Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Jenkins' retirement opens KS-02 seat — Outside groups pressure Democratic senators on Price, Sessions — Q&A with Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry
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Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2017 09:05:20 -0600
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By Theodoric Meyer | 01/26/2017 10:00 AM EDT

With Elena Schneider, Kevin Robillard and Scott Bland

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)

OPEN SEASON - Jenkins' retirement opens up KS-02: Rep. Lynn Jenkins' (R-Kan.) Wednesday announcement that she will retire from Congress in 2018 and will not run for governor has raised the prospect of some musical chairs among Kansas Republicans interested in coming to Congress. Names mentioned for Jenkins' 2nd District by Kansas operatives included: state Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, former Rep. Tim Huelskamp (who lost his primary in the neighboring 1st District in 2016), state Sen. Jake Laturner and state Sen. Dennis Pyle. (More on the district here.) 

- A number of GOP candidates are already considering campaigns for CIA Director Mike Pompeo's newly open seat in the 4th District. There will be an April 11 special election to fill the vacancy, but no primary - local GOP officials will select the nominee at a district convention within 25 days. Any of the candidates not selected for the special election could run in the regular 2018 primary to succeed Jenkins, if they wanted. Several Kansas operatives theorized that former Trump transition aide Alan Cobb, who's currently running to replace Pompeo, could be a candidate for Jenkins' seat if he doesn't get the nod. Full story.

UNDER PRESSURE - "NRA ratchets up pressure to confirm Sessions," by POLITICO's Maggie Severns and John Bresnahan: "The powerful National Rifle Association is jumping into the confirmation fight over Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, airing new TV ads promoting Sessions as an ally of police and friend of gun owners - and putting pressure on a handful of Democratic senators up for reelection in gun-friendly red states next year. Sessions has all the support he needs to win confirmation from the Senate majority. But the NRA and other Sessions backers are putting increasing pressure on Senate Democrats, both to pad his margin and to lay down a marker for potential political support in
 2018. The pro-gun group also plans to make Sessions' confirmation a "key vote" in its legislative scorecard grading senators' votes on guns." Full story.

- "Conservative group launching $1 million TV buy to boost Price," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: "With Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price facing stiff resistance from Democrats, a conservative group is launching a $1 million TV ad offensive accusing them of being obstructive. The organization, 45Committee, will begin airing a new commercial on Thursday hammering "DC insiders" for "playing politics" and "blocking the nominations of key cabinet secretaries like Dr. Tom Price." As it makes the charge, an image of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has been sharply critical of the nominee, flashes across the screen. ...The Price ad is slated to air nationally, and also in a trio
 of states that favored Trump in the 2016 election - Ohio Michigan, and Pennsylvania - where Democratic senators are up for reelection next year." Full story.

- "Warren defends her vote for Carson amid liberal ire," by POLITICO's Elana Schor: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, facing flak from usually supportive liberals for backing Ben Carson's bid to become HUD secretary, today defended her decision despite "serious, deep, profound concerns" about his qualifications. 'Yes, I adamantly disagree with many of the outrageous things that Dr. Carson said during his presidential campaign,' the Massachusetts Democrat wrote on Facebook. 'Yes, he is not the nominee I wanted. But "the nominee I wanted" is not the test.'" Warren is up for reelection in 2018, although she is not seen as vulnerable. Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 285.

Days until the 2018 election: 649.

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SCORE INTERVIEW - Republicans eyeing Albuquerque mayor for Senate or governor bid: New Mexico isn't a top target for Republicans in 2018, but there's one candidate some GOP operatives believe could beat Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, a Republican, has won two terms in the state's heavily Democratic capital - the second one with 69 percent of the vote. He's done so with a decidedly moderate record, including embracing policies that fit better with technocrats than Tea Party hardliners. 

