Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Peters stresses Mich. roots in first TV ads—How Cory Gardner cleared the field in Colo.—Citizens United backs Clovis in Iowa—Quinnipiac poll has Warner up by 15 in Va.—Wagner out of Pa. gov race
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 04:03:24 -0600

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

SCORE EXCLUSIVE-PETERS TALKS UP MICHIGAN ROOTS IN 7-FIGURE AD BUY: Michigan Democrat Gary Peters will release his first ads of the cycle this morning, two bio spots (one 30-second and one 60-second version) aimed at introducing him to the state's voters. 'I'm Gary Peters, I was raised in an average Michigan middle class home. Dad was a teacher.Mom was a nurse's aide,' he says in the 30-second version. 'I was able to go to college, and earn three degrees while going to school at night.I served in the Navy Reserve, and after 9/11, I volunteered again. My wife Colleen and I want to be able to give our own kids what our parents gave us: the chance to do a little better.' The 60-second version
 also features his wife, Colleen, speaking direct-to-camera. The ads are part of a seven-figure, seven-week statewide buy, designed to help define Peters on his own terms at a time when the conservative group Americans for Prosperity is spending millions on the airwaves to hit him over Obamacare. (Peters's ads will also run during this week's Michigan State and University of Michigan Sweet 16 basketball games.) Most polling in the race shows a close, margin-of-error contest between Peters and GOP candidate Terri Lynn Land. Watch: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d1c3c56e31b7274c85b286e52d13206ab58cf80a2b4081c89 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d1c3c56e31b7274c85b286e52d13206ab58cf80a2b4081c89  and 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d49d568c8b6e98539896ef82ee05a67fb3cceb20622f7dc3c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d49d568c8b6e98539896ef82ee05a67fb3cceb20622f7dc3c 

GOP CIVIL WAR SEES A CEASEFIRE IN COLORADO: POLITICO&#39;s Manu Raju dives into the tight Colorado Senate fight: "Over 10 suspenseful days last month, Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) managed to persuade a trio of Republican primary candidates to drop out of the Colorado Senate race - so Gardner could run unopposed instead. Among those he nudged out was a tea party favorite, Ken Buck, who lost a 2010 Senate race and had establishment Republicans fretting he would do so again. In the process, Gardner single-handedly transformed the political landscape here and nationally, thrusting Colorado to the fore of his party's efforts to capture the Senate for the final two years of Barack Obama's
 presidency. The inside story of Gardner's feat, based on interviews with multiple participants, started with back-channel talks at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. It ended with the congressman assuring one of his would-be foes he'd help pay off her campaign debt. The final result is practically unheard of amid the rampant stories of GOP acrimony since the 2012 election: a figure endorsed by the D.C. establishment prevailing upon the party's activist wing to step aside, without a whimper of protest." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d811e2f5b9c03bde105ea58e891525292e337c07b7dbf3d2b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d811e2f5b9c03bde105ea58e891525292e337c07b7dbf3d2b 

FIRST IN SCORE-CITIZENS UNITED BACKS CLOVIS IN IOWA: Just a day after GOP state Sen. Joni Ernst got a big endorsement of her own from Sarah Palin, the Citizens United Political Victory Fund is backing radio host Sam Clovis in the crowded Iowa Senate GOP primary and donating $5,000 to his campaign. "Those in the Washington establishment may not like Sam, but I can tell you for certain he will never compromise his core conservative beliefs to appease those in Washington," Citizens United President David Bossie says in a statement. Ernst is seen as the choice of the GOP establishment, but the Palin endorsement suggested that her base of support extends to other segments of the party. It's
 telling, then, that Citizens United chose to go with Clovis instead.

As Elizabeth Warren weighs in on 2014 races, Bill Clinton's impeachment becomes an issue in an Arkansas race and a House candidate literally shoots holes in Obamacare, here&#39;s POLITICO&#39;s Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 222.

CAMPAIGN PRO, YOUR GUIDE TO THE PERMANENT CAMPAIGN launches Wednesday, April 9 on POLITICO Pro with real-time news and information on more than 60 House, Senate and gubernatorial races, including an enhanced version of Morning Score, state-of-the-race analyses, rankings and polls. Interested in subscribing to Campaign Pro? E-mail us: [email-masked]

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

RATINGS CHANGES: None this week.

