Subject: Campaign Pro's Morning Score: WELCOME TO CAMPAIGN PRO! - The Facebook candidate’s path to Congress - Bill Clinton to Florida for DGA, Crist
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 08:13:00 -0600

By Emily Schultheis and Jose DelReal

With help from Elizabeth Titus, Juana Summers, Maggie Haberman, Manu Raju and Byron Tau

WELCOME TO THE NEW AND ENHANCED MORNING SCORE - If you're reading this, congrats on becoming a Campaign Pro subscriber! This means you're a political professional who needs around-the-clock news and analysis on the most competitive races across the country. It also means you're getting an exclusive version of the new and enhanced Morning Score filled with more scoops and a more-comprehensive aggregation of the day's campaign news. We're thrilled to have you know what #ProsKnow. 

TOP TALKER - THE FACEBOOK CANDIDATE: POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reports from the ground on Democrat Sean Eldridge's campaign in New York's 19th District (and his inability to get access to it while he was there): 'After Eldridge decided he wanted to run for office, he and [husband Chris] Hughes in 2011 bought the first of two luxurious homes in the Hudson Valley region. Soon after, Eldridge set up a venture capital firm, Hudson River Ventures, that has provided millions in loans and equity lines to local companies. And now the first-time candidate, who's running his first business, is touting the jobs he's created in the blue-collar district. Like no other 2014 candidate, Eldridge is testing
 the limits of dollars and cents to secure a seat in the House of Representatives. The Democrat is tapping Hughes's vast wealth - estimated at $700 million - to build an elaborate campaign apparatus in a district where he remains a stranger to many. ... His efforts are all the more striking in contrast with incumbent GOP Rep. Chris Gibson, a 49-year-old decorated war veteran and former college professor who lives in the same middle-class neighborhood where he grew up." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb597980d4bc68c56930919e07d4c4b9a245f7e4db01503488a4a9bf796b4d36 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb597980d4bc68c56930919e07d4c4b9a245f7e4db01503488a4a9bf796b4d36 

Eldridge's response to Isenstadt's video comments on the story, via the Times Herald-Record: "We're not really concerned with a D.C.-based blog." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb597980d4bc68c55d3c03279d12d70ea41406a8c677330e5fbc4ec2b067cb71 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb597980d4bc68c55d3c03279d12d70ea41406a8c677330e5fbc4ec2b067cb71 

EXCLUSIVE - BILL CLINTON TO FLORIDA FOR DGA/CRIST: Bill Clinton will be the star attraction at a Democratic Governors Association fundraiser next month in Florida, a key presidential battleground where newly-minted Democrat Charlie Crist is hoping to oust incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott, POLITICO has learned. Clinton is the 'special guest' at the May 6 event, according to a save-the-date notice sent by the DGA. The event will be in Miami Beach, although the specific venue was not listed. The high-dollar event is open to donors who can cough up between $5,000 and $25,000. The Crist-Scott race is among the most competitive gubernatorial campaigns in the nation, and Democrats are thrilled
 at the prospect of unseating the Republican, whose poll numbers remain grim.

FIRST IN SCORE - RGA'S LATEST MICHIGAN AD: The Republicans Governors Association is out today with its third ad in the Michigan governor's race, again using Democratic candidate Mark Schauer's name as a pun. This ad focuses on his support for a bottled-water tax. "Mark Schauer is a politician who has made wrong, expensive choices," the ad says. "As a state legislator, he pushed for a 20-cent-a-gallon tax on bottled water. Water! Michigan's coming back without taxing water." It ends, as the RGA's other two ads here have, with a voter saying, "The Schauer's over." Michigan is certainly high on Democrats' target lists, and most polling shows GOP Gov. Rick Snyder with a mid-single-digit lead
 over Schauer. Watch: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb597980d4bc68c51d98990337ff4d50887d11fe3d7b6ac0118eebfea1dca7bb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb597980d4bc68c51d98990337ff4d50887d11fe3d7b6ac0118eebfea1dca7bb 

As the NRSC scores its best fundraising month this cycle, the GOP seeks to maximize the impact of the McCutcheon decision and tensions continue to rise in this month's FL-19 primary, here&#39;s POLITICO&#39;s Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 209.

Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Campaign Pro's Morning Score. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked]  or tweet them to @
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2a2c59982508e4d24667cf704c95f2384b88dcbc53fd42452 
emilyrs .

FIRST QUARTER FUNDRAISING TICKER: NRSC: $6.35 million raised (in March), with $15.9 million cash on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ee5f0e17cd837d6b3bf0bfaf87e655a5c791d9efa6fc104c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ee5f0e17cd837d6b3bf0bfaf87e655a5c791d9efa6fc104c ) ... House Majority PAC: $5.2 million raised in the first quarter, the group will announce today ... AK-Sen: Democratic Sen. Mark Begich raised $1 million and has roughly $2.8 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2cb3f04b411a1817a53920753bd1048c319f582687ee0104e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2cb3f04b411a1817a53920753bd1048c319f582687ee0104e ) ... MT-Sen: Democratic Sen. John Walsh raised $947,000 and has just under $700,000 on hand, his campaign announced Tuesday ... MI-Sen: Republican Terri Lynn Land raised $1.5 million (including $100,000 of her own money) (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd21f3ba37226d125417e2a368e9d62f9f890e13b46d432a421 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd21f3ba37226d125417e2a368e9d62f9f890e13b46d432a421 ) ... CA-21: Democrat Amanda Renteria raised more than $300,000 (no cash-on-hand figure available), her campaign will announce ... IL-10: Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider raised more than $550,000 and has $1.3 million on hand; Republican Bob Dold raised $520,000 and has nearly $1.3 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd25c72d6e7b465ee0d3ff8a1afe97e30167c7ea4fcdfc01e04 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd25c72d6e7b465ee0d3ff8a1afe97e30167c7ea4fcdfc01e04 ) ... IL-11: Democrat Bill Foster raised $460,000 and has $1.1 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2bf6213f3e6c4e56e23ac56a63263d8e36a4da1fa0ca0a9eb 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2bf6213f3e6c4e56e23ac56a63263d8e36a4da1fa0ca0a9eb ) ... IA-04: Democrat Jim Mowrer raised $351,000 and has $450,000 on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd20145428384600fc7475c20e747dec651b1d5cbc9811c5e0e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd20145428384600fc7475c20e747dec651b1d5cbc9811c5e0e )... NM-02: GOP Rep. Steve Pearce raised $360,000 and has $1.4 million on hand, his campaign will announce

TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO -

BURNS REPORT SNEAK PEEK - POLITICO's Alex Burns writes the first monthly installment of his big-picture look at the 2014 landscape later this morning. Here's a preview: "Republicans have been on a hot streak for several months now, expanding the Senate map into states like Colorado and New Hampshire and winning a hugely expensive House special in Florida's 13th Congressional District. They landed their favored nominee in the Illinois governor's race and have largely (though not completely) smothered tea party challengers in high-value elections. Against a backdrop of heavy conservative outside spending and the agonizing rollout of the Affordable Care Act, GOP candidates have rocketed to
 parity or better in Democratic-leaning states like Michigan. In the next phase of the campaign, Republicans have to answer what we'll call the Jack Nicholson question: What if this is as good as it gets?" Burns will explore this question at length today, in a dispatch set to hit your inbox later this morning.