- In an interview at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Washington last week, Berry said national Republicans has approached him about running in 2014 against Democratic Sen. Tom Udall, but he turned them down since he'd just been reelected the year before. He hasn't started talking about making a governor or Senate bid yet, and wants to have a "really aggressive" last year in office. But he also didn't rule it out: "Doors open and close in this business all the time, sometimes in an afternoon. So we'll have conversations," he said. More here.

GETTING IN? - Gianforte pays filing fee in race to replace Zinke: Greg Gianforte, who poured millions into his unsuccessful campaign against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana last year, plans to run for the House seat GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke is vacating to become President Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, The Associated Press reports. "GOP Chairman Jeff Essmann says the Bozeman businessman paid his $1,740 filing fee on Wednesday. Gianforte joins four other Republicans who have paid that fee to be considered in a special nominating convention," which will be held after Zinke vacates his seat. Gianforte didn't respond to the AP's requests for comment. "The four others who have paid
 the GOP's filing fee are state Sen. Ed Buttrey, former [state] Sen. Ken Miller, 2014 U.S. House candidate Drew Turiano and former state Rep. Bill Rehbein." Full story.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ - "Democrats launch scorched-earth strategy against Trump," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti: "What began as a high-minded discussion about how to position the Democratic Party against President Donald Trump appears to be nearing its conclusion. The bulk of the party has settled on a scorched-earth, not-now-not-ever model of opposition. In legislative proposals, campaign promises, donor pitches and even in some Senate hearings, Democrats have opted for a hard-line, give-no-quarter posture, a reflection of a seething party base that will have it no other way." "They were entitled to a grace period and they blew it. It's been worse than I could have imagined, the
 first few days," Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said. Full story. 

- "Trump's voter fraud example? A troubled tale with Bernhard Langer," by The New York Times' Glenn Thrush: When President Donald Trump met with House and Senate leaders at the White House on Monday, he cited evidence for his false claim that "illegals" cast three million to five million ballots: a story he said he had been told "by 'the very famous golfer, Bernhard Langer,' whom he described as a friend, according to three staff members who were in the room for the meeting. ... Ahead of and behind Mr. Langer were voters who did not look as if they should be allowed to vote, Mr. Trump said, according to the staff members - but they were nonetheless permitted to cast provisional ballots. The
 president threw out the names of Latin American countries that the voters might have come from." Full story.

- "Trump's flashy executive actions could run aground," by POLITICO's Isaac Arnsdorf, Josh Dawsey and Seung Min Kim: "President Donald Trump's team took little effort to consult with federal agency lawyers or lawmakers as they churned out executive actions this week, stoking fears the White House is creating the appearance of real momentum with flawed orders that may be unworkable, unenforceable or even illegal. The White House didn't ask State Department experts to review Trump's memorandum on the Keystone XL pipeline, even though the company that wants to build the pipeline is suing the U.S. for $15 billion, according to two people familiar with the matter.Defense Secretary James Mattis
 and CIA Director Mike Pompeo were 'blindsided' by a draft order that would require agencies to reconsider using techniques that some consider torture, according to sources with knowledge of their thinking." Full story.

- "Donald Trump's foreign business partners got VIP treatment during the inauguration," by Mother Jones' Russ Choma: "Donald Trump vowed to wall himself off from his business interests when he became president-but at least two of his wealthy foreign business partners attended his inauguration as VIPs, where they watched the swearing-in from prime seats, partied with Trump insiders, and posed for pictures with Trump's children and grandchildren. ... The wife of one of Trump's partners, Indonesian billionaire Hary Tanoesoedibjo, posted a video from inside a vehicle driving the locked-down parade route after the ceremony, as police officers stood at attention and spectators waited behind
 barricades for a glimpse of the new first family." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Sir, I have good news and bad news." - Jason Kander, responding on Twitter to someone who criticized him for voting to confirm President Donald Trump's pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos. (Kander is not a senator, after losing his challenge to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), and the Senate hasn't held a vote on DeVos yet.)

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