Subject: POLITICO’s Morning Score, presented by POWERJobs: PRIMARY DAY IN TEXAS—Clinton’s Ukraine problem—New RGA ad boosts Hutchinson in Ark.—Sheheen pushes back against Christie, RGA ad—Cochran to go on the air today
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 05:01:01 -0600

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

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN TEXAS, via Alex Isenstadt: 1) The Stockman disaster: [T]he tea party crowd has distanced itself from Stockman. In a recent 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24beccad87a75483f2a3d612375c54a10d603440ddc0441035942ec 
letter , one coalition of tea party leaders told Stockman: 'As your campaign rolled into 2014, Texans have witnessed what might be the laziest statewide campaign to date.' 2) Weak tea: Stockman's not the only conservative hopeful biting the dust. Katrina Pierson, a Dallas tea party leader, has seen her Republican primary campaign against Rep. Pete Sessions falter. 3) The generational fight: One of Tuesday's most closely watched races will take place in northeast Texas, where 90-year-old GOP Rep. Ralph Hall - the oldest House member - is embroiled in a hard-fought contest. 4) The big money contender: In the Fort Worth area, freshman Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey is in a fierce fight. His
 primary opponent, attorney Tom Sanchez, has spent more than $1 million of his own funds in the race. 5) Canseco's comeback: Former GOP Rep. Quico Canseco is trying to win back the West Texas-based congressional seat he lost in 2012. But his comeback bid has been a quiet one: He has raised only a little more than $200,000 - a surprisingly small figure for a former House member. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24becca203309b09e03f7e297b39c3d0dc69ffb75e2d8260c45d336 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24becca203309b09e03f7e297b39c3d0dc69ffb75e2d8260c45d336 

EYES ON MAY AND NOVEMBER IN TEXAS: The Associated Press reports on how today's Texas primaries might stack the deck in Mays runoffs and the November general election: "Republicans are favored to win them all come November - including [Gov. Rick] Perry&#39;s seat, despite Democrat Wendy Davis building a national profile and an early $16 million fundraising haul to match. She has energized Texas Democrats, who haven&#39;t won a statewide race in 20 years but insist the tide is turning. But that possibility, and the rising influence of tea party firebrand U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, has Texas Republicans flanking farther right this primary season. ... And while Democrats are running mostly unopposed
 in their primaries, crowded fields in the Republican races for attorney general, comptroller and commissioners for agriculture and railroads make May 27 runoffs likely." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24beccadcefdef82cdc5ded140b44c0a590ddd20bff953d7a2eab5a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24beccadcefdef82cdc5ded140b44c0a590ddd20bff953d7a2eab5a 

TEXAS IN CONTEXT-THE STATE'S CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS: The Texas Tribune puts today's primaries in the context of the Lone Star State's rapidly changing demographics (and not just as they relate to Hispanic voters): 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24becca863551110dcec24d084f26e894a943ae1ca7dd33f8dda347 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24becca863551110dcec24d084f26e894a943ae1ca7dd33f8dda347 

UKRAINE ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS HILLARY'S '16 CHALLENGES: POLITICO's Maggie Haberman looks at the ways the situation in Ukraine hints at bigger challenges for a Hillary Clinton presidential bid: "[A]s President Barack Obama grapples to resolve the expanding crisis in Ukraine, the situation underscores Clinton's dilemma as she looks toward a potential presidential run in 2016: Separating from the White House is a very difficult proposition, if it's possible at all. As Secretary of State through Obama's first term, Clinton was in many ways the face of the administration's &#39;reset&#39; policy with Russia, an effort to establish a new relationship that focused heavily on fostering the relationship
 with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. ... the conflict is another instance in which Clinton is tethered to the administration's decisions heading into 2016 - more so than any other Democrat with the possible exception of Vice President Joe Biden, who would be a heavy underdog against Clinton." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24becca0b71b9157e30cc5ffa103dca90f28dd1f3e17128fd464117 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bffdf070a24becca0b71b9157e30cc5ffa103dca90f28dd1f3e17128fd464117 

SPEAKING OF HILLARY-NEW 2016 NY, NJ, VA POLL #s: A new multi-state Roanoke/Rutgers-Eagleton/Siena College poll finds former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with big leads in three hypothetical 2016 match-ups. Clinton beats New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by 36 points in New York, 8 points in Virginia, and 10 points in his home state of New Jersey; she tops Sen. Rand Paul by 43 points in New York, 14 points in Virginia, and 29 points in New Jersey; and she wins over Rep. Paul Ryan by 37 points in New York, 11 points in Virginia, and 15 points in New Jersey. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e940a69b6aad29145ddebf1997529ac6b8b10476945c33ac7e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e940a69b6aad29145ddebf1997529ac6b8b10476945c33ac7e 

As Thad Cochran defends himself on the airwaves, Scott Brown drops further hints and Jerry Brown is worried about potheads, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 245.

