Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score, presented by Sinclair Broadcast Group: Trump-Pence officially nominated by GOP — But his fundraising looks troubling for the party — House Majority PAC brings in $2 million in June
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 08:02:22 -0600

By Elena Schneider | 07/20/2016 10:00 AM EDT

With Scott Bland and Kevin Robillard

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)

BACK ON TRACK? - "Trump attempts a convention reboot," by POLITICO's Shane Goldmacher: "Donald Trump's campaign attempted a reboot on Tuesday night, eager to get a rocky first day-and-a-half of the Republican National Convention behind it, as the real estate mogul officially became the Republican nominee for president. The first day of Trump's convention was dominated by internal party squabbling and punctuated with the revelation that Melania Trump's well-received speech had lifted portions from an address by Michelle Obama eight years ago. ... The evening's theme was 'make America work again' but much of the early evening's program was focused on casting Hillary Clinton as someone who
 could not be trusted. For the first time in the convention, back-to-back-to-back speakers delivered the same message." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a604158261850b5758d3c3427089a44260456195e1584dbc82d9ff56

- "Donald Trump Jr. breaks out on national stage," by POLITICO's Nick Gass and Ben Schreckinger: "Donald Trump Jr. delivered a powerful testimonial for his father on the second night of the Republican National Convention, casting him as an everyman who hasn't forgotten his Queens roots while raising his own national profile on a high-stakes night. ... Trump Jr. used the speech as a vehicle to personally vouch for his father as an executive. 'You want to know what kind of president he'll be? Let me tell you how he ran his businesses, and I know because I was there with him by his side on job sites, in conference rooms from the time I could walk,' said Trump Jr." 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a604158276770ca4b39a70aba8465c73fa53bed6102a17eb7eca8a05

CAMPAIGN FINANCE DAY - Keep an eye out today for Clinton and Trump's July FEC reports, as well as other monthly reports due. But already, the quarterly report for Trump's joint fundraising committee suggests resource trouble on the horizon for the GOP. Trump Victory transferred about $7.1 million to the Republican National Committee in June, up from about $3.1 million in May. But for comparison, Mitt Romney's JFC transferred over $27 million to the RNC in June 2012 and $25.9 million in May 2012. The RNC has run ahead of its 2012 fundraising pace for the entire election cycle - until Trump became the nominee in May. Now Trump is lagging well behind the party fundraising pace the last nominee
 set. Romney Victory ultimately transferred $142 million to the RNC during the 2012 election.

- FIRST IN SCORE - House Majority PAC raises mores than $2 million in June: The flagship Democratic super PAC has more than $13 million in cash on hand, after raising $2 million last month, per a statement from a spokesman. Back in June 2014, the group had just under $8 million in cash. "House Majority PAC continues amassing the resources needed to help expand the map for Democrats nationwide," said House Majority PAC Executive Director Alixandria Lapp.

- Senate Leadership Fund and (mostly) One Nation raised over $15.5 million in second quarter, per AP's Julie Bykowicz: "The bulk of the money, $12 million, was raised by One Nation, a nonprofit that does not have to reveal its donors and is limited in how much money it can spend on overtly political activities such as advertising. ... Senate Leadership Fund landed another $3.5 million in contributions and began July with $18 million in available cash. The fundraising totals cover April through June." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a604158292635137874bf638795aac8bd63341cb7bc276a792225baa

SENATE CHECK-IN - "McCain battles Trump's shadow in Arizona," by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer in Prescott, Ariz.: "John McCain has spoken at every Republican National Convention since 1984. Eight years ago, he was the headliner, as he accepted the party's presidential nomination. But as the first speakers took the GOP stage Monday in Cleveland, the Arizona senator was standing in a dim hotel ballroom 1,700 miles away, trying to avoid talking about Donald Trump. ... As McCain addressed a local chamber of commerce luncheon, the microphone inoperative and the room darkened after an unexpected power outage, the longtime senator still hinted at the reason why so many Republican senators facing
 tough reelection races, including himself, aren't in Cleveland this week. 'We now have two candidates for president of the United States that overwhelmingly the American people disapprove of and don't trust,' McCain said." A factor to watch: "Arizona's eligible-voter population is also more Latino than any battleground Senate state this year, and Democrats there are working furiously to register them to vote against Trump and the rest of his party." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582c4a13f79f019500404ad197e5337182d9de31028ef1b09da

- COUNTER-PROGRAMMING - While McCain and other GOP convention absentees get scrutiny and have to deal with Trump, the NRSC released a new video Tuesday looking to push Hillary Clinton's unpopularity down-ballot, hitting her party for "the many flaws that Democrat Senate candidates share with their toxic standard-bearer." The video goes one by one through Democratic candidates, tagging them with one-liners like Ohio's Ted Strickland as "coal's foe," and Illinois' Tammy Duckworth as "wrought with corruption and negligence." It ends with the question: "Wonder who they learned that from?" Watch the video here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a60415828824f059ee9061b8ec2b03236ba1f382243935400e25b557 

Days until the 2016 election: 110. Days until the Democratic National Convention: 5.