TOP-TWO PRIMARY ROILS CALIF. CAMPAIGN STRATEGY: Your Score correspondent looks at the myriad strategic difficulties that have arisen as a result of the Golden State's top-two primary system: "2014 is just the second time California's top-two &#39;jungle&#39; primary system has been in place, and campaigns across the state are scrambling to figure out how to adapt. Many Golden State political consultants say there's no clear strategy yet for how to deal with the new regime, particularly with the potential for a handful of Democrat-on-Democrat general-election races in November. ... If you're a campaign in one of these races, the logic of a regular primary no longer applies, and an entirely
 new set of questions arises: In a crowded field, do you stay positive and build up your base? Do you hit one or more of your opponents (and if you do, whom do you hit)? Do you spend all your money to ensure you get into the top two, or save as much as you can for what could be an expensive, long general-election fight? How strongly should you be vying for the votes of independents and the opposite party - and what happens to those voters in November if it ends up being a Democrat-on-Democrat or Republican-on-Republican race?' 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd28ca716080640dc05b3e893695e474a03b47df2b4a898b1e8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd28ca716080640dc05b3e893695e474a03b47df2b4a898b1e8 

TODAY ON POLITICO-

GOP GEARS UP FOR POST-MCCUTCHEON WORLD: POLITICO's Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer report on how the GOP is adapting to the implications of last week's McCutcheon decision: "Insiders are dreaming up how to maximize a recent Supreme Court ruling that frees up some big donors to give even more. A prominent idea: create a new class of donors who contribute a total of six- or seven-figures to each of three party committees and spread cash to endangered lawmakers. In exchange, the big-money givers would get something of an 'all access pass' that comes with perks from the big three national committees, like face time with top officials. Lawyers and leaders of the committees have held meetings and
 are crafting a plan to boost contributions before the November elections, according to multiple sources. The moves are early signs that the national party committees are making a comeback after years of stumbling and shrinking in an era of super PACs." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd205a1c243cdf43d83627aba2095dfed36b6fab59c04d9dfac 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd205a1c243cdf43d83627aba2095dfed36b6fab59c04d9dfac 

TIDBITS FROM THE CAMPAIGN PRO TEAM-

RAND, RUBIO TALK SCOTT BROWN: Both Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio - two 2016 prospects - gave POLITICO their thoughts on former Senate colleague Scott Brown's new campaign in New Hampshire. RAND: 'I know Scott and like him, we haven't gotten involved in too many primaries this time. So I probably will wait and try to help most people help when most primaries are over.' RUBIO: 'That's a race we're looking at very closely. Certainly, I'm excited about the fact that he's getting in the race. We're definitely going to be supporting Scott. And obviously we need to figure out a role our PAC can play in that race.'

FL-19 GOP PRIMARY GETS LIVELIER: Three Republican candidates in the special primary race to succeed Trey Radel are taking the unusual step Wednesday of holding a joint press conference to attack a fourth contender, Curt Clawson, after a local news report surfaced that said Clawson rented a Utah property to a convicted sex offender. 'Now more than ever, we stand together to put politics aside to address some very serious questions that have been raised in this race' about Clawson&#39;s explanations and financial disclosures, said Lizbeth Benacquisto, Paige Kreegel and Michael Dreikorn in a joint statement. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd25f324e8325cb4ca680c82e47a26152c80b755e762c0a208c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd25f324e8325cb4ca680c82e47a26152c80b755e762c0a208c 

--Clawson spokesman David James fired back, singling out Benacquisto, who&#39;s gained momentum in recent days with endorsements from Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin: 'With no plan of their own to fix Washington, and the failure of their Super PACs to smear Curt Clawson, these career politicians have decided to pounce on the victims of a horrible domestic situation for their own political gain. As the victims have stated, they want no part of the Benacquisto political circus.'

NRCC SLAMS RAHALL ON HOUSE MAJORITY PAC AD: One day after the pro-Democratic House Majority PAC released another ad on behalf of West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall, the National Republican Congressional Committee is swinging back. The NRCC has called on Rahall to denounce the ad, which hits GOP candidate Evan Jenkins over a chemical spill in the state and ties to the Koch brothers, calling it deceptive and hypocritical. "Nick Rahall lied to West Virginians about his support for a carbon tax, he lied to them about his allegiance to Barack Obama, and he lied to them about the fact that he was going to retire until Nancy Pelosi promised him more campaign cash," NRCC spokesman Ian Prior said. "Now
 a Pelosi-backed super PAC is invading West Virginia and spreading more lies on behalf of Rahall. It's time for Rahall to stop his desperate and deceitful game, demand that these ads be taken down and start telling the truth." The statement comes just weeks after the NRCC and HMP went back and forth over whether a previous HMP ad - which suggested that Jenkins "vowed to repeal black lung benefits" - was inaccurate.