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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.

FIRST IN SCORE-RGA KEEPS UP ROSS ATTACKS IN ARKANSAS: The Republican Governors Association is releasing a new ad in Arkansas this morning, its third in the race. The ad follows a similar theme to the group's previous ads here, tying Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Nancy Pelosi's go-to guy, former Congressman, Mike Ross," the ad says "Ross voted with Pelosi for the stimulus, the auto bailout, Wall Street bailout, and mortgage bailout, too." Watch: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e9d456aa2bbc4f9aaea1a5fa443b0ffa9c1b65595efc5739fc 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e9d456aa2bbc4f9aaea1a5fa443b0ffa9c1b65595efc5739fc 

AIR COCHRAN-ADS TO LAUNCH IN MISSISSIPPI: Incumbent GOP Sen. Thad Cochran is going on air today, and POLITICO's Alex Burns has it first: "The incumbent senator's first wave of television advertising will feature three positive messages - none of them mentioning McDaniel, a Republican familiar with the ads said. One spot will be a 'man on the street'-style commercial about Cochran's accomplishments for Mississippi. Another will focus on Cochran's votes against the Affordable Care Act. The third commercial, set to run along the Mississippi coast, highlights the senator's role in delivering federal aid to his state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e9dc11a1ac83c5e946def715612169a649128673509a9a6603 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e9dc11a1ac83c5e946def715612169a649128673509a9a6603 

EXCLUSIVE-SHEHEEN DINGS CHRISTIE OVER RGA AD: The RGA came out with its first South Carolina ad Monday morning, going after Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen for his support of Obamacare and the federal Medicaid expansion-and drama ensued. (Sheheen is facing off against GOP Gov. Nikki Haley.) The Democrat's camp fired back with a letter from the candidate to RGA Chairman Chris Christie saying the ad was "hypocritical" because Christie, too, backs the Medicaid expansion. 'You and I have the same position on this issue,' Sheheen wrote. Now, Sheheen's campaign is out with a "remixed" version of the ad, replacing "Sheheen" and "South Carolina" with "Christie" and "New Jersey." Following
 Sheheen's letter Monday, RGA Executive Director Phil Cox responded by reiterating that Sheheen is an "unapologetic supporter of Obamacare" and that South Carolinians know it's a "bad law." But it's clear Sheheen's campaign has found its line of counter-argument on the Medicaid issue-so expect to hear more like this from him if he's hit with further Obamacare ads. Watch the Sheheen video: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e95c6c779ad7ff5f761214c3a59c1bf88b4a4ee732c13bf84d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6b54c671bf2f6e95c6c779ad7ff5f761214c3a59c1bf88b4a4ee732c13bf84d 

FIVE CITIES PRESENT CONVENTION BIDS TO RNC: After the RNC narrowed its list of 2016 convention host cities down to eight last week, five of the cities in the running came to D.C. Monday to present their bids to the site selection committee. (The other three cities, Las Vegas, Dallas and Cincinnati, couldn't make it because of the weather.) In a news conference with reporters at the RNC's D.C. headquarters, Chairman Reince Priebus and the site selection committee chairwoman, Enid Mickelsen, said the most important consideration for which city ultimately gets chosen is the city's ability to raise money for the convention. "It's a business decision," Priebus said, adding that the next biggest
 factor is the logistics: transportation, security, the experience for delegates, etc. Only after those considerations will political factors-like how competitive the state is, or what kind of message a particular city sends-come into play. The remaining three cities will now present to the RNC later this month; in the meantime, the RNC is out with a site that allows members to vote for their favorite city: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8411f7dcbf77e3a604f671ee5f943a7eaec024850073ce556 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8411f7dcbf77e3a604f671ee5f943a7eaec024850073ce556 

AN UPDATE ON THE SCOTT BROWN GUESSING GAME: POLITICO's Manu Raju grabs a few minutes with former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown on snowy Capitol Hill: "In a brief interview Monday in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, the former Massachusetts senator said he was still seriously weighing whether to run in New Hampshire against Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and would &#39;probably&#39; make a decision before the June filing deadline. But Democratic TV ads blistering him on the airwaves - clearly intended to make him think twice about jumping in - are having the opposite effect, he said. &#39;They keep running these negative ads and crushing my integrity and distorting my votes and the like
 - almost antagonizing me, challenging me to get in,' Brown told POLITICO. 'Had they left me alone, I may feel a bit different. But they didn't.&#39;' 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed87c77d1256c2cbe851dcc973bb97bad8f009b399010a3fb8d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed87c77d1256c2cbe851dcc973bb97bad8f009b399010a3fb8d 

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

SENATE-

-CA-Sen (2016): After rumors swirled that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was considering a Senate bid against incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer, a source close to her told Business Insider that it is '100 percent untrue." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed855d991c3a7ca59603200279e4f138433bbe808f2ba41fa37 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed855d991c3a7ca59603200279e4f138433bbe808f2ba41fa37 