BREAKING THIS MORNING-WARNER UP BY 15 IN VIRGINIA: A new Quinnipiac poll out at 6 a.m. this morning finds Democratic Sen. Mark Warner with a 15-point lead over GOP challenger Ed Gillespie. Warner takes 46 percent, compared with 31 percent for Gillespie and 6 percent for libertarian Robert Sarvis. Asked if Warner deserves reelection, 49 percent said yes, compared with 36 percent who said no; his approval rating stands at 55 percent. Still, Gillespie has room to grow: 64 percent of those surveyed said they didn't know enough about him to form an opinion, which will change once the campaign heats up. While Warner's margin here is slightly smaller than some of the others we've seen since
 Gillespie entered the race-20 points from Christopher Newport University in January, 27 points from Roanoke College in February-it's still going to be an uphill race for Gillespie. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d0df7c006ac93ed3e7122bd6fcc4a1485ebdf7e3d261c3bc0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d0df7c006ac93ed3e7122bd6fcc4a1485ebdf7e3d261c3bc0 

SNEAK PEEK-ELIZABETH WARREN, PCCC BACK BRALEY AND WEILAND: Progressive darling Elizabeth Warren and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee are throwing their weight behind two Democratic Senate candidates today: Iowa Rep. Bruce Braley and South Dakota candidate Rick Weiland. "I know we can count on Bruce and Rick to be strong voices in our fight to level the playing field for working families-whether it's protecting Social Security for our seniors, making college more affordable for our kids, or holding powerful interests accountable," Warren writes in a fundraising email to PCCC members. The endorsement is a boost for Braley, who's in the midst of a scandal over comments he made
 disparaging Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley at a fundraiser; Weiland faces an uphill battle in a seat that's one of Republicans' top pickup opportunities.

PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR-AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR: Former state auditor Jack Wagner ended his gubernatorial bid Wednesday, leaving just four Democrats left in the primary vying for the chance to face GOP Gov. Tom Corbett in the general election. The remaining candidates are Rep. Allyson Schwartz, State Treasurer Rob McCord, businessman Tom Wolf and former state environmental protection secretary Katie McGinty. Wagner was the last entrant to the race and was seen as a strong candidate for his ties to western Pennsylvania and his past success at getting elected statewide; however, he faced a field of candidates who'd been in the race and raising money or self-financing for months. Wagner and
 Schwartz were the only two candidates who hadn&#39;t gone on huge air yet- so with Wagner&#39;s exit, the next question in the race is when Schwartz goes on air, now that the May 20 primary is less than two months away. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52dc1a111a89f768779780f1c6be48714ba833f16378aa84848 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52dc1a111a89f768779780f1c6be48714ba833f16378aa84848 

CLINTON IMPEACHMENT SURFACES AS AN ISSUE IN ARKANSAS: The AP looks at how Democrat Mike Ross, who's running for governor, is making an issue of his GOP opponent's role in the Clinton impeachment process in the 1990s: "Ross criticized Republican rival Asa Hutchinson Wednesday for his role in prosecuting the impeachment case against former President Bill Clinton, saying it showed how partisan the former congressman is. In an early signal of how much impeachment could factor in the governor&#39;s race in Clinton&#39;s home state, Ross, also an ex-congressman, cited the topic when talking about the differences between his service in Washington and Hutchinson&#39;s. Hutchinson was one of the
 House managers who argued before senators - a group that included his brother, former Sen. Tim Hutchinson - for Clinton&#39;s removal over lies he told about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The Senate voted to acquit the 42nd president of charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in 1999." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d17074ad61eedf7fb47ec180de76120b042a5cd920cba12c0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d17074ad61eedf7fb47ec180de76120b042a5cd920cba12c0 

A NOTE ON SOUTH DAKOTA FILINGS: Yesterday, Score noted that four Republicans had filed to run for retiring South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson. It turns out we missed one, Annette Bosworth, who had filed on time but hadn&#39;t been certified in time for Score. She joins fellow Republicans Mike Rounds, Larry Rhoden, Stace Nelson and Jason Ravnsborg. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d51cf819abf764af424384b83889ff212e67c3478b207b577 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d51cf819abf764af424384b83889ff212e67c3478b207b577 

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

SENATE-

-NH-Sen first look: Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown will release a new web video this morning with footage from his listening tour across New Hampshire. Watch: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d7e2ff1a3e2ef77d0ab3506daced97471efbf3174d954f6d6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d7e2ff1a3e2ef77d0ab3506daced97471efbf3174d954f6d6 

-LA-Sen, NC-Sen: Senate Majority PAC is out with new ads in Louisiana and North Carolina, part of its $3 million, five-state ad campaign. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d2327bf8610797d95d970f22cf6b6ad607c0821de582b987e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d2327bf8610797d95d970f22cf6b6ad607c0821de582b987e  and 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d3ac6cd603396196e5dbd67cadb3746c83a3e5cfa844978a7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d3ac6cd603396196e5dbd67cadb3746c83a3e5cfa844978a7 

-IA-Sen: The conservative group Priorities for Iowa is on the air with a $250,000 broadcast, cable and online ad buy hitting Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley. The ad features Braley's comments at a Texas fundraiser about Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley being "a farmer from Iowa who never went to law school." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52defb59cd0cb7c834e4272de20e8661956197604b061ca16fe 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52defb59cd0cb7c834e4272de20e8661956197604b061ca16fe 

