Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Vulnerable Republicans press to move legislation — Ayotte reserves fall airtime — New recruit in MI-08
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 06 Jul 2016 08:02:14 -0600

By Theodoric Meyer | 07/06/2016 10:00 AM EDT

With Kevin Robillard, Elena Schneider, Maggie Severns and Matt Dixon

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)

CRUNCH TIME - "Vulnerable Republicans try to avoid heading home for the summer empty-handed," by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030a16b468d92315e4d8bb8c31789fd5ab23829dafd642f30226

- POLITICO's Seung Min Kim has a closer look at Sen. Pat Toomey's push to cut federal funding for so-called "sanctuary cities": http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa21cbb82314a96c4b7896be86d500ee48779bcff2de7582e8d24ad9f394307d

SERVER FEVER - Down-ballot Republicans go after Clinton on emails: House and Senate Republicans in competitive races didn't spend time trying to tie their Democratic opponents to Hillary Clinton after FBI Director James Comey said Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified information over a private email server while Secretary of State. Instead, they went after Clinton directly. Carlos Beruff, who's running against GOP Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida, called for a special prosecutor, adding that Clinton's emails should "disqualify her from being president." GOP Rep. Charles Boustany, who's running for a Senate seat from Louisiana, went even further, calling for Clinton
 to withdraw from the race. And GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told reporters that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs, "could look into the FBI's decision not to recommend criminal charges in Hillary Clinton's handling of classified material while secretary of state."

FIRST IN SCORE - Ayotte reserves $7 million in TV time: GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire has reserved $7 million worth of TV time for the summer and fall, plus another $2 million on digital platforms. The buy starts Wednesday and stretches until Election Day and includes the markets of Boston; Manchester, N.H.; Burlington, Vt.; and Portland, Maine. (The latter two are noteworthy: Republican buys don't always include Burlington and Portland.) The $2 million in digital ads is through the Victory Engine Audience Network, which includes Facebook, Google, Twitter and Snapchat.

Days until the 2016 election: 125. Days until the Republican National Convention: 12.

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DOWN THE BALLOT - "Democrats bet the House on Trump," by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere: The DCCC is "preparing to go up on television in districts earlier than in any previous cycle with an ad campaign designed to buttress the Trump-centric messaging guidance that's already emanating from Washington - all built around a 'party over country'-themed plan of attack for the fall. The hope is that a combination of Democrats riled up by Trump, moderate Republicans and independents turned off to the party brand, and disaffected Republicans staying home will accelerate blue shifts in marginal districts to start their long road back to the majority." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa21cbb82314a96c83a8ae3e518b5b924bbbc0eb86d37e3b418abd72d09c47aa

CASH HUSTLE - "Portman rakes in $4 million in second quarter," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett: "Ohio Sen. Rob Portman raised $3.8 million in the second quarter of this year, putting him on pace to fund a bruising ad campaign in his race against former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, according to Portman campaign aides. The GOP senator ends June with more than $13 million on hand. Of the $3.8 million Portman raised this spring, about $1 million will go to the Ohio Republican Party and the rest toward his campaign. Much of Portman's fundraising will go toward his massive planned $15 million ad campaign in Ohio this fall aimed at attacking Strickland and blunting any down-ticket drag from
 Donald Trump. Polls suggest the race is essentially tied." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa21cbb82314a96c7e689ece42812c3b479cb97ea4aea5faa5d926f848e7f52b

- Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard reported first this morning that Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold raised $4.1 million in the second quarter.

FIRST IN SCORE - One Nation out with new TV ads in four states: One Nation, the nonprofit with ties to the Senate Republican leadership, is wrapping up a $16 million buy with a slew of new ads. In Pennsylvania, the group is praising Sen. Pat Toomey for his legislation to keep criminals from working in schools. In Ohio, the group is focusing on Sen. Rob Portman's efforts to repeal Obamacare. New Hampshire gets a spot applauding Sen. Kelly Ayotte's work on a bill to fight opioid and heroin addiction. And Nevada voters will see an ad linking Rep. Joe Heck to Gov. Brian Sandoval and thanking them for bringing high-tech jobs to the state. All the ads will air for 10 days. Watch the Toomey ad: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030acc5fa97a18a26442a969f19b276b74692749d4dfa0fd4919 Watch the Portman ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030ac91164e111c809607dee15f3fc45649023dbb1b62ba0f432 Watch the Ayotte ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030aaa06b983f8fe5adc65c1a5ef6943817045ec7804cf567961 Watch the Heck ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030aaac6c6cfa212557dd8757601a31ec8fc1604aeb125d680d1

AIR ASSAULT - U.S. Chamber releases new ad attacking Masto on Obamacare: After making up the bread and butter of Republican attacks for three cycles, Obamacare's had a quiet 2016 cycle. But the Chamber of Commerce is out with a new ad that puts President Barack Obama's health care law at the center of their critique of Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada. The ad twice features a clip of Masto saying she would've voted for the Affordable Care Act. "We can't trust her in the Senate," the narrator concludes after ticking off a litany of statistics outlining the law's evils. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030a59329d97058941198122590d2556cd69a233a2b2ae3afc03