Thank for joining us. You can email tips to the whole Campaign Pro team at [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked] and [email-masked].

You can also follow us on Twitter, where we tweet a lot about campaigns and occasionally about celebs on the Daily Show: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer and @maggieseverns.

** A message from Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest and most diversified television broadcasting company in the country today, delivers not only TV, the primary medium for reaching potential voters, but also targetable digital (mobile, video, email, social media and native) ad solutions. Contact Alan Brittan @ 703-236-9673. Sinclair, busy - Making Political Ads Work! **

FIRST IN SCORE - New Ayotte ad counters on Medicare: A new ad from GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte's campaign features senior citizens testifying about Ayotte's dedication to Medicare. The ad is a response to an ad buy from EMILY's List and AFSCME accusing Ayotte of wanting to turn Medicare into a voucher program and supporting a hike in the retirement age. The ad uses a similar playbook to Ayotte's response to ads from Americans For Responsible Solutions on her gun control record: featuring local testimonials directly rebutting the attack. "When I see those false ads attacking Kelly on Medicare, I wonder: do they think that we're stupid?," one woman says in the ad. "Kelly has always done the right
 thing for seniors here in New Hampshire - she has an impeccable record," a man says. Watch the EMILY's List and AFSCME spot here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582cfafe79070d39abe6aba0d6a7675ed2d81742d5300cbbb96 And watch the Ayotte ad here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582acd70abbd439bad17264e72e9c7ed5fbaefd388944560f3f

- McGinty up with first general election ad in Pennsylvania: The Democrat has restocked her campaign account since an expensive primary and is back on the airwaves with a familiar theme: that as the ninth of ten children in a working-class family, McGinty has regular people's interests at heart. "I'll bring a different point of view to the U.S. Senate," McGinty says in the ad, after reeling off all of her siblings' names. Watch the spot here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582f65910df2a30873f992514d1a233deb665ae178dea661700

NRSC BREAKS COLORADO SILENCE - From POLITICO's Seung Min Kim in Cleveland: In the weeks since Darryl Glenn became the GOP nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said very little about their candidate. But at a briefing with reporters at the GOP convention in Cleveland, NRSC Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Executive Director Ward Baker both insisted that Senate Republicans haven't given up in Colorado, one of their few chances in 2016 to go on offense.

- "I think you know, anyone that won the primary would have very good chance against Senator Gitmo," Baker said, referring to Bennet. Republicans have accused Bennet of wanting to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Colorado. "I believe there will be a clear distinction and anyone running against Senator Gitmo will have a great opportunity to beat him." The NRSC met with Glenn last week and Baker added that the committee has had a staffer on the ground with Glenn since he won the nomination. But Baker declined to say whether the NRSC will pour resources into the race, saying: "We don't talk about internal strategy." 

SHOT - Nevada Republican Senate candidate Joe Heck (also absent from the RNC) on Trump: "Look, I don't agree with how he talks about women, how he talks about minorities-look, my wife is here, if he wants to earn my wife's vote, he needs to figure out how to talk." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a60415823cdd474d2ea7385cea00cdea775345f612174110d55cbe00 

- CHASER - NRSC executive director Ward Baker, in his 2015 memo about running alongside Trump: "Donald Trump has said some wacky things about women. Candidates shouldn't go near this ground other than to say that your wife or daughter is offended by what Trump said." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582d5ac2036483b078f92c8574bf54ebe20f27c254a0d2e6be5 

HISTORY (AND LEGAL) CORNER - Huelskamp, super PAC squabble over ag ad's historical stats: GOP Rep. Tim Huelskamp's campaign has sent a letter to local TV stations in Kansas' 1st District calling a recent super PAC ad against him "false and misleading," because it says that "for the first time in 150 years a Kansan is not included on the Ag Committee." Huelskamp got booted by ex-Speaker John Boehner in 2012, and it's become a major campaign point for Roger Marshall and allies. But the Huelskamp campaign writes that "multiple news outlets reported it has been less than 100 years," and adds that the stations may be spreading "libel."

