Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Kentucky GOP nervous about Bevin’s slow start -- Column: Nevada as first primary state
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2015 08:01:52 -0600

By Elena Schneider

With Theodoric Meyer and Kevin Robillard

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. (
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TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO - "Republicans worry Bevin off to slow start," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: 
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KIRK PUSHES BACK - Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) put his home health aide on his campaign payroll, the Chicago Tribune 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d159896950de9f08ed75e98beb79ad7bbe54b39e700204bd1857 
reported  Wednesday. Kirk For Senate paid Mervyn Fombe-Abiko more than $43,000 from August 2013 until the end of 2014, according to the Tribune report and FEC records. ... The Tribune report notes Kirk has a history of putting personal friends on his campaign payroll. ... Kirk&#39;s campaign forwarded a statement from former FEC Chairman Michael Toner arguing the arrangement - the Kirk camp says Fombe-Abiko was on both the campaign payroll and paid by Kirk personally for health-care services at home - was legal. 
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FIRST IN SCORE - DEMS HIT GIANFORTE ON SOCIAL SECURITY - Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Social Security's law-signing, Democrats in Montana will release a web video attacking Greg Gianforte, who will likely challenge Democratic Governors Association chairman Steve Bullock, for comments Gianforte made about retirement. He told the Huffington Post in June that he uses the example of Noah in the Bible: 'How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn&#39;t like, cashing Social Security checks, he wasn&#39;t hanging out, he was working."
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Days until the 2015 election: 82. Days until the 2016 election: 453.

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FLORIDA REDISTRICTING - Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown will testify before a state Senate redistricting committee today, POLITICO Florida's Matt Dixon reported. Brown, whose district is slated for a radical redrawing, said a new map would violate the Voting Rights Act. 
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WHY NEVADA SHOULD BE FIRST - "POLITICO Magazine: Why Nevada should be the new Iowa," in which Jon Ralston argues for Nevada's prominence, along with five reasons why: " ... We can keep pretending how quaint it is to see possible leaders of the free world chat up the riveting folks in a Manchester diner or pretend to enjoy the "Roast and Ride" in Boone. But neither state represents the real America anymore, nor do they represent even a realistic crucible in which to choose a nominee." 1. Demographics (Hispanics) ... 2. 'We are America,' (More urban) ... 3. 'The fun quotient,' (Vegas shows) 4. 'We don't gamble,' (On bad presidential picks) ... 5. 'Everyone else gambles' (More diverse economy)
 ... 6. 'It's the economy, stupid' (Jobs still hurting) 7. 'Harry and Sheldon are here (Reid and Adelson) ... 8. 'The DNC and RNC could embrace it' ... 9. 'The facilities are better' (The Venetian) ... 10. 'The media' 
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DEEP DIVE - "POLITICO Magazine: The GOP's organization man," by Todd S. Purdum: " ... The night's showdown between an unplugged Donald Trump and the rest of the world amounted to just the kind of divisive, unpredictable and potentially damaging sideshow that [RNC Chair Reince] Priebus had long hoped to avoid. The GOP's unruly two-tier debate circus seemed to repudiate the party chairman's vow to run a 2016 nominating process that put the party's best interests ahead of the egos of individual candidates and the ratings goals of would-be media sponsors. ... Yet at the same time the robust Republican field - now 17 candidates strong, and financed at record-breaking levels - is also a tribute
 to Priebus' diligent efforts to rebuild, retool and manage his fractious party into a fighting force whose members have solidified gains on Capitol Hill during his tenure and now think they have a real shot at winning the White House for the first time since 2004." 
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PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - 'SEC PRIMARY' - "Cruz's Southern comfort," by POLITICO's Katie Glueck in Olive Branch, Miss.: "He's mired in the middle of the pack in early state polls, but it may not matter. The date circled in red on Ted Cruz's calendar is March 1, when much of the South will vote in what's been dubbed the "SEC primary." Cruz isn't writing off Iowa and New Hampshire, but his fallback strategy is centered here in the South, where the reception to his weeklong, seven-state "Cruz Country" bus tour - marked by big, enthusiastic crowds and often rapturous appreciation of his scorched earth, anti-Washington rhetoric - explains why he sees a lane." 
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- Up next, out West - Cruz will address volunteers with the Nevada chapter of the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity in Las Vegas on Friday.

CAUCUS CHECK-IN - "CNN/ORC Poll: Trump tops in Iowa as Scott Walker drops," by CNN polling director Jenn Agiesta: "Donald Trump has a significant lead in the race to win over likely Iowa caucus-goers, according to the first CNN/ORC poll in the state this cycle. Trump tops the field with 22% and is the candidate seen as best able to handle top issues including the economy, illegal immigration and terrorism. ... Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson follows Trump in overall preference with 14%, bumping Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who had held the top spot in most recent public polling in Iowa, down to third place with 9%." 
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- In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders, 50-31%. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d1595afe69e3ad7e138833c387637360f514ff025a0c527dfdab 
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CLINTON'S EMAIL DAMAGE CONTROL - "Clinton campaign mounts counter-attack over email scandal," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti: "Hillary Clinton's campaign went into damage-control mode - again - as the latest twist in the long-running saga over her private email use while serving as secretary of state opened up the Democratic front-runner to attacks on what GOP rivals called "criminal" behavior. It was deja vu for the elaborate machine surrounding Clinton, which has repeatedly had to reassure donors and supporters that the escalating investigations into possible mishandling of classified information are much ado about nothing. ... But also notable was how Democrats of all stripes held
 their fire, likely reflecting a calculation on the part of her rivals that there's little gain to piling on." 
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- "Hillary email probe turns to Huma," by POLITICO's Rachael Bade: "Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's most trusted confidante, is increasingly becoming a central figure in the email scandal that's haunting her boss on the campaign trail, as Republicans and federal judges seek information about Clinton's communications while she was running the State Department. The 2016 Democratic front-runner on Monday told a federal judge that Abedin - long considered her boss's keeper and even dubbed her 'shadow' - had her own email account on Clinton's now infamous home-brewed server, 'which was used at times for government business,' Clinton acknowledged. That's an unusual arrangement, even for top brass
 at the State Department." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d159ab401c614ee9e1e8317ee614d1fe784e35f058eb08e7c764 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d159ab401c614ee9e1e8317ee614d1fe784e35f058eb08e7c764 

SEE YOU IN DES MOINES - "O'Malley to launch three-week tour of Iowa promoting new policies," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti: "In a bid to climb his way into the thick of the presidential race, Democrat Martin O'Malley will launch a three-week, more than 15-stop tour of Iowa on Friday to promote a set of new policy proposals, his campaign told POLITICO late Wednesday. The former Maryland governor - who is running behind Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in both the early-voting states and in national surveys - will unveil his collection of 15 national goals at the Des Moines Register's Iowa State Fair Soapbox, attempting to highlight his own record and to put forth the race's most
 specific proposals yet." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d15903c3f995c38c0d68d5843bcefc2b2a82aaa8a7b5b2c52b94 
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CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d15915330269d79550998cd10c7b99e4f6a6e9e2031695331439 
@SenDeanHeller  on 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d159513cb38ba45d504705e7f8844f39a298cb05d1e7e5049a85 
@MarkAmodeiNV2 : 'I&#39;m not sure whether to call him congressman or governor." - A tweet from Jon Ralston at Jeb Bush's Nevada event on Wednesday. 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b6ef639aefd9d159501f73c27dfe112b75007df4718026c30ed2976c4271484b 
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