Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Sullivan leads Alaska Senate primary, in dead heat with Begich — Crunch time in N.C. Senate race — A guide to May’s primaries — Shaheen’s first TV ad focuses on veterans’ issues — McCord gets criticism over anti-Wolf ad
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 05 May 2014 08:05:53 -0600

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

With help from Elizabeth Titus, James Hohmann and Tarini Parti (reporting from North Carolina)

SULLIVAN INTERNAL SHOWS HIM OPENING LEAD IN PRIMARY AND NECK-AND-NECK WITH BEGICH: Alaska Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan's campaign went in the field early last week and found that he's getting 38 percent in the three-way primary field, with Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell at 22 percent and Joe Miller at 12 percent. Pollster Hans Kaiser of Moore Information said their last internal - taken early this year - had Treadwell at 29 percent, Sullivan at 27 percent and Miller at 17 percent. Treadwell has struggled to raise money or get traction, and national Republicans have increasingly coalesced around Sullivan, a former state natural resources commissioner and attorney general who also served
 in George W. Bush's State Department, as their best bet to knock off freshman Sen. Mark Begich.

In a head-to-head general election matchup, Begich currently gets 44 percent to Sullivan's 42 percent. The live poll surveyed 500 registered voters April 27-28 and reports a 4 percent margin of error.Despite significant spending on ads attacking Sullivan's roots in Alaska, his net image has improved since their last poll. And the pollster notes that 56 percent of the undecided said they would be less likely to vote for someone who supports Obamacare. POTUS' fav/unfav among the undecideds in the Senate race is 24/63. Campaign Pro subscribers can read Kaiser's memo to the campaign: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c720abe78cbc500d2e903e84afc046c63153ba67f2d37934ed 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c720abe78cbc500d2e903e84afc046c63153ba67f2d37934ed 

MORE FROM ALASKA - OUTSIDE SPENDING PILES UP: Disclosed money from outside groups crossed the $2 million mark last week in the key Alaska Senate race, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Six-figure buys by the Chamber and the American Hospital Association PAC helped push the sum over the line - outside money now exceeds $2.3 million in the race - and pro-Begich super PAC Put Alaska First plunked down another $346,000 in a filing posted late Friday. Spokesman Jim Lottsfeldt tells us the buy will keep the anti-Dan Sullivan ad 'Lost' on air, ahead of the Republicans&#39; August primary, with the option of swapping in a different spot later in the run. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c709857c055c37d079b02e241c62cec1d537dd3ecfad534769 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c709857c055c37d079b02e241c62cec1d537dd3ecfad534769 

PAUL, HUCKABEE RALLY THEIR BASE ON EVE OF NC PRIMARY: With one day to go until the North Carolina GOP Senate primary, the top three contenders - Thom Tillis, Mark Harris and Greg Brannon - are making their last pitch to voters and bringing in some extra help. Sen. Rand Paul is stumping with fellow libertarian Brannon this afternoon in Charlotte, and a pro-Harris robocall recorded by Mike Huckabee is expected to go out to 300,000 registered Republicans. Tillis, who will walk door-to-door today in an effort to gather enough support to make it through the primary without a runoff, also said his campaign will be using robocalls to get out the vote.

NUNN OUT WITH NEW AD IN GEORGIA: Democratic Senate hopeful Michelle Nunn released a new ad in which she discusses her grandmother&#39;s influence on her life and public service. 'I&#39;ve had a lot of people to luck up to in my life. At the very top of my list is my grandmother,' Nunn says in the ad. 'She&#39;s one reason why I have so much faith in the power of individuals to make a difference and know that things really can be better than what&#39;s going on in Washington." Watch here: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c791c0d25c710bc89eef05d3f256b43b297c4d1156814ee61f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c791c0d25c710bc89eef05d3f256b43b297c4d1156814ee61f 