- Beruff's new TV ad continues anti-Washington theme: Carlos Beruff, the only Republican who didn't drop out of the Florida Senate race when GOP Sen. Marco Rubio announced he'd run for reelection after all, is out with a new TV ad that continues his campaign theme of hammering Washington and "career politicians." "The folks in Washington have it all figured out," Beruff says in the 30-second spot. "They're going to make your choices and run your life." He also hits on the hot-button issue of transgender people using public bathrooms. The Obama administration issued guidance requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender
 identity, a move that angered many conservatives. "Obama may not have ISIS under control, but he has the toilets taken care of," Beruff says in the ad. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030ab3c0242892c3857127117d2887f35e72c3991316d1ea30f1

- New Gregg ad hits Pence for Carrier layoffs: A new TV ad from Democrat John Gregg's Indiana gubernatorial campaign attacks GOP Gov. Mike Pence for failing to stop a Carrier plant in his state from shutting down and moving jobs to Mexico. The 30-second ad opens with footage of the meeting in which Carrier employees learned their jobs were being sent to Monterrey, Mexico. "These workers just learned their jobs were going to Mexico. Their governor was asleep at the switch," a narrator says as the image shifts to a grainy image of Pence. The layoffs at Carrier, a company that manufactures air conditioning systems, have become major political fodder, with both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders
 invoking them on the stump. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030ac075b6f840908e2549a6d88563c1db4308a190265d225cac

- Hassan debuts new TV ad on economy: Democratic New Hampshire Gov. Maggie is out with a new ad focusing on her role in helping small businesses and tech companies in the state. "In New Hampshire, the innovation that creates jobs is a spark: igniting the imagination, illuminating a new idea," Hassan says in the ad, explaining how she froze university tuition in the state, lowered community college tuition and created a state program to incubate small businesses. The ad is backed by a roughly $500,000 buy over the next two weeks, according to a media-tracking source, including about $408,000 on Boston broadcast, about $90,000 on New Hampshire broadcast and $94,000 on cable. Watch the ad: 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030a7d4516dce4c6debae3c2346f32f907cb288bf073e7eadc14

- Greitens releases second TV ad in Missouri: Missouri gubernatorial candidate Eric Greitens' newest ad is one part politics, one part "Rocky"-style training montage featuring the former Navy SEAL doing pushups and flipping tractor tires at a boxing gym. "Eric Greitens is ready to fight the career politicians and special interests for good jobs, less government, lower taxes, and the sanctity of life and the second amendment," the ad's narrator says. Greitens throws punches at practice equipment then faces the camera to deliver the last line of the 30-second spot: "They'll never know what hit 'em," he says. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030a6400afa8a8756e5e0a06561db31469def5452b39d696eb2f

- Walkinshaw ad touts him as "Trump's worst nightmare" in WA-07: State Rep. Brady Walkinshaw, one of several Democrats running to replace retiring Rep. Jim McDermott in a liberal Seattle district, is out with his first TV ad. "He is gay, he is Latino, he is Trump's worst nightmare," says one woman in the upbeat spot. The ad is running on cable this week and will hit broadcast TV next week. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030ae2a3765c3a0effc07f348bbe4ffb4fc2133172a983343a1a

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Hillary Clinton's mixed blessings," by Annie Karni in Charlotte, N.C.: "Hillary Clinton for months had been desperate for the FBI to wrap up its investigation of her State Department email use, hoping to remove the threat of criminal charges that has hung over her campaign since Day One. But when that cloud finally lifted Tuesday morning - in an announcement that took Clinton and her campaign by surprise - the timing was fraught with political risk. Just hours before she boarded Air Force One with President Barack Obama for the biggest rally of her campaign, FBI Director James Comey said his agency would not recommend charges against Clinton. But in his remarks,
 he attached the tag of 'extremely careless' to the woman trying to present herself as the steady hand in the race against 'reckless' Donald Trump." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa21cbb82314a96c1956cdc8d3b48435ec8b4e0a2d2b9d0e6e07e52000db3e16

- "GOP foreign policy elites flock to Clinton," by POLITICO's Michael Crowley and Alex Isenstadt: "Two weeks before he hopes to consolidate his party at the Republican convention in Cleveland, Donald Trump is driving Republican foreign policy elites into the arms of Hillary Clinton, as several more Reagan and Bush administration veterans say they not only oppose Trump but will likely vote for Clinton this fall. Two former senior officials from the George W. Bush administration tell POLITICO that they will cast a ballot for Clinton over Trump. They are Stephen Krasner, a Stanford University professor who served as the State Department's director of policy planning from 2005 to 2007, and
 David Gordon, a senior adviser at the Eurasia Group who was Krasner's successor in that post, which provides strategic thinking." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa21cbb82314a96c31cbbdb15828bf2b9f970fecba334c1ead2b321ae77d9ee7

- "If Clinton wins, Thomas Perez does, too. Only question: What job does he get?" by The Washington Post's Mary Jordan: Labor Secretary Thomas Perez "has quietly gained stature in the Obama administration and is widely expected to hold a top job in a Hillary Clinton administration. ... Perez, the Spanish-speaking son of Dominican immigrants, is the least-known name on a list of vice-presidential contenders that includes Sens. Timothy M. Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.). But he is increasingly showing up on television and in swing states to stump for Clinton." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fa21cbb82314a96cff6aeca6380d910b10c3382fddb7e31f30fbb0b3cbc24a4e

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Any president is going to need extremely good advisers." - GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, responding to a question about whether he was confident Donald Trump had the judgment to conduct foreign policy. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0d6f1dab3652030a587bf1c031c44ad79e1656a5c9cd8f3b7db72a5fc588af26

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