Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Fearing no backlash, national Dems pull primary strings — Toxic Schock, and other puns on the Congressman’s downfall — Grayson inching closer to Florida Senate bid
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2015 08:04:40 -0600

By Kyle Cheney

With Katie Glueck, Sandhya Raman and Steven Shepard

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro&#39;s Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races - and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day&#39;s most important campaign news - sign up for Campaign Pro today. (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3c1bb9fbe1a9144fc125a1e1f957339f571e373f2840602f7 
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TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO - Dems working to short-circuit primaries, by POLITICO's Manu Raju and Campaign Pro's Kyle Cheney: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3a4e802f9ccb7707b796a5086c247135fc2647551de5ed596 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3a4e802f9ccb7707b796a5086c247135fc2647551de5ed596 

AFTER SCHOCKS - "Potential IL-18 field includes Darin LaHood, Bill Brady," by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer (in his POLITICO debut!): 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3a8213c6cb9713427fbcefb21f99afa8878d50871e855e963 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3a8213c6cb9713427fbcefb21f99afa8878d50871e855e963 

 - "Aaron Schock's final hours," by POLITICO's Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan: "Aaron Schock's Tuesday began with a quiet early-morning stroll near the Capitol with his close friend, Missouri Rep. Jason Smith. Sporting shorts and a sweatshirt, Schock's eyes frequently darted down to his iPhone. Within hours, his once-promising congressional career would be over. Schock's resignation, effective March 31, came so abruptly that the Illinois Republican didn't even give Speaker John Boehner or his leadership team a heads up. Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) had been planning to keep Schock on the GOP's vote-counting team. Fellow congressmen from Illinois also had no idea. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f32081bcc3b4a3a1d2662975590454f505a77a14bc6da138ed 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f32081bcc3b4a3a1d2662975590454f505a77a14bc6da138ed 

 - "Schock: New generation, old temptation," by POLITICO's Todd S. Purdum: "At 33, Schock is the third-youngest member of the current Congress, and the first to be born in the Age of Reagan. His spectacular flameout is a bonfire tailor-made for the vanities of the Instagram era that sent his six-pack abs ricocheting around the Internet - and proof positive that long after Washington's original swamp was drained, Potomac fever remains an incurable disease. This is not how the public career of an entrepreneurial and political prodigy - he started his own IRA at 14 and was elected to his local school board five years later - was supposed to end. Schock's stock-in-trade has always been that he
 was good with numbers." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3998fb2150cc84f761fd3212481e0b3ec1ab753568e02832e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3998fb2150cc84f761fd3212481e0b3ec1ab753568e02832e 

AFTER SCHULTZ - "Wasserman Schultz won't run for Senate," by POLITICO's Marc Caputo and Kyle Cheney: "Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced Tuesday she won't run for a Senate seat in Florida next year, leaving Democrats without a candidate known statewide to vie for the post Marco Rubio is expected to leave to run for president ... Rubio plans to make his decision known in April. Murphy had planned at one point to announce for the seat next week, before Rubio says what he's decided to do.

"Grayson, too, praised Wasserman Schultz. He's close friends with her and previously said he wouldn't run if she did. 'The stars are certainly starting to align for a Grayson-for-Senate run,' he said. 'But there's time. Qualifying for this office isn't until May 2016. What do they say? Fools rush in.' When asked if he thought Murphy was a fool, Grayson demurred by saying, 'Moi?'" 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f30c4609c61c2349564a560bad7d5c136e9fbfe8bb0bb50347 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f30c4609c61c2349564a560bad7d5c136e9fbfe8bb0bb50347 

LESS MONEY, MO' PROBLEMS - NE-02's Ashford responds to DCCC complaints about lackluster fundraising: Democratic Rep. Brad Ashford says Democrats are grousing that he isn't raising enough money. The DCCC wants him to raise $250,000 this quarter, Ashford told the Omaha World-Herald, but he estimates he'll come up about $100,000 short. "The general tenor is 'you're not doing enough; you're Frontline,' " Ashford said. "There are all these categories that you get placed in. Because I had a close race I'm in this category, but I don't care about that. I care about doing a good job and being reelected, but I don't care about how this system here categorizes me. It doesn't matter to me. I'm going
 to do what I need to do, hopefully, to be effective - and then raise the money I need to get reelected." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3dd680542e7b92e0242f6887e3454fb0eb652c1abbefdfd67 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3dd680542e7b92e0242f6887e3454fb0eb652c1abbefdfd67 

As Republicans robocall Reid and McCain teams up with a potential rival, here&#39;s POLITICO&#39;s Morning Score: daily news, notes and essential information for the 2015 and 2016 election cycles.

Days until the 2015 election: 230; Days until the 2016 election: 601

Thanks for joining us. We're eager for your news and feedback. Email us at 
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3b1dc515810ea60a99ee955168b4d132868220a7e84a4c177 
kyledcheney .

