Subject: All Policy is Local, presented by ChooseEnergy.org: And so is the latest green strategy for 2014 — National groups focus on state races — Donor attacks commence
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 08:30:56 -0600

By Alex Guillen

As a campaign influencer, you&#39;re getting this monthly newsletter as part of POLITICO&#39;s in-depth series All Policy is Local: Energy, which provides deeper coverage of the intersection of pressing policy issues and the most-contested midterms. For more from this special reporting series, go to: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=620e5280d183e667e1b4a750cace28d043f6de9634bc51345afb49702205bebe 
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WELCOME TO ENERGY AND THE MIDTERMS. This newsletter is a monthly feature of the POLITICO series "All Policy is Local: Energy.' We welcome your feedback, questions and tips, so please contact me at 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked]  and follow me on Twitter at @
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8e06ae42373b806e0a614593fcb0fb245ddc4f121f44f4b47764dd03a9f88ab5 
alexcguillen .

FIELD REPORT - NATIONAL GROUPS FOCUS ON STATE RACES: Darren Goode and Andrew Restuccia write: "Seeing no end to gridlock in Congress, national environmental groups are trying a new strategy for winning battles on climate change and green power: pouring record amounts of money into legislative races in a handful of states. The multimillion-dollar push by groups like the League of Conservation Voters and liberal billionaire Tom Steyer's super PAC aims to secure friendly majorities in the legislatures of states such as Oregon, Washington and Colorado. Victories there could help blunt their grim prospects in D.C., where the all-but-paralyzed U.S. Senate may be in Republican hands after
 November." Pros can read the story here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a50d1326555d4279be57c208ecb34ffd555a78174e94a9288d49580e270c82b3 

ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE DOING IT - DONOR ATTACKS COMMENCE: Attacking opponents' backers - particularly either the Koch brothers or California billionaire Tom Steyer - has become a popular angle in a number of key Senate races. Such attacks have the double benefit of painting opponents as puppets of larger interests while tapping into public attitudes on campaign finance.

- Kochs: Senate Majority PAC spent half a million dollars airing an 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fc12aa729a1afafef81c342b0db13d478a41965e21e5a9f103c660c6a5545109 
ad  lumping in Iowa Republican Joni Ernst with the Kochs, while Steyer's NextGen super PAC put $3 million into an ad campaign 
 that portrayed Michigan GOP candidate Terri Lynn Land as a pawn of the billionaire brothers. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also put out an ad linking Land to the "out-of-state billionaire Koch brothers," and the Environmental Defense Action Fund dropped six figures on 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6369301052f9b6d425ff7a3749bf68735fb4e048c7ebe2fbfdecbe9b8f075dbe 
ads  making much the same accusation against Florida Republican Steve Southerland. And a League of Conservation Voters pollster said 
 upcoming ads will link Republican candidates with the Brothers K in an attempt to tie Koch money to "real consequences."

- Steyer: The Karl Rove-backed Crossroads GPS alleged in an $800,000 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=29dacd4286f0ddc1ea9ac9d91f9849800b173eedca15e72c0d72f85d19fb5a93 
ad buy  against Michigan Democrat Gary Peters that Steyer "could profit if the pipeline is blocked," referring to previous reports about Steyer's investments in a rival Kinder Morgan pipeline. The claim that Steyer opposes Keystone XL for financial reasons was repeated a week later by the affiliated American Crossroads super PAC in a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a967989409b0e7fe7e357eeae5f2625923185dcd01aa9147120ccd9ed7b3021e 
spot  hitting Iowa Democrat Bruce Braley. But PolitiFact 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d25bde32d143d7beba1c6f1dee534590a473a7cd8cbadb1eb730378377dae24 
ruled  later that Steyer would not benefit financially from blocking Keystone XL because he sold off his fossil fuel investments and donated profits from the Kinder Morgan pipeline to charity.

Meanwhile, family money in Alaska: The parents of Republican candidate Dan Sullivan gave a total of $300,000 to the American Crossroads super PAC, which plans to spend millions on the Alaska Senate race. That adds to the quarter-million that Thomas and Sandra Sullivan have given to a pro-Sullivan super PAC called "Alaska's Energy/America's Values." The PAC brought in $460,000 as of July 30, according to FEC data. Besides the $250,000 from Sullivan's parents, Sullivan's brother Frank has put in $125,000. Plus, the super PAC's director, Art Hackney, 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=46545d76a58adc6a6142ef6f162b1657992dac7146595319d8b25e9b39ea78a5 
told Alaska Dispatch News  last week that Bob McNair, the Houston Texans owner who made a fortune selling his electricity cogeneration company in 1999, has given the PAC $500,000.