NEW IN THE AIR WAR - SHAHEEN LAUNCHES FIRST AD: Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is out with her first TV ad of the cycle, featuring Dwight Clark, a Vietnam vet, talking about her efforts on behalf of veterans. "We'd been promised a vets center in Keene for 30 years and got nothing," he says in the ad. "Then Jeanne Shaheen grabbed the bull by the horns and cut through the red tape and got things going. She pushed it right through right from start to finish." Shaheen's campaign declined to share the size of the buy, but said the ad began running Sunday night and will go at least through this week on cable and WMUR. It was made by Grunwald Communications. Watch: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c709011589d17c441f941811d1d2d4c9ba1a09e5e2f4c75624 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c709011589d17c441f941811d1d2d4c9ba1a09e5e2f4c75624 

As primary season picks up, Rob McCord faces some blowback and Al Franken contemplates satirizing himself, here&#39;s POLITICO&#39;s Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 183.

Good Monday morning and welcome to the abridged version of Campaign Pro's Morning Score. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to 
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[email-masked]  or tweet them to @
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TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO-

http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7bd711c2859414b680536ebad5654385c696e498dff11f3ec 
No joy from 2014 Democrats on job numbers 

http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c70bf8c08f9c8ef03033480d3f897115b4a6a0147c1c9fb885 
Veterans hit Osborn in new Nebraska ad 

http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7ca32ca38a0e04b9bc26431e600cfa965dfa5e4b574ab946d 
Pennsylvania candidates gang up on front-runner Wolf 

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD-

1) Can Thom Tillis avoid a runoff in North Carolina?

2) Will GOP Rep. Walter Jones survive his primary challenge?

3) Do the GOP establishment's attacks on Woody White in NC-07 do enough damage to boost David Rouzer to victory?

4) Will any Pennsylvania candidates launch new lines of attack against Tom Wolf after last week's decidedly negative tone?

5) Does Clay Aiken's career as a candidate end the same way his American Idol one did - with a second-place finish?

TODAY ON POLITICO - A GUIDE TO MAY PRIMARIES, via POLITICO's Manu Raju: "From the Deep South to the Pacific Northwest, Republican primary voters this month will have a big say not only in the direction of their party but in whether the GOP has a chance to take back the Senate majority for the first time since 2006. The fight begins Tuesday in North Carolina, where the party establishment has lined up behind state House Speaker Thom Tillis against a tea party-aligned foe, Greg Brannon, and another contender who has galvanized the Christian right, Mark Harris. Republicans in Washington have been pushed around by grass-roots activists for two straight elections ... This year, the national
 party has shifted tactics ... The primaries over the next several weeks will provide the first solid clues whether the approach is working or the GOP is in for more of the same." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c755b41e654bf0adade43f57ba2444bab2ef0719cbc57b2f22 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c755b41e654bf0adade43f57ba2444bab2ef0719cbc57b2f22 

POLL: GOP LEADS GENERIC BALLOT: A new USA Today/Pew Research Center poll out today shows Republicans with a narrow lead on the generic ballot among registered voters - an advantage greater that measures in the GOP wave years of 2010 and 1994. From USA Today's Susan Page and Kendall Brietman: "A nationwide USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll shows the strongest tilt to Republican candidates at this point in a midterm year in at least two decades, including before partisan 'waves' in 1994 and 2010 that swept the GOP into power. ... By more than 2-1, 65%-30%, Americans say they want the president elected in 2016 to pursue different policies and programs than the Obama administration, rather
 than similar ones. In the 2014 elections, registered voters are inclined to support the Republican candidate over the Democrat in their congressional district by 47%-43%. That 4-percentage-point edge may seem small, but it&#39;s notable because Democrats traditionally fare better among registered voters than they do among those who actually cast ballots, especially in low-turnout midterms." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7787c4de0e3e81b64eddc28a48c361c357652aa146895f506 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7787c4de0e3e81b64eddc28a48c361c357652aa146895f506  The full report from Pew: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c76e3515c583705266bfa1111ce96970ee6156256d9542ed68 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c76e3515c583705266bfa1111ce96970ee6156256d9542ed68 