NETANYAHU'S RETURN - With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victory overnight, here's a look back at the role American political consultants playing on both sides, as reported by McClatchy: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f30324ec087fee85fc7fe84393382591e814df6ef9fdd2a7ec 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f30324ec087fee85fc7fe84393382591e814df6ef9fdd2a7ec 

ROBOCALLING ON REID - NRSC hits Dem leaders on trafficking filibuster: The NRSC is going straight at Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid with a new robocall that asks Nevada families to pressure their longtime lawmaker to nix a filibuster on a human trafficking bill. Democrats have argued that Republicans are stubbornly clinging to anti-abortion language in the otherwise bipartisan bill, but the GOP contends Democrats are willing to scuttle major strides on sex trafficking over a political fight. The NRSC's robocall makes no mention of abortion but accuses Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of "filibustering bipartisan legislation to combat human sex trafficking." "With over 2,000 sex
 trafficked victims in Nevada one would think Senator Reid would be leading the charge to get this bill passed, instead of blocking it," a narrator says. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f311f75546e4f2e72f774a1696b9ec11bd3b8ab795ddf2e9b8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f311f75546e4f2e72f774a1696b9ec11bd3b8ab795ddf2e9b8 

STAFFING UP - Paul gets veteran consultant David Chesley to handle New Hampshire ops: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f39a4cfd7a77fdb7a4f29d086e0e734dc311eb22c7bf63b5cd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f39a4cfd7a77fdb7a4f29d086e0e734dc311eb22c7bf63b5cd 

CARSON GETS A SUPER PAC - A new super PAC that will support Ben Carson's potential 2016 bid filed the paperwork to officially launch on Tuesday, the incoming executive director for the outfit said. The organization, called One Vote, is helmed by Andy Yates, a North Carolina-based Republican operative who has primarily worked inside the state. He said in an interview that the organization plans to bring on "a group of experienced folks who have worked on a number of campaigns, primarily a D.C.-based team" that will include media consultants and fundraisers, though he declined to identify them. He also pledged that the group will "be able to raise a significant amount of money to really get
 Dr. Carson's efforts out," though he declined to name an amount. Yates described the outfit as "the chosen super PAC of the Ben Carson exploratory committee."

 - "We are aware that supporters of Dr. Carson have formed a SuperPac, and I can confirm that Dr. Carson is pleased that they intend to pursue an independent campaign," said Doug Watts, a spokesman for Carson's exploratory committee, in an email .An committee designed to draft Carson into the race, also known as "Run Ben Run," has previously demonstrated an ability to rake in significant sums, but a representative for leaders of that group say there are no plans to join or work with One Vote. The PAC hadn't yet appeared on the FEC's list of new registrations as of Tuesday night.

 - Oh, and Donald Trump is announcing a exploratory committee for a potential 2016 presidential bid:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3f3d334f36aff4e3d5554c84a2adab6741a4774f9385ce019 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3f3d334f36aff4e3d5554c84a2adab6741a4774f9385ce019 

UNLIKELY ALLIES - Sen. John McCain and Rep. Matt Salmon, who's considering a potential conservative challenger to the five-term senator, have teamed up to introduce legislation that would give U.S. customs and border protection officials "full access" to Arizona's southwest border. Rep. David Schweikert, who conservatives have also eyed as a potential McCain primary challenger, co-sponsored the bill.

2016 GOP - "&#39;Sheldon primary&#39; cranks up next month,'" by POLITICO's Kenneth P. Vogel: "Prospective GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Mike Pence and Rick Perry are making pilgrimages to Las Vegas next month to appear before Sheldon Adelson and other major Jewish donors. The trio - as well as Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who is girding for what's expected to be a tough 2016 reelection fight - will speak at the spring meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition on April 25, the group announced Tuesday. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3fc1d41e0bdceb8f3ee17651a374292730f88294423cce460 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3fc1d41e0bdceb8f3ee17651a374292730f88294423cce460 

EMAIL UPDATE - "Hillary Clinton did not sign State Department exit form," by POLITICO's Josh Gerstein: "The State Department has no record that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signed a standard form declaring that she surrendered all official records before leaving her post in 2013, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Critics of Clinton, including the Republican National Committee, said she might have committed a crime by signing the form despite having tens of thousands of work-related emails in a personal account. She provided copies of those emails to her former agency in December. 'We have reviewed Secretary Clinton's official personnel file and administrative files and do not have
 any record of her signing the' form, State spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at a regular briefing. Psaki said there was also no record of the form being completed by Clinton's two most recent predecessors, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f38a66abbb84493dcf71c91ce3fdbf8f69e4df36c618fe6090 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f38a66abbb84493dcf71c91ce3fdbf8f69e4df36c618fe6090 

CHAMBER GEARS UP FOR 2016 - The Chamber of Commerce has launched a revamped site - Friends of the U.S. Chamber - to let its members track Congressional votes and decide whether the lawmakers they're watching are supporting their agenda. Eventually, the results will be synthesized into data and analysis that will inform which lawmakers the group backs in 2016. The site: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f35a00d45a390a56e07e3bf993da4f2ab71a5a9c56e1d7eac8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f35a00d45a390a56e07e3bf993da4f2ab71a5a9c56e1d7eac8 .

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I would welcome him coming in because I know I would beat him soundly.' - Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk on a potential challenge from Rep. Bill Foster, as reported by WaPo's Sean Sullivan. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3fd5e09212a69d05ece93fa54f685e40bed1536c87b6e3b59 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b2fcea333188e7f3fd5e09212a69d05ece93fa54f685e40bed1536c87b6e3b59 

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