Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Super PAC mocks McCain challenger — Innis will seek rematch against Guinta
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:17:22 -0600

By Theodoric Meyer

With Kevin Robillard and Elena Schneider

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=d7669f3a3215fb1c014bb5d3ac43609127fba060d368af782a39d8b2cc106daa 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c014bb5d3ac43609127fba060d368af782a39d8b2cc106daa )

FIRST IN SCORE - Pro-McCain super PAC mocks Ward in web ad: Arizona state Sen. Kelli Ward won't announce her primary challenge to GOP Sen. John McCain until Tuesday evening, but a super PAC with close ties to McCain is already up with an ad attacking her. The ad, running online this week across Arizona, mocks Ward for "always saying the wildest things," focusing on "fringe issues" and supporting "oddball bills that would make Arizona a laughingstock." "Kelli Ward has used her position in the Arizona Senate to seek out fringe issues and make them her own," Matt Kenney, the executive director of the super PAC, Arizona Grassroots Action PAC, said in a statement. "When she's not holding
 hearings to investigate the harm being done by so-called 'chemtrails,' she's working to prevent the National Security Agency from working with Arizona law enforcement."

- Watch the ad here: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1cabfaff1bcb83ce8cbca4b636d49603e202b53ec730c43fb0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1cabfaff1bcb83ce8cbca4b636d49603e202b53ec730c43fb0 

- A U.S. Chamber Commerce poll released on Monday, meanwhile, showed McCain leading Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick by double digits in the Senate race. Fifty-three percent of likely voters support McCain in a head-to-head matchup, according to the poll, with 38 percent supporting Kirkpatrick and 9 percent undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

SUNSHINE STATE STRIFE - "Feuding Florida legislators face tight timeframe to redraw House districts," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon in Tallahassee: "The Florida Supreme Court's landmark decision to reject eight congressional districts has already shaken up the race for an open U.S. Senate seat and will force a feuding Legislature back to Tallahassee just weeks after it adjourned a tension-filled session. The court's decision, handed down last Thursday, comes as bad blood lingers between the Republican leaders of the state House and Senate, following an intra-party feud over health care funding that derailed the regular session and forced legislative overtime." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c371d54d564a2d5e1958ef83cb5498fbcd2bd61499a02fb1e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c371d54d564a2d5e1958ef83cb5498fbcd2bd61499a02fb1e 

- GOP Rep. David Jolly is poised to announce his plans to run for Senate next week following the court ruling, which could add a substantial swath of Democratic voters to his St. Petersburg-based district. "Congressman Jolly is seriously considering a U.S. Senate run, and is moving towards a decision and announcement early next week," Jolly spokeswoman Sarah Bascom told POLITICO.

GRANITE STATE REMATCH - Guinta gets a primary challenger after scandal: Republican Dan Innis, a former University of New Hampshire business school dean, will challenge embattled Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) for a second time, WMUR reports. Innis narrowly lost the Republican primary to Guinta last year but may feel better about his odds this time around. New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and other top Republicans have urged Guinta to step down after Guinta admitted to campaign finance violations in his 2010 campaign. But Innis will have to start fundraising. He still has nearly $190,000 in debt from his last run, according to his Federal Election Commission report. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1cde9a4947f6454bc1bb9aa04bca0e1108cbf8e25fd6690898 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1cde9a4947f6454bc1bb9aa04bca0e1108cbf8e25fd6690898 

Days until the 2015 election: 112. Days until the 2016 election: 483.

Thanks for joining us. Email tips to the whole Campaign Pro team at 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] , 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] , 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] , 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked]  and 
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] .

INVITATION DECLINED - Sestak passes on attending DSCC donor retreat: Former Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak was invited by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to Martha&#39;s Vineyard this weekend for a retreat with major donors, but opted not to attend. But Katie McGinty, a former gubernatorial candidate who some Democrats are hoping will challenge Sestak, reportedly did make the trip. McGinty&#39;s attendance at the retreat, which is held annually and attended by Democratic senators, prominent business lobbyists and fundraisers, was reported by PoliticsPA.com. The website said McGinty 'flew to the event on a chartered flight with over fifteen senators.' McGinty, a former Al Gore
 aide who now serves as Gov. Tom Wolf&#39;s chief of staff, is the latest Democrat floated as an alternative to Sestak.

GETTING IN - Tarkanian running for open seat in NV-03: Businessman Danny Tarkanian announced Monday that he will run for the open swing seat in Nevada's 3rd District, setting up a primary against state Sen. Michael Roberson. Roberson, who announced his bid last week, already has high-profile endorsements from GOP Sen. Dean Heller and Gov. Brian Sandoval. Tarkanian is the son of the late former University of Nevada-Las Vegas head basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian. The younger Tarkanian does not have a distinguished electoral history: He lost a bid for the state Senate in 2004, for secretary of state in 2006, for the Republican Senate primary in 2010, and for Nevada's 4th District in 2012.

CASH RACE - Kamala Harris raises $1.6 million in second quarter: California Attorney General Kamala Harris has more than $3 million on hand for her Senate campaign after raising $1.6 million in the second quarter of this year, her campaign said. She's raised a total of $4.1 million since entering the race, indicating her campaign has already spent $1 million. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Harris' rival for the Democratic nomination, has yet to release her fundraising totals.