CMDI UNVEILS CRIMSON VERSION 2: On Tuesday, Republican technology provider and compliance firm CMDI rolled out the latest version of their cloud-based campaign software Crimson. The new Crimson v.2 is the newest incarnation of their integrated political enterprise software platform, and allows campaigns to share data and metrics across all departments on smartphones, tablets and computers. The platform also allows campaigns to build their applications on top of the Crimson data with an API. It also contains data cleaning tools, mapping and other application services. The software is part of the Republican Party's effort to beef up outreach services - including new digital capabilities. CMDI
 founder and president John Simms helped draft the Republican National Committee's Growth & Opportunity Project plan and is now helping implement it.

LIGHTER CLICK - Melissa Blackburn, a Democrat running for a local judgeship in Nashville, keeps getting confused with Tennessee GOP Rep. Marsha Blackburn - and her campaign is out with a new theme song to tell people just that. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2e186b6b0dee263f300b6b45f5e45f04d50653782a2fb7633 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2e186b6b0dee263f300b6b45f5e45f04d50653782a2fb7633 

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

SENATE -

-AK-Sen, LA-Sen, MI-Sen: Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, which is associated with the Koch brothers, is releasing new ads today hitting Democratic Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Rep. Gary Peters of Michigan, part of a $2 million ad buy airing over the next three weeks. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd28e02816311bd0a6564b50ed3a316fae7d0f1f9ffe404ef1f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd28e02816311bd0a6564b50ed3a316fae7d0f1f9ffe404ef1f 

-GA-Sen: The conservative Ending Spending Action Fund launched a TV ad hitting GOP Rep. Phil Gingrey on earmarks and wasteful spending. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd273b46237fe1e817f5038a847d022cc238566f841e85697e8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd273b46237fe1e817f5038a847d022cc238566f841e85697e8 

-More GA-Sen: Democrat Michelle Nunn reportedly told volunteers that she supports construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2daa8a652b2a435b43a0907ee37e8ef7c602f36dbd45039e1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2daa8a652b2a435b43a0907ee37e8ef7c602f36dbd45039e1 

-MI-Sen: Democratic Rep. Gary Peters leads Republican rival Terri Lynn Land, 41 percent to 36 percent, according to a new PPP poll. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ce73bbea329818511a1a709b6e7015633a85335f69b722f1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ce73bbea329818511a1a709b6e7015633a85335f69b722f1 

-MS-Sen: Incumbent GOP Sen. Thad Cochran leads primary challenger Chris McDaniel 52 percent to 35 percent, according to the latest automated poll by Harper Polling. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd215d7646d06b00e84e25b314dbcc1388678e633db94d42931 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd215d7646d06b00e84e25b314dbcc1388678e633db94d42931 

-NC-Sen: Former state House Speaker Thom Tillis isn't running significantly ahead of his opponents in the GOP primary field, with 18 percent of voters supporting him versus 15 percent showing support for Greg Brannon, 11 percent for Mark Harris, 7 percent for Heather Grant, 6 percent for Ted Alexander, 5 percent for Alex Bradshaw, 2 percent for Jim Snyder, and 1 percent for Edward Kryn. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd261b2e2da456ca879b10c52c1e24a8cb7351cd7facd76b661 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd261b2e2da456ca879b10c52c1e24a8cb7351cd7facd76b661 

-NE-Sen: GOP candidate Ben Sasse released a three-minute web video that outlines his own family's health scare: when his wife had a brain aneurysm while out walking with their children. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd26ea35337a538be0318533b34f4fedf61563605a29e01bd20 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd26ea35337a538be0318533b34f4fedf61563605a29e01bd20 

HOUSE-

-CA-31: Republican Lesli Gooch, longtime aide and would-be successor to retiring GOP Rep. Gary Miller, denied buying Facebook 'likes' when asked by Buzzfeed why the majority on her page are from Thailand. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ea2f38181d97efc2f266d2dc214f34e9ab768dd7b111d831 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ea2f38181d97efc2f266d2dc214f34e9ab768dd7b111d831 

-CA-33: Democrats for Israel, a Los Angeles-based group, endorsed Democrat state Sen. Ted Lieu in the crowded open primary.