RAND PAUL AND RUPERT MURDOCH AT THE DERBY: The New York Times reports on Rand Paul&#39;s day with media magnate Rupert Murdoch at the Kentucky Derby: "For Mr. Paul, the would-be candidate, and Mr. Murdoch, arguably the most powerful broker in Republican politics, Saturday's day at the races was filled with betting, losing, drinking and a long chat over kettle corn. It was part getting-to-know-you and part political audition, and marked a potential turn in the race for president. That Mr. Murdoch, no novice when it comes to matters of political imagery, allowed himself to be paraded for six hours around the boisterous and bourbon-drenched grounds like a prize horse behind a proud jockey,
 amounted to a message to more establishment Republicans that, as Mr. Murdoch put it, 'I'm very open minded.'" 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c70f4a86a12887c12a98478cc558556b16ba3af6b7e23fa945 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c70f4a86a12887c12a98478cc558556b16ba3af6b7e23fa945 

ON THE ROAD WITH SCHWARTZ: Your Score correspondent traveled with Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the woman who wants to become Pennsylvania's first female governor - but she's running out of time to catch up to Tom Wolf for the Democratic nomination: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7121362abe6ba7145443fd614e0b626fffbfee6dd58a66475 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7121362abe6ba7145443fd614e0b626fffbfee6dd58a66475 

WEEKEND DEBATE ROUNDUP: In Iowa, the five GOP Senate candidates went back and forth on the issues at another debate this weekend but were, per the Des Moines register, "short on specifics" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7b0cf17b89a2b8da5f28492629c56c1eaf1f01afbe3ea4560 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7b0cf17b89a2b8da5f28492629c56c1eaf1f01afbe3ea4560 ). In Montana, Democrats John Bohlinger and Dirk Adams used what may be the sole Democratic Senate debate to hit newly appointed Sen. John Walsh. Walsh, per the Billings Gazette, "mostly ignored the challenges from his Democratic primary rivals and instead focused his attacks on [Rep. Steve] Daines, the likely Republican nominee in the race" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7c72e7ad448aa1138902ee3e6b684984b88986975d0ab3d9f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7c72e7ad448aa1138902ee3e6b684984b88986975d0ab3d9f ).

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

-CA-17: The San Francisco Chronicle endorsed Democratic challenger Ro Khanna over Rep. Mike Honda. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c75ad11ebd554b4b486f3f3b00412fe1f95a4541b23d2fd3b8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c75ad11ebd554b4b486f3f3b00412fe1f95a4541b23d2fd3b8 

-FL-13: Ed Jany, who is running against GOP Rep. David Jolly as an independent and has been backed by the DCCC, cited last year&#39;s government shutdown as 'the last straw' in his decision to leave the GOP. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7b92a1fa8663988b5956322da1e4c0aef8cb5c5fc115a4390 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7b92a1fa8663988b5956322da1e4c0aef8cb5c5fc115a4390 

-MI-13: Longtime Rep. John Conyers does not have enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, a local county clerk said Friday - a claim that Conyers's campaign disputed. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7b60532634fe270c77657ce814d5c91fefa2742097aa78a5e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7b60532634fe270c77657ce814d5c91fefa2742097aa78a5e 

-ME-Gov: The Campaign for Maine PAC spent $125,000 on ads in support of independent Eliot Cutler. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c796722cef208ca57e6b431d2172ce927486413aa70e6b5496 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c796722cef208ca57e6b431d2172ce927486413aa70e6b5496 

-PA-Gov: Top Pennsylvania Democrats are saying state treasurer Rob McCord went too far in his latest TV ad in the state's gubernatorial primary (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7d88b74746594769fba4c200662e4ba21b5fb518888013f03 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7d88b74746594769fba4c200662e4ba21b5fb518888013f03 )-which hits fellow Democrat and current frontrunner Tom Wolf for supporting a man charged with murder. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7c74b8fe88d22a27233da23b1dd6180aea80e0455a5b0929d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7c74b8fe88d22a27233da23b1dd6180aea80e0455a5b0929d 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I&#39;d be a really hard subject to satirize, because I&#39;ve just been impeccable." -Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, asked whether his comedian self would make fun of his current Senator self 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7c685858df2321cd662f3571a03eeeb3cdd710bc7adb40afc 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d658dca6711877c7c685858df2321cd662f3571a03eeeb3cdd710bc7adb40afc 

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