- Bennet raises more than $2 million for reelection: Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet posted another $2-million quarter, matching his haul from the first three months of the year, his campaign said. Thehaul gives him more than $4.3 million in cash on hand. Bennet is the only Democratic incumbent who could face a tough race, but Colorado Republicans, mired in conflict at the state party, haven't put up a strong candidate yet. The Denver Post first reported Bennet's fundraising numbers.

- Benishek brings in $414,000 in MI-01: Michigan GOP Rep. Dan Benishek raised $414,000 in the second quarter, his campaign said. That's more than triple what Benishek, historically a lackluster fundraiser, brought in last quarter, and more than double what he raised in the second quarter of 2013.The campaign had $426,000 in cash on hand. Benishek is running for a fourth term in Michigan's GOP-leaning 1st District despite pledging to serve only three terms when he first ran in 2010. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Lon Johnson announced that he would challenge Benishek last month.

- Dold pulls in $600,000 in IL-10:  Illinois GOP Rep. Bob Dold raised more than $600,000 in the second quarter, his campaign said on Monday. The haul puts him neck-and-neck in the fundraising race with his Democratic rival, Brad Schneider, who also reported raising $600,000 in the second quarter. But Dold has a big advantage in cash on hand, with more than $1 million, to Schneider&#39;s $465,000 at the end of the quarter. The district is a prime target for Democrats in a presidential year.

YET ANOTHER ONE - "New nonprofit to give cover to Senate Republicans," by POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Anna Palmer: "Allies of Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn are forming a nonprofit to support the Republican policy agenda as the threat of a partisan showdown over spending this fall continues to grow. ... The decision to launch the group comes as several similar nonprofits have been created to provide Republican leaders with air cover during politically contentious battles with the conservative flank of Congress, as well as Democrats and the White House. The pro-Republican groups are also another fundraising outlet for donors looking to affect legislative debates. Since these groups are
 often set up as nonprofits, they typically don't have to disclose individual donors." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c0d66cbf77d82ceea99781c7a6c5cac8f23bfec35ac89714f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c0d66cbf77d82ceea99781c7a6c5cac8f23bfec35ac89714f 

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Sleeves rolled up, Walker kicks off presidential run," by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney in Waukesha, Wis.: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker kicked off his campaign for the Republican nomination on Monday outside of Milwaukee. "Unlike rivals like Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, there's no talk from the Walker campaign about outreach to minority communities and other nontraditional GOP voters. His chest-beating announcement on Monday was a prelude to the smash-mouth campaign he's likely to run." He'll hit the road on Tuesday, with stops in Nevada, South Carolina and New Hampshire before heading to Iowa for three days of events. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c2c39639f5239aa645603ab52a200da9b6b21ee0dfd3ff19a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c2c39639f5239aa645603ab52a200da9b6b21ee0dfd3ff19a 

- Want more Walker? Read Robert Draper's profile in GQ last year: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c605e72370cf6a4260ed68b286ea280c5411f592b119bd83b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c605e72370cf6a4260ed68b286ea280c5411f592b119bd83b 

- "GOP senators challenge Cruz book claims," by POLITICO's Manu Raju: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's fight with The New York Times over whether his book belongs on the paper's bestseller list isn't the only controversy surround "A Time for Truth." Some Republicans are suggesting it may be less than completely truthful. "Cruz portrays himself in his book as the rare creature in Washington who's willing to call out his own party in public and confront fellow Republicans when the cameras aren't rolling, too. But in interviews last week, some of his GOP colleagues challenged assertions in Cruz's tell-it-like-it-is memoir, which could undermine the Texas Republican's claim of authenticity." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c37bfc0ae6a01c2395f759896ddd2f47610bf9a1fe98b12f7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c37bfc0ae6a01c2395f759896ddd2f47610bf9a1fe98b12f7 

- "Attention-starved Hill Dems eager for Hillary embrace," by POLITICO's Lauren French and Gabriel Debenedetti: More than six months ahead of the Iowa caucuses, nearly half of the Democrats in Congress have already endorsed Hillary Clinton - but she's still got to the other half to convince. "The front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president will blanket Congress with members-only meetings on Tuesday that will give lawmakers a chance to personally question Clinton about their priorities - and give her a chance to sell her candidacy to any lingering skeptics." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c52216595c81a906be41c24d9cd75fe9ce7f8a8f494d3488d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c52216595c81a906be41c24d9cd75fe9ce7f8a8f494d3488d 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I was probably the most important person there [on set] - that shows you how bad it was." - Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) on his role in the upcoming "Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!" The movie also features appearances by former Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Frankie Muniz, David Hasselhoff, Tara Reid, Ne-Yo and Penn and Teller. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c9e12aab995b6bba76ad59ad837a3a5b02f39af1105785066 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c9e12aab995b6bba76ad59ad837a3a5b02f39af1105785066 

Go to POLITICO Morning Score Now >> http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c0e22b90814fb0d4692bee553996ddda7bfbf00d22a1870a4

Go to this edition >> http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1cc8120050073580a2587283c96e6b4c8564a7f7c54ffcad7a

=================================

2015 POLITICO, LLC

POLITICO Morning Score.

To unsubscribe, http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d7669f3a3215fb1c8b0fe601825470332fa34ff9a2c7755e69399de2535a6c5a

=================================