-FL-19: Benacquisto picked up endorsements from GOP Reps. Ann Wagner and Diane Black (of Missouri and Tennessee, respectively) in the special election primary to replace former Rep. Trey Radel. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2a8a9a6281afd75df57f0e99bbd303a3a2070fb4c258e2261 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2a8a9a6281afd75df57f0e99bbd303a3a2070fb4c258e2261 

-ID-02: Republican primary challenger Bryan Smith released his first TV ad, hitting incumbent Rep. Mike Simpson on earmarks (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2a638372e864d8c6ca286f62fe24ddf7fdfcf31115ed6bc6a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2a638372e864d8c6ca286f62fe24ddf7fdfcf31115ed6bc6a ). Meanwhile, Simpson released a new ad of his own as well, using it to hit back at Smith: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2bee22899ed09e30be60f08dcf891405a98ece28abb146bf0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2bee22899ed09e30be60f08dcf891405a98ece28abb146bf0 

-NJ-03: Republican Steve Lonegan has gone up with his first TV ad of the primary, attacking 'liberal' opponent Tom MacArthur. His campaign isn&#39;t sharing the size of the cable buy in Burlington and Ocean Counties. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2618d5735848f357b46244df97b5db1e9e45bd241381798e2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2618d5735848f357b46244df97b5db1e9e45bd241381798e2 

-MI-08: Democrat Barb Byrum announced she will not run for the seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, taking Democrats' top recruit out of the running. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd29a083c324f1c03bb396dc15dba8c06048a1814fcb62a70ad 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd29a083c324f1c03bb396dc15dba8c06048a1814fcb62a70ad 

GOVERNORS-

-CA-Gov: A new Field Poll out this morning finds Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown with a 59 percent approval rating, and leading all possible candidates in the June 3 open primary by a huge margin. He takes 57 percent in the poll, followed by Republicans Tim Donnelly at 17 percent, Andrew Blount at 3 percent and Neel Kashkari at 2 percent. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2b3f97487181b032f2d212701ca3691cc8dca334a3f05ffaa 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2b3f97487181b032f2d212701ca3691cc8dca334a3f05ffaa 

-GA-Gov: Democratic hopeful Jason Carter is hitting GOP Gov. Nathan Deal on a previously closed 2010 campaign ethics complaint, calling for the investigation to be reopened. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2f19689732679e541ca2c32c4aa26c0540acab0f9477f4ec5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2f19689732679e541ca2c32c4aa26c0540acab0f9477f4ec5 

-MD-Gov: Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd23902c8976803db51dfdd993f3b92bd3cda0e7800c3489b86 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd23902c8976803db51dfdd993f3b92bd3cda0e7800c3489b86 

-MI-Gov: GOP Gov. Rick Snyder&#39;s slight lead over Democratic opponent Mark Schauer has held steady, 43 percent to 39 percent, according to a new PPP survey. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ce73bbea329818511a1a709b6e7015633a85335f69b722f1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2ce73bbea329818511a1a709b6e7015633a85335f69b722f1 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I think Steve LaTourette may have eaten a lot of paint chips as a kid." - Club for Growth spokesman Barney Keller (LaTourette's response: "A pretty bold statement for a guy named after a purple dinosaur.") 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2d52011dc4ccd7d4e1aa47ef8e565eed5cc76fa0032f165ee 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=580944242e901cd2d52011dc4ccd7d4e1aa47ef8e565eed5cc76fa0032f165ee 

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