QUESTIONS FOR THIS MONTH: How do Mary Landrieu and Bill Cassidy prepare for their expected runoff? Are David Perdue and Michelle Nunn prepping for a runoff as well? Will greens go to bat for Landrieu or Nunn in a runoff that could decide control of the Senate, even though they don't always agree with the candidates' policies? Do polls in states like Iowa or Colorado clear up, or are we facing several too-close-to-call elections Nov. 4? Are attacks on the Koch brothers or Tom Steyer effective? Can Alison Lundergan Grimes close the gap in Kentucky? Might Eliot Cutler draw votes away from Mike Michaud? Will there be any October surprises?

TOP SENATE RACES

Louisiana: Sorry folks, it's increasingly unlikely that this race will be resolved Nov. 4. Polls can't quite agree on where Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Mary Landrieu and her top GOP challenger, Bill Cassidy, land in a head-to-head contest. But Louisiana's unusual election laws have let a second GOP candidate, tea partier Rob Maness, draw enough support away from Cassidy that many predict that no candidate will reach 50 percent on Election Day, sending the race into a Dec. 6 runoff that could determine control of the Senate. In the meantime, Landrieu continues to campaign on her "clout" atop the energy panel. Landrieu's latest iteration of her influence campaign involves
 the Port of Lake Charles; she has touted her role in blocking a sanctions bill that she says threatens the Citgo refinery there, and more recently criticized Cassidy over a $10 million TIGER grant. Meanwhile, Cassidy paints Landrieu as a Washington insider and connects her with the unpopular president. Cassidy will also get a fundraising boost from Mitt Romney at a reception Friday in the French Quarter.

Colorado: Polls are all over the place in the race between Sen. Mark Udall and GOP challenger Cory Gardner (click here 
 for more on the poll conundrum). But the race remains unquestionably tight, and although the campaigns tend to focus on issues like Obamacare or government spending, outlays on the race race growing quickly, particularly among green groups opposed to Gardner. Tom Steyer's NextGen Climate Action Committee dropped $2.2 million on an ad buy earlier this month, about double the amount the super PAC had spent on that race to date.The Environmental Defense Fund is running a $2 million outreach program urging younger Colorado voters, who tend to be green-minded, to go to the polls.

Iowa: This race continues to attract major outside dollars, with major spending coming from Koch-connected groups and environmentalists. Iowa is one of the five Senate races on which the League of Conservation Voters is spending about half of its $25 million budget this year, including a recent $576,000 buy slamming Ernst for suggesting shuttering EPA. Sierra Club Independent Action will spend nearly $1 million on anti-Ernst ad time in Iowa, and NextGen reports spending nearly $1.6 million on the race so far, including $1.1 million in digital ads this month attacking Ernst. And the League of Conservation Voters recently made a big fundraising push via its GiveGreen program that brought in
 more than $360,000 for four Senate Democratic candidates. Several polls in September show the race tied, though a Des Moines register poll gave Ernst a 6-point lead, a finding Democrats are 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=99028922f5eec4cd822d97243001ced5e756b62484b81e6b9a51084b13b863dc 
pushing back against . The American Crossroads super PAC has aired several spots accusing Braley of flip-flopping on Keystone XL and benefiting from "special interest" money. Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute charged this month that the Obama administration has put off finalizing the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard to "play politics" with the Iowa Senate race, an allegation backed up with "significant" spending on an API ad campaign in the Beltway.

** November's election gives voters a powerful choice on energy. Smart energy policies can grow our economy, create jobs and establish America as a global energy leader. America is now the world's number-one natural gas producer and is projected to become number one in oil by 2015. Get involved at 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f4021ee6ce6570f4e5845d3826e5f35561df69b3a1dc7a0b2ef703609708d613 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f4021ee6ce6570f4e5845d3826e5f35561df69b3a1dc7a0b2ef703609708d613 . **

Alaska: Republican Dan Sullivan has worked to strengthen his position since winning the three-way primary in August. Sullivan, a former state natural resources chief, and Democratic Sen. Mark Begich have mostly avoided substantive debate about energy issues. On some (oil and gas extraction, Keystone XL) they largely agree on policy; on others (Pebble Mine, EPA's climate regulations) they differ. But the pair have focused on other issues so far, including headline-grabbing spats over things like a Begich ad that incorrectly tied Sullivan, the state's former attorney general, to a grisly murder. That ad 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6a255b55bb474de0a9054419670e25cddd1b84067d4841f630f416ad2802ce0b 
was pulled  from the airwaves. Begich and Sullivan have also taken shots over whether Begich really rode a snow machine in one ad (the senator 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=849adc4e6826bed520883e62a4efe20b347353f54f4e760ac0727801e1dac0fe 
says he has the frostbite  to prove it).

