Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score, presented by Pandora: Rivals hope scandal sinks Vitter — NRSC eyes Kudlow in Conn. — Debate a ratings success for CNN
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 18 Sep 2015 08:05:04 -0600

By Elena Schneider | 09/18/2015 10:03AM EDT

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro's Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races - and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day's most important campaign news - sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)

TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO - "Louisiana rivals hope scandal sinks Vitter," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard:  http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=705a89a3bce456297a8dda5c04c61c7c46f8f41c6f4c13eb9a0755dfa9858783

- "Which presidential candidates are winning, losing mobile?" by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer:http://politico.pro/1FR2PpG 

A CONNECTICUT FLIRTATION - For several months, Larry Kudlow, a CNBC television host, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have courted the idea of the conservative economist challenging either Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) or Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), in states where he has houses. They appear more settled on Connecticut, as Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told POLITICO's Seung Min Kim that "a number of people are speaking to Mr. Kudlow," and he "wouldn't be the least bit surprised," if the committee had spoken to Kudlow. When asked to confirm that they had, Wicker said, "Well, let's just let that statement stand." For now, Blumenthal said "I'm not gonna comment," he said. "Right
 now, I'm focused on doing my job as a U.S. senator and not commenting on whatever there might be."

Days until the 2015 election: 46. Days until the 2016 election: 417.

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

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - STAFFING UP - Former Sen. Rick Santorum expanded his communications staff, adding Ian Patrick Hines as digital strategy director, Megan Howie as digital media advisor and Melissa Young as grassroots communications director, according to a statement from the campaign. 

TAKING HIS TIME - "Biden may not decide soon," by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere in Detroit: "Joe Biden may have more time to make up his mind about running for president than most people assume. He and the people planning his potential campaign certainly think so ... Various deadlines have been floated: End of summer, Oct. 1, the first Democratic debate on Oct. 13, the Iowa Jefferson-Jackson dinner Oct. 24. But none of these is looking like a hard deadline. Neither are any of the cutoff dates for getting his name on state ballots. People who've spoken with the vice president say he doesn't seem in any rush. Earlier in the process, Biden's staff had been insisting to some reporters that the
 'end of summer' isn't technically until Sept. 23. That's next Wednesday. No one believes at this point that'll be the cutoff." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=705a89a3bce456291ffb0f224eeb002d31752c8a056e6817cfc3b9e97e9cf63d

NOT HAPPY CAMPERS - "Walker camp complains: 'CNN had an agenda last night,'" by POLITICO's Eliza Collins: "Scott Walker's campaign is furious with what they say is CNN's agenda-driven coverage of the Wisconsin governor. ... After the debate, Walker complained that he could barely get a word in edgewise, though he managed to interject five times. "Short of tackling someone, I don't know what more I could have done," he said. "I aggressively interrupted Jake Tapper a bunch of times along the way, and short of an absolute brawl I don't know what more one can do. We jumped in, and for us its quality and not quantity." The Walker camp was not happy." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f006dd6158f2372cd567e5f22df5dc4b7bbe1e52cb25517458658f354deeb3d8

** A message from Pandora: Pandora reaches over 70 million monthly voting-age listeners who listen on average over 2 hours per day. Pandora offers scale and precision political targeting solutions to reach your target voter anytime, anywhere. **

22 MILLION - "Debate a ratings success for CNN," by POLITICO's Hadas Gold: "More than 22 million people tuned into the three-hour long primetime debate on Wednesday night. Another 4.5 million peopled tuned into the livestream online, CNN said. The network pegged its number of viewers at 22.9 million by looking at the 8:15-11:15 Eastern time window when the actual candidates were on stage debating; Nielsen rated the debate 22.6 million by looking at the full 8:00 -11:15 broadcast. That's down a bit from the 24 million viewers that tuned into Fox News' first GOP debate last month. But most observers predicted a sharper dropoff." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f006dd6158f2372c382c8119cdf97be62536bfca99ecfcd05bbd40625bf6c999

