a04bef5 

FIRST LOOK-The Democratic research firm American Bridge is out with a video hitting New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, both in town over the weekend for the National Governors Association meeting, on their respective scandals back home: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623ff6180ff431f86b33637e4fa23d1b24760de5e2c5aa844d1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623ff6180ff431f86b33637e4fa23d1b24760de5e2c5aa844d1 

As Chris Christie stays away from the press, two governors talk 2016 and a Senate candidate gets into a Facebook scandal, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 253.

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Good Monday 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.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD-

1) What's the fallout for Milton Wolf in Kansas?

2) What kind of case will former President Bill Clinton make for Alison Lundergan Grimes when he campaigns with her in Kentucky tomorrow?

3) Can either candidate in FL-13 pick up a new important endorsement?

4) What kind of buzz will we hear out of the Mitt Romney/Chris Christie joint fundraiser on Thursday? 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623794cbaf102179909baa7a9c1cf36ac5e244af312d7a010ae 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623794cbaf102179909baa7a9c1cf36ac5e244af312d7a010ae 

5) Will Jeb Bush say anything new about his thoughts on 2016 when he speaks on Long Island today?

NATIONAL REPUBLICANS JUMP ON WOLF STORY: Two weeks ago the biggest political story out of the Kansas Senate race was incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts's residency issues. Now it's even more bizarre: Dr. Milton Wolf, the GOP candidate challenging Roberts in his primary, reportedly posted x-rays of deceased patients to a public Facebook page. National Republicans are already jumping on the news to help boost Roberts-and to slam the Senate Conservatives Fund, the tea party group with a penchant for causing trouble in primaries against incumbent senators. In a statement, NRSC spokesman Brad Dayspring said it's "astounding" that SCF backed Wolf in the race, saying its decision to stand by him "raises
 questions about their legitimacy, structure and future." Wolf defended his actions as "an educational thing for people," but it's tough to argue that it's not incredibly strange. While questions about residency can be a potent issue on the campaign trail-just ask former Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar-the Wolf news is bound to dominate news coverage of this race for a while, and will make it tough for Wolf to gain further traction in a campaign that's already uphill for him. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623e4b38ceecb465bc1974e8d8f7e682d98ab3ed3b12fec8b2d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623e4b38ceecb465bc1974e8d8f7e682d98ab3ed3b12fec8b2d 

CLINTONLAND'S STAKE IN KENTUCKY: Ahead of former President Bill Clinton's visit to Kentucky to campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, the Washington Post takes a look at the Clinton establishment's close relationship with the Lundergan family: "As Grimes weighed whether to run for the Senate, [Bill] Clinton took nearly an hour out of a visit last year to Owensboro, Ky., to huddle privately with her. Hillary Rodham Clinton provided her counsel as well. They both offered their unconditional support and talked about how much fight it will take for a Democrat to unseat Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, a wily campaigner known for vilifying his opponents. ...
 Celebrated as a star recruit in an otherwise troublesome midterm election year for her party, Grimes is living proof that the Clintons, both now out of office, remain the first family in Democratic politics. At 35, Grimes is just 15 months older than their daughter, Chelsea Clinton, and is practically the Clintons' political offspring. A win in November would demonstrate the appeal of Clintonian centrism in Republican territory." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a937675336232079c1354528638b7a3436421d99f802b02cc65370f6f848 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a937675336232079c1354528638b7a3436421d99f802b02cc65370f6f848 

NGA WEEKEND BUZZ-

-CORBETT: THE POLLS DON'T MATTER: The Pennsylvania governor, who's got some of the lowest approval ratings in the country, told your Score correspondent that he's not worried about the polls: "&#39;We haven't gotten our message out,&#39; the Republican told POLITICO in an interview. &#39;We're starting to get our message out now ... I have a good record to run on: improving the economy of Pennsylvania, keeping the promise of less taxes, more jobs.&#39; Corbett he said his Democratic opponents - eight of them are battling it out in a primary - haven't impressed him. &#39;I haven't heard them distinguish themselves as to where they differ from each other. I know they think they can do the job
 better than me, fine. But what are [they] going to do?&#39;' 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a9376753362381e913abd66c9f42458b791345b07ab9a8fc23b489d0fba3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a9376753362381e913abd66c9f42458b791345b07ab9a8fc23b489d0fba3 

-DEVAL PATRICK, JAY NIXON OPEN TO 2016 BIDS: Both Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said they'd consider presidential bids down the line. Patrick said "maybe," and that it's "a decision I have to make along with my wife of 30 years and she's a tough one to convince." "Let's just see what time tells," he said Sunday. Nixon, speaking at a POLITICO event Friday, said he's hopeful that Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016-but that he also feels there should be a candidate for president who speaks for the "heartland." "I do think the heartland deserves a voice, whatever party it is, whatever policy it is, in a national election," he said. "I want to make sure
 the center part of this country has a clear voice." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a937675336231aeb92eec3eff958145338db0f4b411edac2ba111fe9123e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a937675336231aeb92eec3eff958145338db0f4b411edac2ba111fe9123e  and 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623687fc89853ea5982832662f1cc161bf9e3dc0767dcda2638 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0369a93767533623687fc89853ea5982832662f1cc161bf9e3dc0767dcda2638 