- ESAFund, the Joe Ricketts-run super PAC that made the ad, has its own take. Its response letter says the clip in the ad "quotes Huelskamp's own words from an interview that took place on December 5, 2012." It also clarifies that the ad is specifically referring to the House committee - with a thorough review of prepositions. The letter finally adds that Huelskamp himself was quoted in a 2012 Roll Call interview, saying, "Kansas has had a seat on that committee for over 100 years." The ad in question is still on the air. Read the full documentation here: The Kansans for Huelskamp letter http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a604158236e4b249e45438690ea7aa9fb018087f80c9fd0c5a6323f6 ... And ESAFund's response 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582930cb9196952902dd0442e33b37bcd2a3788a5474c2cb2b6

ARE YOU IN CLEVELAND? EVENT ALERT: Ruin or Renewal? The Future of the Republican Party: POLITICO's Susan Glasser and Glenn Thrush are joined by top Republican thinkers Jeff Roe and Richard Tafel for a conversation about where the party is headed next. Thursday, July 21 - Doors at 2:00 p.m.; POLITICO Hub - 925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Learn more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582d9b278f200b78355b4e8c086625224ae7b2e97d8cfe21eba

A WHITE HOUSE ENDORSEMENT - "President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden intervened in California's Democrat-versus-Democrat California Senate race today, jointly endorsing state Attorney General Kamala Harris over Rep. Loretta Sanchez. 'Kamala Harris fights for us. That's why I'm so proud to endorse her for United States Senator,' Obama said in a statement. 'And if you send her to the Senate, she'll be a fearless fighter for the people of California - all the people of California - every single day.' Harris leads Sanchez by wide margins in public polling." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582858e97e8d4601ccc1fc55b8aa3ed767afb7723b2d25229aa 

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Who is running Trump's campaign?" by POLITICO's Eli Stokols: Jared Kushner "become the most powerful operative atop the campaign in the month since the candidate's children banded together and forced the ouster of Corey Lewandowski and his 'let Trump be Trump' approach. Now, Kushner is making key hires, fine-tuning and sharpening Trump's speeches and serving as the central emissary behind the scenes, meeting privately last month with Paul Ryan, having direct conversations with billionaire Sheldon Adelson and asserting influence on everything from Trump's search for a running mate - he pushed hard for Newt Gingrich, largely at Adelson's behest - to his tweets. ...
 while Kushner is working alongside Paul Manafort, a seasoned political operative three decades his senior who has been preoccupied with convention plans, there is a sense that the baby-faced billionaire is now effectively at the helm of a presidential campaign that is more of a family business than any in recent history." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a60415822c45446e826971d73898e616f4201f06fda3311c3dd7b983

- "Hillary Clinton Is Said to Seek National Security Experience for Vice Presidential Pick," by The New York Times' Amy Chozick: "Facing a fall contest against a Republican opponent focused on law and order, Hillary Clinton has narrowed her search for a vice-presidential candidate, telling several potential running mates that she needs a No. 2 who would bring national security experience to the Democratic ticket. Mrs. Clinton's shortlist includes James G. Stavridis, a retired four-star Navy admiral who served as the 16th supreme allied commander of NATO, and Senator Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She is widely expected to present
 her choice at a rally in Miami on Saturday, according to people involved with the planning who discussed private conversations on the condition of anonymity." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582d434ead73193545a641bc7e9d40b4bc0625c502293e2ec64 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Holy moly, this explains everything right now." - House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was taken aback that fans of rival Texas college football teams don't root for each other when they advance to represent the conference in a big bowl game, BuzzFeed reported. Ryan was using the football metaphor as a plea for Republican unity in the Texas delegation. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a6041582d2570b550181d6574bf6142ea2b1a84f0ce9bdfff7ab6a45

** A message from Sinclair Broadcast Group: News, opinions, and entertainment surround us 24/7, yet a fundamental truth remains, whether for competitive races or impactful ballot measures, the TV commercial reigns as the medium for reaching potential voters. TV helps strongly at the margins. Television is also the easiest way to reach undecided voters. Those passive folks who don't show up at the rallies or ask for email updates, but will be there to pull the levers on Election Day. At the Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country, we combine TV with targetable digital (mobile, video, email, social media and native) ad
 solutions, to help your messaging break through the noise. Winning is what matters. At the Sinclair Broadcast Group, we have the ad tools necessary to help you to persuade, enlighten and activate. Contact Alan Brittan, Sinclair's Director of Political Ads for more details @ 703-236-9673. **

To view online:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a604158266113074496350b1d520c8de1ceeb4af59f753a7fddc3f7b
 To change your alert settings, please go to http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e4463c08a60415822a180e674a6cb3e39dee42066430fe896048bef7d7750463 or http://click.politicoemail.com/profile_center.aspx?qs=c1c81b2ef644fde1dd3c1f6178ef6a8ea3ee660992025bd463fc62b491577dbaed26f2d66079f28fcc77f99f70380d450f9f7c7769f527e5
This email was sent to [email-masked] by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

To unsubscribe,http://www.politico.com/_unsubscribe?e=00000156-089b-d406-a3ff-e9fb44a60000&u=0000014e-f0fe-dd93-ad7f-f8fffbc40000&s=7bcde9c9e718dac3f46657dd9dcc1aefe23fd33cc286eb3a4efd286a0cb3b40bd843c4ce52605c9ad82270d367607ee9f6d95f54563d7191deb20f85920931d0