New Hampshire: Steyer's NextGen super PAC remains heavily invested in this race, dropping more than $2.5 million on advertising and voter outreach to oppose GOP candidate Scott Brown. Most polls in the last month place Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in the lead and at or slightly above 50 percent, but Democrats and Republicans continue to focus major resources on this race. Meanwhile, Landrieu's race in Louisiana could affect any push to pass the energy efficiency package written by Shaheen and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). If Landrieu, as chair of the chamber's energy committee, is consumed by a runoff election through November and early December, the odds of shepherding Shaheen-Portman through the
 Senate diminish. It remains unclear whether the Senate will even take up the package.

Michigan: In another race where Steyer and NextGen remain invested, polling continues to show Peters with a small but stable lead. Land continues to attack Peters over his investments in Total SA, a French energy company that produces petcoke, after Peters connected piles of Detroit petcoke owned by a Koch subsidiary to Land. In non-donor-related attack ads, the Environmental Defense Action Fund put $350,000 into an ad portraying Land as bad for children's health.

Kentucky: Most polls continue to indicate that Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes is a long shot at best to unseat GOP leader Mitch McConnell. Grimes continues to attack McConnell as unfriendly to coal miners and bad for coal in general, and she is not afraid to use McConnell's family to do so. Her campaign recently 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bd19d6bb965d1a6ed6ef96a8b610bcb5fd8ee2008d88589ce76bfe6844509e4c 
told the Huffington Post  that McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, is at least partly to blame for a recent rise in black lung cases because Chao "gutted standards at the Mine Safety and Health Administration" when she was Labor secretary in the Bush administration. The article notes that scientists and officials aren't entirely sure what is causing the resurgence, and that "no one can conclusively link black lung's rise to a specific time at the Labor Department, whether under a Democratic or Republican administration."

Georgia: With recent polls showing Republican David Perdue with just a small lead, some environmental groups are getting involved late in the game in favor of Democrat Michelle Nunn. In a recent campaign ad, Nunn painted herself as a bipartisan moderate on energy issues, chastising Democrats for opposing Keystone XL and criticizing Republicans for blocking renewable energy initiatives. Despite disagreeing on Keystone XL, the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund officially endorsed Nunn and praised her "commonsense solutions" on environmental issues. It's unclear whether the group will dedicate any serious money to the race. LCV's GiveGreen program has funneled more than $89,000 from
 individual donors to Nunn.

Montana: Republican Steve Daines is on track to sail to victory as the replacement Democratic candidate, Amanda Curtis, trails well behind him in the polls. While initial Democratic candidate John Walsh supported Keystone XL, Curtis has kept her position unclear, though she hinted at some level of opposition. "I'm not surprised Congressman Daines is ready to ship our jobs to China again. But Montana should be fighting to build the infrastructure here. So that we are refining it here. So we have the jobs here in Montana," Curtis said this month, 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7bd0500bfba3ac8a2c7d71ad09be772007f6a6bf54645da6ec73b9d4d256267f 
according to local media .

- Green tee: Curtis's campaign bio page includes a picture of her with her husband, Kevin, who is wearing a shirt that reads "Global Warming is killing our Sasquatch." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95b474ad05f0e2c95d95abbeb6bfd1c97e12f56220f71cc24af3f5558e4c631a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=95b474ad05f0e2c95d95abbeb6bfd1c97e12f56220f71cc24af3f5558e4c631a 

West Virginia: Democrat Natalie Tennant's opposition to the Obama administration's proposed rules on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants - and an endorsement from the United Mine Workers of America - doesn't seem to have made a major difference in this race. Tennant continues to drag far behind Republican Shelley Moore Capito in polling.

IN THE HOUSE

West Virginia 3rd: Coal continues to be the name of the game as the ad wars help turn this into one of the most competitive, expensive House races in the country. Democrat Nick Rahall put out an ad slamming Republican Evan Jenkins on black lung benefits, with a narrator saying Jenkins "has pledged that he'll vote to roll back and deny black lung benefits for thousands of coal miners." Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler gave that spot low marks, 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=587f17984a1403f2548fe513aa1be287887d58733d071f7fb5d4b0d3da26a651 
writing  that it "literally put words" in Jenkins' mouth. Republicans also criticized a House Majority super PAC spot that accused Jenkins of "vowing to repeal black lung benefits." Meanwhile, Rahall's opponents continue to hammer the longtime congressman. That includes a $450,000 ad buy from the NRCC tying Rahall to President Barack Obama; another quarter-million-dollar NRCC ad buy linking Rahall to EPA spending and saying he voted for a carbon tax; and a Jenkins campaign ad making the 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=26402df53a211279c8154335217d4fe2305c26b8f2d86e3f6097a6145223d009 
complex claim  that Rahall has slashed black lung benefits.

