Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Boustany maneuvers for Vitter’s seat — Southerland might mount a comeback
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2015 08:03:04 -0600

By Theodoric Meyer

With Kevin Robillard and Burgess Everett

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=3ee9662de54d42d083bf98aabda0bb7bb829fc76055eb09a856eadf12cd32aa0 
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TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO - "Boustany courts establishment for possible Senate bid," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d038fe48fa83e63af71b86adc6b7fcb78dfbd6743bea3d3d6b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d038fe48fa83e63af71b86adc6b7fcb78dfbd6743bea3d3d6b 

POLL NUMBERS - Hassan has 54 percent approval rating in poll: New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan's approval rating has fallen only slightly as she navigates a state budget fight and considers a run for Senate, according to a new poll. The WMUR Granite State poll has Hassan with a 54 percent job approval rating, compared to 30 percent who disapprove. In May, the same poll saw Hassan with 57 percent approval and 24 percent disapproval - within the most recent poll's margin of error of plus or 4.5 percentage points. The poll didn&#39;t test Hassan in a Senate race with GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte, but it did include ballot tests for governor. Hassan led GOP Executive Councilor Chris Sununu, 48 percent
 to 32 percent, among likely voters. Sununu has leads over Democratic Executive Councilors Chris Pappas and Colin Van Ostern, both of whom have low name-ID. Full results: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0ecedff89a99624ad7794dd7a4f1961ab0ff610fd0e42689f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0ecedff89a99624ad7794dd7a4f1961ab0ff610fd0e42689f .

POTENTIAL REMATCH - Southerland says he might run again in FL-02: Former GOP Rep. Steve Southerland, who lost his seat to Democrat Gwen Graham last year, told The News Service of Florida on Tuesday that he's considering another run in Florida's 2nd District. The state legislature is preparing to redraw portions of the state's congressional map following a state Supreme Court ruling this month, and the changes are likely to make the district significantly more Republican. "We're going to give it prayerful thought and make a decision real soon," Southerland said. It's unclear whether Graham will run again. She's been mentioned as a Senate candidate now that her district is likely to change,
 and she told the news service she "was not going to close any doors." Republican Mary Thomas, a state official, is expected to announce her own run for the seat on Wednesday. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d01c976812ceb295cec291c6ca3f2434259aad835ff65a026f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d01c976812ceb295cec291c6ca3f2434259aad835ff65a026f 

Days until the 2015 election: 104. Days until the 2016 election: 475.

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SCOTT WALKER & HIGHWAY SPENDING:With American transportation in crisis, why are we spending our money on massive new roads? Mike Grunwald investigates the astonishing $7 billion Gov. Scott Walker is spending in Wisconsin to expand and reconfigure freeways in Milwaukee, even though the transit system is a mess, local roads are falling apart, and a lot of people don't want the new highways at all. Read more in the Transportation Issue of The Agenda: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0f0cc4696b766ca0775aa44cadef6140db7bcd99610bec4ca 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0f0cc4696b766ca0775aa44cadef6140db7bcd99610bec4ca 

AIR WAR - Chamber airs new ads backing Ayotte, McCain: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is up with new television ads backing GOP Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) and John McCain (Ariz.). The ads are part of continuing wave of early ads from the Chamber supporting vulnerable incumbent Republicans. They were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The Ayotte ad praises the Republican as 'independent fighter' who 'puts New Hampshire first' and 'push[es] back to tax-and-spend liberals.' Ayotte doesn&#39;t have a Democratic opponent yet, but New Hampshire and national Democrats hope Gov. Maggie Hassan will challenge her. The McCain ad doesn&#39;t mention the former presidential candidate&#39;s name
 until 25 seconds into the spot, and only after praising him for his work on the economy, veterans&#39; issue and noting Arizona benefits from his chairmanship of the Armed Services Committee. McCain is facing state Sen. Kelli Ward in a GOP primary and will likely face Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick in the general election.

- Watch the Ayotte ad: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d047d782e466eabe189bd8c6a19d178ae225a52f7bcd402d02 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d047d782e466eabe189bd8c6a19d178ae225a52f7bcd402d02 

- Watch the McCain ad: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d09be80816479259f7f74f0de0d12e16ec3fba5d55495cd820 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d09be80816479259f7f74f0de0d12e16ec3fba5d55495cd820 

MENDING FENCES - McConnell helping Bevin raise money: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will hold a fundraiser for Matt Bevin, the GOP nominee in this November&#39;s Kentucky gubernatorial race. The event, on Aug. 28, is hosted by influential GOP fundraisers Joe Craft and Kelly Knight, Bevin's campaign said on Tuesday. Initially after Bevin won the primary McConnell offered a terse endorsement. But now McConnell, a tireless fundraiser for Senate Republicans and the Kentucky GOP, is delivering Bevin what he may need most: money. The invitation to the fundraiser carries with it a suggested donation of $1,000.