FIVE STAR PERFORMANCE - "Fiorina scores rave reviews from state party chairmen," by POLITICO's Daniel Strauss and Kyle Cheney: "An exclusive group of influential Republicans had rave reviews for Carly Fiorina's debate performance: state GOP chairmen. Fiorina was the clear winner in an informal straw poll held at a private debate-watching party in Maine Wednesday, where Republican National Committee officials and GOP leaders from nine states - including the Republican chairmen from early-voting New Hampshire and South Carolina - had gathered to share organizing and fundraising strategies." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=705a89a3bce45629d048f303e4aad0a159f5833161d86a3a649c4d539da5d200 

- "Carly Fiorina's victory lap," by POLITICO's Katie Glueck: " Republicans observed Carly Fiorina Day on Thursday, celebrating the former Hewlett-Packard CEO's standout performance at the Reagan Library debate the evening before. ... "Here's what I know," said Christopher Rants, her Iowa state chairman. "I'm going to need a bigger room. I'm going to need a bigger venue. I had three messages before 7 a.m., 'Can Carly come here?' - which is great, that's exactly what we want. We're just continuing to build the momentum." It's a dramatic shift for a campaign that muddled through a summer of slow fundraising and the indignity of getting bumped to the second-tier debate in August." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f006dd6158f2372ce0e73782d39a1ff6fd10d1531edffbc4177e318d5a834c51

RUBIO, PAUL AREN'T WITH CRUZ --"Rubio avoids Cruz's Planned Parenthood-shutdown push," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett: "Many of the Republican candidates on the debate stage Wednesday night joined in a full-throated endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz's damn-the-torpedoes strategy to defund Planned Parenthood, even if it means shutting down the federal government. But two candidates who'll soon be casting votes on the matter were noticeably silent: Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. 'I think they're just seeing the results of the last time we tried that,' Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) ... But the calculation for Rubio and, to a lesser extent, the fading Paul, isn't so straightforward. Back Cruz's play
 and they risk getting sullied by congressional ineptitude and looking less than presidential; oppose it and they potentially get tagged as squishy conservatives; not a good place to be four months before voting begins." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f006dd6158f2372c369771bbe04debf4ccc02bc0fa434e1569013a8b24a79f7e

HILLARY ON CAP HILL - "Clinton to host party for black lawmakers," by POLITICO's Lauren French: "Hillary Clinton will host a private reception for black lawmakers this Saturday during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual gala in Washington. The confab, which lawmakers were invited to by Clinton, is a telling sign of how important the black vote will be to Democratic contenders for the presidency - and gives the former secretary of state an intimate setting to pitch uncommitted lawmakers on her candidacy." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f006dd6158f2372cbdca0ca9cf2691b4cf45f845d464b2c8c972d0d4f66aa332

- Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan will endorse Clinton today at an event at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, WMUR reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=705a89a3bce456290792c9ee4785449743b066d0fa946547791e53e7fd470c80 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Everyone has the right to run for president." - Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson on Donald Trump. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=705a89a3bce45629992e0adf9c7427213efe2fc3f4f841077a15f22967e1f124

POLITICO'S WHAT WORKS D.C.: Join POLITICO Magazine for the next in their What Works series, focusing on the future of Washington, D.C. Featured speakers include: Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Delegated Deputy Secretary John King, Department of Education; Karen Mills, former administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and senior fellow at Harvard University; and more. Find out more http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9edfd8b431f7ea3c9052ef138089cadb5f35ed2f7bb00efbde1969f510adb29a and RSVP here.

DEBRIEF FRIDAY PREVIEW: Every Friday, the Agenda's Debrief catches you up on the policy conversation for the week ahead. In two minutes. This week on the Friday Preview: the Pope, China, and the Budget. Watch it here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9edfd8b431f7ea3c86c375c36de7f6d88039f72e8031e55f27347c0c674d71e0 

The newest installment of POLITICO Magazine's "What Works" series explores how Portland is intent on lessening their carbon foot print as it leads the way in passive construction in the U.S. From the outside Mayor Charlie Hales' first term might appear to have been a huge success but back home Portland residents are increasingly voicing concerns that their green city is losing its pride of place. Read more about Portland's passive house movement http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9edfd8b431f7ea3cc9c3b1c6a08127d4b4b375f9be1b58d87819ef09f13e6f1a

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