-CHRISTIE AVOIDS THE PRESS: POLITICO's Elizabeth Titus followed Christie around town this weekend and didn't get any satisfying answers from him: "&#39;What don't you get about me not talking to you?&#39; an unsmiling Christie told a POLITICO reporter while he and aides waited for a walk signal on a street corner in downtown Washington on Saturday, after slipping out of the NGA gathering. ... [P]ublicly, Christie spent much of his time shuttling from meeting to meeting surrounded by a crush of reporters, aides and security guards. He showed flashes of irritation at traffic-scandal questions that he mostly ignored. Democrats pounced on the fact Christie is not scheduled to go on the Sunday
 shows with many of his colleagues, as predecessor Bobby Jindal did last year, or attend an RGA press conference set for Monday." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bccb750529e2057aae2e0de2c00471076f955ae967294f0e08b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bccb750529e2057aae2e0de2c00471076f955ae967294f0e08b 

ACROSS THE MAP-Quick takes from races around the country:

SENATE-

-AK-Sen: Americans for Prosperity launched a new TV ad hitting incumbent Sen. Mark Begich on the carbon tax. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcca8172b2b0b8649b9fa8430ae70d8be3fa960921c282263bd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcca8172b2b0b8649b9fa8430ae70d8be3fa960921c282263bd 

-KS-Sen: Sen. Pat Roberts&#39;s approval rating has dropped by 12 points in the past year to 29 percent.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc6f67ca6cb737fb8f3df863391ddae71b73ec8313caa275a7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc6f67ca6cb737fb8f3df863391ddae71b73ec8313caa275a7 

-MT-Sen: Democrat Dirk Adams will still challenge interim U.S. Sen. John Walsh in a June primary, even after Walsh was appointed to the seat, and has filed his paperwork to run. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc000f8ddfe8ea2c888b16486d68f570de6db6640bcd26dc8d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc000f8ddfe8ea2c888b16486d68f570de6db6640bcd26dc8d 

-NH-Sen: A PPP poll finds Sen. Jeanne Shaheen with an 8-point lead over former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, 47 to 39 percent. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bccae3001087dd3fc1adb936328574e404c5c3df7a3461b221f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bccae3001087dd3fc1adb936328574e404c5c3df7a3461b221f 

-TX-Sen: David Alameel, one of five Democrats in the primary, released a new ad that will air statewide. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc726dfffb26e41950d39f866d87cb9f514b2c5b4a3f6c2c9f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc726dfffb26e41950d39f866d87cb9f514b2c5b4a3f6c2c9f 

-AR-Sen: GOP Rep. Tom Cotton delivered the Republican Party's weekly address Saturday, focusing squarely on President Obama. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc5fab4fa2d382ed8882c9f5fe83c329f8d4c9816ee2f0c7aa 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc5fab4fa2d382ed8882c9f5fe83c329f8d4c9816ee2f0c7aa 

HOUSE-

-NJ-02: DCCC Chairman Steve Israel raised money for attorney Bill Hughes Jr., the Democrat challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Frank LoBiondo. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc80a58903981d71419a52051c20d8d81a0e7b924806c546a3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc80a58903981d71419a52051c20d8d81a0e7b924806c546a3 

-NH-01: Republican donor Peter Paul is putting as much as $500,000 of his own money toward helping GOP candidate Dan Innis in his primary battle against former GOP Rep. Frank Guinta. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc6e34540362b936370c804ee8dd11840f7faddad000388934 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc6e34540362b936370c804ee8dd11840f7faddad000388934 

-GA-12: Eugene Yu, a Republican 2014 U.S. Senate candidate, will instead run for the Congressional seat currently occupied by Democrat Rep. John Barrow. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc4716ddc71db594e3053566a3bec8c282d2e419951bfaa71d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f8b7cd4eba5b6bcc4716ddc71db594e3053566a3bec8c282d2e419951bfaa71d 

-FL-19: Republican state Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto is facing an FEC complaint that alleges she used money from her state Senate campaign fund to pay for a video for her congressional campaign. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d752a934c347a5324d1f746f83dbcacca81ff26395ba77608b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d752a934c347a5324d1f746f83dbcacca81ff26395ba77608b 

-PA-09: Incumbent GOP Rep. Bill Shuster is out with a new 3-minute campaign video laying out his campaign vision. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d7581c09a479f849d0f050d7dbfe39e73b8b7bc08adf9dffa3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d7581c09a479f849d0f050d7dbfe39e73b8b7bc08adf9dffa3 

GOVERNORS-

-WI-Gov: GOP Gov. Scott Walker said Sunday that the thousands of emails from his aides that were released last week are "old news." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d71e08c38f3af7567d64c66bad4bd1aa897bd0c8a08e04120e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d71e08c38f3af7567d64c66bad4bd1aa897bd0c8a08e04120e 

-CO-Gov: Rancher Roni Bell Sylvester joined the crowded GOP race for the governor&#39;s mansion. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d797ff8d651dc4c7e822939d2e2317d6fab6972ed8bb29de2f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d797ff8d651dc4c7e822939d2e2317d6fab6972ed8bb29de2f 

-KS-Gov: A new PPP poll has Gov. Sam Brownback trailing Democrat Paul Davis by 2 percentage points. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d7b2b19d1ac344b09d5d129b5442873833cf3b12c7dfd99c11 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d7b2b19d1ac344b09d5d129b5442873833cf3b12c7dfd99c11 

-TX-Gov: GOP Gov. Rick Perry told MSNBC that a Wendy Davis victory is 'never going to happen.' 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d71bc280c4cb1a6de60499d298e11560ecbefa35ca29b505d6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d71bc280c4cb1a6de60499d298e11560ecbefa35ca29b505d6 

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's during these midterms where we end up getting ourselves into trouble, because I guess we don't think it's sexy enough." -President Obama, to the Democratic Governors Association, on why Democrats don't perform as well during off-year elections. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d7a0dc6c7ce25652cb88342e794a98c29710dda0515fb80922 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5fa543e7734db4d7a0dc6c7ce25652cb88342e794a98c29710dda0515fb80922 

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