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Republican candidates get Trumped," by POLITICO's Hadas Gold: The intense press coverage of Donald Trump since he got in the race last month has meant less airtime and fewer headlines for the other 15 candidates - including Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose announcement on Tuesday was overshadowed by coverage of Trump's decision to give out his rival Sen. Lindsey Graham's cell phone number. "Jeb Bush's economic policy speech? Trumped. Scott Walker's $26 million money haul? Trumped. Carly Fiorina's attack on Hillary Clinton? Marco Rubio's thoughts on Iran? Bobby Jindal in general? Trumped, Trumped, Trumped." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0e72e3c89853abce59ff6b8f28bf94bf3ff15b7ce12545067 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0e72e3c89853abce59ff6b8f28bf94bf3ff15b7ce12545067 

- Graham phone was still ringing on Tuesday evening when he went to the movies in Washington with Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and her two young children. Graham told a Washington Post reporter who ran into him at the cinema that he was letting the kids help him answer the calls. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0b59251836e059601d472ac475bbcab13a461703fd2b84019 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0b59251836e059601d472ac475bbcab13a461703fd2b84019 

- "The man behind Trump's run," by POLITICO's Ben Schreckinger and Cate Martel: Donald Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has more than a few similarities to Trump himself. The two met last year while Lewandowski was working for Americans for Prosperity, the flagship group in Charles and David Koch's network, and hit if off. "One Trump insider joked the two had found each other on Match.com. They even dress alike. 'He wears a suit a lot, which for New Hampshire is odd,' said the longtime Granite State political operative of Lewandowski. 'You don't really wear suits in New Hampshire.' But Lewandowski apparently doesn't share Trump's lust for media attention. He declined to comment
 for the story. 'Only one guy on the campaign that matters!' texted a spokeswoman." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0df169a5ec821ecb2282fb6d7d1412c8c48be7d19922f88f5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0df169a5ec821ecb2282fb6d7d1412c8c48be7d19922f88f5 

- "Will the GOP debate be the Trump show?," by POLITICO's Dylan Byers, with Campaign Pro editor Steve Shepard: "Somewhere in a parallel universe, top-ranking Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Marco Rubio are gearing up for an inaugural primary debate where they will make their pitches to voters, contest one another's policy proposals, and calmly try to skirt attacks from tea party insurgents and nothing-to-lose outsiders. Unfortunately for them, this is not that universe. This is Donald Trump's universe. ... Trump's influence on the debate isn't just a headache for candidates, it's a headache for the Republican National Committee, which had sought to gain greater
 control over the debate process after the chaos of the 2012 cycle. Despite the party's effort to distance itself from Trump's litany of controversial comments, there's nothing it can do to prevent his appearance on stage in Cleveland. ... For [former House Speaker Newt] Gingrich, taking on Trump is a matter of understanding the enemy: 'Avoid anger, because I don't think anybody on that stage can out-anger Trump,' he said. 'His natural style is aggressive. It's not like he has to become aggressive. He wakes up and he's aggressive.'" 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d07a51b686ba0c1bfad21ad5c990ba1e5065e11e1c31ec9cab 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d07a51b686ba0c1bfad21ad5c990ba1e5065e11e1c31ec9cab 

- If you can stand another Trump story: The New York Times' Amy Chozick and Ashley Parker delve into the no-love-lost relationship between Trump and Rupert Murdoch, which has deteriorated further since Murdoch's newspapers have bashed Trump this week, with Trump firing back on Twitter. "Recognizing that winning over the notoriously headstrong Mr. Murdoch appears unlikely, Mr. Trump has set his sights instead on wooing perhaps the only media executive who wields as much firepower among Republicans: Roger E. Ailes, the chairman and chief executive of Fox News." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d07030ba9f04b70dd113928454345023d97de593aae8eb8a8c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d07030ba9f04b70dd113928454345023d97de593aae8eb8a8c 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Shortly after that phone call, ADAM SKELOS called back Supervisor-1 and threatened to 'smash in' Supervisor-1's head, and told Supervisor-1 that Supervisor-1 would 'never amount to anything,' and that 'guys like' Supervisor-1 "couldn't shine [ADAM SKELOS's] shoes.'" - From an indictment released Tuesday describing a 2013 phone call in which Adam Skelos told his boss that he "did not have to come into work regularly because his father," Dean Skelos, was president of the New York state Senate. (Hat tip to 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0f776b0608c622c1502534d622de2ec979c977038a8882dae 
David W. Chen  of The New York Times.)
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0280012aea6731d02436c201aa8681587a77cab686334c371 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3ee9662de54d42d0280012aea6731d02436c201aa8681587a77cab686334c371 

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