GUBERNATORIAL RACES

Maine: Independent Eliot Cutler is making a play for green votes, saying this month that environmentalists have "green-washed" the record of Democrat and front-runner Mike Michaud. "Gov. LePage has demonstrated outright disregard for the environmental values that most Mainers share. But at least it can be said of Governor LePage that there is no pretension on his behalf," Cutler said, according to the 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d73decd344d86595526315ecf247c1dec3267cf84172be6afbc6a0d337009bf4 
Portland Press-Herald . Green groups reject that charge, and some even noted that Cutler threatens to siphon enough votes from Michaud to put Republican Gov. Paul LePage back on top. Cutler, who founded an environmental law firm, has touted his green credentials, noting that as an aide to Sen. Ed Muskie he helped craft the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Florida: NextGen is gearing up for a major final push to defeat Republican Gov. Rick Scott. The super PAC sent $4 million recently to its state-level organization in Florida, although that's significantly less than the $10.5 million Scott raised just in August. Polls show the race in essentially a dead heat, and a relative dearth of hurricane activity hasn't helped boost public awareness of climate change.

Pennsylvania: Polls continue to show Democrat Tom Wolf with a significant lead over Gov. Tom Corbett. The two traded barbs at a recent debate over Wolf's proposed 5 percent shale gas tax, which he says would bring in hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. Corbett reiterated his opposition to an extraction tax and said it would hurt gas jobs.

UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS, via the Sunlight Foundation's Political Party Time

Hagan: Former President Bill Clinton attends a luncheon fundraiser Tuesday for Sen. Kay Hagan in Chapel Hill. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7da40861863f46964b2a1ebe9d77d358450068dc2d7338e2de5aa0cac50df88e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=7da40861863f46964b2a1ebe9d77d358450068dc2d7338e2de5aa0cac50df88e 

Ernst: Sens. Rob Portman and John Thune fundraise for Joni Ernst on Wednesday in Des Moines. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8a0165e654f2301a973714821daefdf3548748d375850ffcf63f1bf7480db520 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8a0165e654f2301a973714821daefdf3548748d375850ffcf63f1bf7480db520 

Crist: Hillary Clinton appears at a dinner reception Thursday for Charlie Crist in Miami. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4526143fcc16f8fbabb4ae8e05ecde1cea96687f5d8a13f75c6645a0e45b67c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4526143fcc16f8fbabb4ae8e05ecde1cea96687f5d8a13f75c6645a0e45b67c 

Cassidy: Mitt Romney headlines a lunch Friday for Bill Cassidy in the French Quarter. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0acddd30b4ad7219d87dd41f800bec72eb05c13c615eac3b036c81d90a9b40b8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0acddd30b4ad7219d87dd41f800bec72eb05c13c615eac3b036c81d90a9b40b8 

Michaud: Michelle Obama appears at a fundraiser Friday for Mike Michaud. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=57c77c7f7a23883fa8b8b6f6c053a32eedfe1a72ff93e94526d1b2fbf97ed93a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=57c77c7f7a23883fa8b8b6f6c053a32eedfe1a72ff93e94526d1b2fbf97ed93a 

Michaud: Sunday reception with Mike Michaud. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=20de47912e3f7437beea7dd202132996bb5f1f3d007987004879d52dfb2a4565 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=20de47912e3f7437beea7dd202132996bb5f1f3d007987004879d52dfb2a4565 

Landrieu, Shaheen, Hagan, Cantwell: Vice President Joe Biden headlines an Oct. 9 event for a joint fundraising committee benefiting PACs connected to Sens. Mary Landrieu, Jeanne Shaheen, Kay Hagan and Maria Cantwell. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6d4f11dde5f35019c5892666cd4ae35045056dc2a0923a52f46f6e858975eab2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6d4f11dde5f35019c5892666cd4ae35045056dc2a0923a52f46f6e858975eab2 

** November's election gives voters a powerful choice on energy. Smart energy policies can grow our economy, create jobs and establish America as a global energy leader. The oil & natural gas industry supports $1.2 trillion of GDP - that's 8% of the total U.S. economy. America is now the world's number-one natural gas producer and is projected to be the world's number-one oil producer by 2015. Our refineries create fuels for nearly 250 million vehicles and commercial, private and military aircraft - as well as the feedstocks for medicines, apparel and fertilizer. With increased access to North American oil & natural gas resources, experts predict we can create 1.4 million new American jobs.
 All that adds up to a fundamental fact: expanding domestic energy production and refining will create jobs, help grow our economy and keep us secure for generations to come. This election, get involved at 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f4021ee6ce6570f4e5845d3826e5f35561df69b3a1dc7a0b2ef703609708d613 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f4021ee6ce6570f4e5845d3826e5f35561df69b3a1dc7a0b2ef703609708d613 . **

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