-IA-Sen: David Oman, a big-name Iowa Republican, endorsed GOP state Sen. Joni Ernst in the crowded primary field and joined her campaign as finance chairman. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8c19b8d97e56cff97d00a86cb61206b48544e317fd3c47b48 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8c19b8d97e56cff97d00a86cb61206b48544e317fd3c47b48 

-NC-Sen: A new Elon University poll has Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan's approval rating at 33 percent among registered voters, compared with 49 percent who disapprove. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8a6a25b664d03f99062088028f2210b564a20fda7ecbfd2c4 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8a6a25b664d03f99062088028f2210b564a20fda7ecbfd2c4 

-MN-Sen: A new poll from Citizens United finds GOP candidate Mike McFadden tied in second place for the GOP nomination, behind state Sen. Juliette Ortman. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8b13fe41338d61d494ab7627d29fffab09abb274e7ca71edb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8b13fe41338d61d494ab7627d29fffab09abb274e7ca71edb 

-NE-Sen: Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a tea party favorite, will endorse GOP candidate Ben Sasse in Nebraska&#39;s Senate race this morning. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed89651f8aaf3c34deb547565342e0747c79a42f5717546f2ba 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed89651f8aaf3c34deb547565342e0747c79a42f5717546f2ba 

-SC-Sen: GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham is out with two new ads-a 60-second radio spot and a 30-second TV clip-emphasizing his conservative fiscal record. (TV: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8fce1cce79873a53757115b495edb23f4650f4fe03d50d8a3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed8fce1cce79873a53757115b495edb23f4650f4fe03d50d8a3  and radio: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed847b75235ebb38c9312958cccb67dbc925b4fde4a9fb9c918 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=776e50c917998ed847b75235ebb38c9312958cccb67dbc925b4fde4a9fb9c918 )

HOUSE-

-DCCC: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named 16 House Democratic candidates to its "Red to Blue" program. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7391ea58ef6b15b4c9c702cc21b3b93be1ab67409fe0fa8895c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7391ea58ef6b15b4c9c702cc21b3b93be1ab67409fe0fa8895c 

-AZ-07: Democratic state Rep. Ruben Gallego said Kyrsten Sinema is the only Democrat capable of holding AZ-09, suggesting she should run in her current district and not move to AZ-07 (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac73920330345724deb738f5e2c73a4c1352547293e640deab95d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac73920330345724deb738f5e2c73a4c1352547293e640deab95d ). Also, former White House staffer Ronnie Cho is considering a bid for the 7th district seat: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7393c314969eeee7cabefcaaf21e917ed0fa7ed74240fafd6b7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7393c314969eeee7cabefcaaf21e917ed0fa7ed74240fafd6b7 

-CA-15: President Obama endorsed Rep. Eric Swalwell, the Democrat who defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Pete Stark in 2012 and is now facing a Democratic primary opponent of his own. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7392a144e3affb9f4aa6bf015c5af27e9b5f446d7ff940453c0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7392a144e3affb9f4aa6bf015c5af27e9b5f446d7ff940453c0 

-IA-01: Democratic state Rep. Anesa Kajtazovic, running for Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley's seat, got a big endorsement-from Braley's mom. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac739a1132e0cc457a45aecf21268edaf6f4e5856e0ca7aef421b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac739a1132e0cc457a45aecf21268edaf6f4e5856e0ca7aef421b 

GOVERNORS-

-IA-Gov: State Sen. Jack Hatch brought in endorsements from two big name Democrats, Attorney General Tom Miller and Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7392eeb65a112ee6daa1093d6d78010f348f300cfdb84fdfc62 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7392eeb65a112ee6daa1093d6d78010f348f300cfdb84fdfc62 

-LA-Gov (2015): Businessman Jim Bernhard has told several Democratic sources he intends to run for governor in 2015. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7394550206721273f7bf30eb7c52054dbc7851a91401736dd8e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac7394550206721273f7bf30eb7c52054dbc7851a91401736dd8e 

-AR-Gov: GOP candidate Asa Hutchinson is out with his first ad, featuring his wife talking about how they met. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac739f6e15bbec0a8c9806cd8785ff40505ace15e7d923224c8b8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac739f6e15bbec0a8c9806cd8785ff40505ace15e7d923224c8b8 

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The world&#39;s pretty dangerous, very competitive. I think we need to stay alert, if not 24 hours a day, more than some of the potheads might be able to put together.' -California Gov. Jerry Brown, on why he's against legalizing marijuana 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac739736483953894ec7bf5b9d0e572722b5d7b822a457b667905 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7c71d491cedac739736483953894ec7bf5b9d0e572722b5d7b822a457b667905 

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