-More IA-Sen: The NRSC is launching robocalls against Braley, which will hit 305,000 households starting today. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d9fac28d01451997ceaac44f630aae5d9e906186c76067243 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d9fac28d01451997ceaac44f630aae5d9e906186c76067243 

-CO-Sen: Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Udall launched a web ad hitting Republican challenger Rep. Cory Gardner over his switch on abortion and personhood legislation. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d549fa7e2aebeca4cb10f44b9059cfbe1392019bab8da58f6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d549fa7e2aebeca4cb10f44b9059cfbe1392019bab8da58f6 

HOUSE-

-CO-06: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wrote an email supporting GOP Rep. Mike Coffman, hitting his Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff on Obamacare. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52deb5a7ae9ce5f93f6e7fb7863bad09ca8d0c396b88d3d7126 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52deb5a7ae9ce5f93f6e7fb7863bad09ca8d0c396b88d3d7126 

-FL-19: Palin also endorsed Republican Lizbeth Benacquisto Wednesday in the special election to replace former Rep. Trey Radel, calling primary opponent Curt Clawson a "wealthy, self-funded candidate with lots of splashy campaign ads claiming to be a conservative." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d2013e432a3e3c57d49983a233cc72c404a18eea8a7804cea 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d2013e432a3e3c57d49983a233cc72c404a18eea8a7804cea 

-VA-10, PA-06: The NRCC added GOP candidates Barbara Comstock in VA-10 and Ryan Costello in PA-06 to the "On the Radar" level of its Young Guns program.

-CA-17: A lawsuit alleges that Democrat Ro Khanna, who's running against incumbent Rep. Mike Honda, recruited two GOP candidates to help split the Republican vote in the race's top-two primary in June. Khanna's campaign has denied the allegations. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52df06bc3e1c5e8b13fa9af2c0865ce4bd3e0a543f32a78e3b9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52df06bc3e1c5e8b13fa9af2c0865ce4bd3e0a543f32a78e3b9 

-AL-06: Will Brooke, one GOP candidate in the race to fill Rep. Spencer Bachus's seat, released a web video in which he shoots holes in the text of the Affordable Care Act: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d6a0981adee96d2e444e214d249f4698d65a8acb792c56c8e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d6a0981adee96d2e444e214d249f4698d65a8acb792c56c8e 

-NY-22: GOP state assemblywoman Claudia Tenney will launch a primary challenge against incumbent Rep. Richard Hanna. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d712c25b3bd568f5483c248fac7a9d7211e7795f3c2dc8237 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d712c25b3bd568f5483c248fac7a9d7211e7795f3c2dc8237 

GOVERNORS-

-FL-Gov: A Saint Leo University poll shows incumbent GOP Gov. Rick Scott trailing Democratic challenger Charlie Crist 43 percent to 39 percent. The online poll, however, was conducted prior to the resignation of campaign finance co-chair Mike Fernandez, which has caused public problems for Scott. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d8347a4b3a44a050d5b6854a60ad5a9867fa43eef9c3c4d21 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d8347a4b3a44a050d5b6854a60ad5a9867fa43eef9c3c4d21 

-MA-Gov: Democratic state Treasurer Steve Grossman&#39;s campaign team said Grossman was passing a kidney stone during Tuesday&#39;s gubernatorial debate. The news inspired a twitter parody account: @grossmansstone. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d99880090a0200f86557bf39f0b4cc50e65e332ca3d7acef0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d99880090a0200f86557bf39f0b4cc50e65e332ca3d7acef0 

-WI-Gov: Republican Gov. Scott Walker leads his Democratic challenger Mary Burke 48 percent to 41 percent, according to a new Marquette University Law School poll. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52dd1d1e2a449415d77d064cf5f82671dfebc776269a6912f4e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52dd1d1e2a449415d77d064cf5f82671dfebc776269a6912f4e 

-CA-Gov: A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California finds Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown leading the primary pack (in California's non-partisan top-two system) with 47 percent, followed by Republicans Tim Donnelly at 10 percent and Andrew Blount and Neel Kashkari at 2 percent. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52ddf341ee63684279aacefef81af74919831e592b6c9f357d6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52ddf341ee63684279aacefef81af74919831e592b6c9f357d6 

-GA-Gov: Former President Jimmy Carter sent a fundraising email through the Democratic Governors' Association seeking donations for his grandson, Georgia Democratic candidate Jason Carter.

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Well, I think (laughs) ... I'm not sure, uh, uh ... Let me just say it this way, when we were in the Legislature together we worked perfectly well together." -Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz on his Democratic primary opponent, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, when asked by a local paper what he liked most about her. (Hanabusa didn't have much to say either when asked the same question about Schatz.) 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d7747ef40864156ea8ce0797750b90c8f5e367181e57a0be8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40da94ac7db2c52d7747ef40864156ea8ce0797750b90c8f5e367181e57a0be8 

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