Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Health care vote looms after Trump demand — GOP super PAC pumps another $1.1 million into Georgia special — GA-06 Republicans divided on health care too
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2017 08:08:00 -0600
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By Scott Bland and Elena Schneider | 03/24/2017 10:00 AM EDT

With 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)

HAPPENING TODAY - "President Donald Trump is demanding a vote Friday in the House on the Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said," via POLITICO's Rachael Bade, Kyle Cheney and Josh Dawsey. "If the bill fails, Trump is prepared to move on and leave Obamacare in place, Mulvaney said." More here.

DOUBLE DOUBLE - "GOP super PAC puts $1.1 million more into Georgia special," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "Congressional Leadership Fund is doubling its ad spending in the special election to replace Trump Cabinet secretary Tom Price in Congress, pouring $1.1 million into new attacks linking Democrat Jon Ossoff to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. ... [T]he GOP super PAC hopes the message and the money will weaken Ossoff, who has enjoyed a big advertising advantage with just weeks to go until the April 18 all-party primary, which will be followed by a top-two runoff if no candidate gets a majority. 'Jon Ossoff tried to fool you by inflating his resume,' the CLF ad's narrator says.
 'Now, he's using dishonest ads to hide his liberal values. The truth is Nancy Pelosi's friends are bankrolling Ossoff's campaign because Ossoff will rubber-stamp her liberal agenda.'" Full story.

HEALTH CARE POLITICS - "In Tom Price's backyard, a Republican split over health plan," by the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Greg Bluestein: "Several of the top Republicans in the April 18 special election to succeed Price, Donald Trump's health secretary, say the plan needs broader changes before they can accept it. Others, including those running as Trump loyalists, say they would vote for it in a flash. The rift offers a peek into the Republican hand-wringing over health care ..."

- Bob Gray (running pro-Trump but also endorsed by the Club for Growth, which opposes the bill) and Bruce LeVell (the Trump campaign's diversity coalition leader) are yeses. Former state Sen. Judson Hill and businessman David Abroms are currently noes. Read more here.

- NVM - Congressional Leadership Fund cancels IA-03 spending plans after Young's health care decision, via the Wall Street Journal's Reid Epstein: The GOP leadership-aligned super PAC "is pulling staff from and closing an office it opened last month in Iowa Rep. David Young's Des Moines-based district" after Young announced he would vote against the GOP health care bill. "CLF spent $1.9 million to back Mr. Young during the 2016 election cycle. 'CLF will be terminating our lease because David Young has decided not to support President Trump and House leadership,' CLF executive director Corry Bliss said. 'At this time the Congressional Leadership Fund has no plans to spend any money for David
 Young this cycle but we wish him the best of luck.'" Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 229.

Days until the 2018 election: 593.

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

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin and @danielstrauss4. 

SPECIAL AD - Tommy Pope debuts first ad in SC-05: GOP state Rep. Tommy Pope is out with the first ad of the special election to replace OMB Director Mick Mulvaney in the House. The 30-second ad emphasizes Pope's work as a police officer and prosecutor and says he'll work to defeat ISIS and get more resources for law enforcement. "I'm not going to Washington for a career," Pope says. "I'm going to get the job done." Watch the ad here. 

THE GLOBAL POLITICO PODCAST: The Man Who Would Beat Bibi: Donald Trump wants to team up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the deal of the century between Israel and the Palestinians. But what if a Trumpian TV star-turned-politician named Yair Lapid gets Netanyahu first? Lapid, beating Netanyahu in poll after poll these days, is our guest this week on a special Israel-focused edition of The Global POLITICO with Susan Glasser. Listen and subscribe on iTunes. 

ONE OPEN SEAT CREATING ANOTHER? - With Salazar a no, "Perlmutter says 'chances are very good' he'll run for Colorado governor, via the Denver Post's Mark K. Matthews: Democratic "strategists said they expect [Perlmutter] soon will declare his candidacy. Former state treasurer Cary Kennedy said she is seriously considering launching a campaign to replace Gov. John Hickenlooper, and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis of Boulder said he has not ruled it out. ... Perlmutter said in an interview that Salazar's announcement was unexpected even though the two men had talked about the 2018 contest. 'He's a good friend. He would have been a heck of a governor, and he's been encouraging me to take a look at this
 race and I'm doing that very seriously.'" Full story.

'HOW ABOUT NO, SCOTT' - Casey opposes Gorsuch and will support filibuster, via the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tamari: "In a call with reporters Thursday morning, Casey said he will vote against Gorsuch's confirmation and, perhaps more critically, will also vote to sustain a Democratic filibuster - the procedural hurdle that would require the nominee to secure 60 Senate votes for his confirmation to move ahead." Republicans assailed Casey for siding with "the far left." Full story.

SPECIAL FUNDS - CA-34 Democrats file pre-special primary FEC reports: Attorney Robert Lee Ahn led the fundraising pack with over $633,000, including over $300,000 in candidate contributions. Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez raised over $244,000 and has slightly more cash on hand (nearly $275,000) left than Ahn. Teacher and nonprofit founder Sara Hernandez raised $230,000 and has $141,000 left. All three of them spent over $100,000 more than the other candidates.

- Former Obama staffer Alejandra Campoverdi raised $156,000 and has $123,000 left; activist and nonprofit founder Maria Cabildo raised $130,000 and has $100,000 left; former L.A. school board member Yolie Flores raised $128,000 and has $55,000 left; former Bernie Sanders deputy political director Arturo Carmona raised $112,000 and has $46,000 left.

HEADING TO THE COURTROOM - Hunter under criminal investigation for alleged campaign finance violations," by POLITICO's John Bresnahan: "Rep. Duncan Hunter is under criminal investigation by the Justice Department over alleged campaign finance violations, the House Ethics Committee announced Thursday. The California Republican spent tens of thousands of dollars worth of campaign funds on items that appear to be personal in nature during 2015 and 2016, according to records from Hunter's campaign - a potential violation of House rules and federal law. The funds were spent on groceries and outdoor equipment, a dentist, nail salon and a utility company, as well as on a hotel in Italy and at the
 Arizona Grand Resort." Full story. 

CLOUD THAT WON'T LIFT - "The Bathroom Bill That Ate North Carolina," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider in POLITICO Magazine: "In November, voters had their say on HB2-and the message they sent was ... not at all clear. ... [D]espite the polls, despite Cooper's commitment to tossing out the law, despite the Republican leadership's willingness to cut a deal, despite the unrelenting pressure from the business community, HB2 is still there. And after months of abandoned compromises to address the law, it's become harder to distinguish good-faith efforts from political theater." Full story.

CAMPAIGN EMAIL OF THE DAY - "Confirmed: Obama spied on Trump," via the NRCC: House Republicans used House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes' revelation that some Trump transition communications may have "incidentally" been picked up (by U.S. agencies targeting foreign intelligence) as vindication for Trump's unsubstantiated claim that former President Barack Obama ordered his phone tapped.

CORRECTION - In yesterday's Score, we misstated Brett Field's previous job. He served as an NRCC regional digital director. 

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ - "Delayed vote a setback for Trump the dealmaker," by POLITICO's Shane Goldmacher, Josh Dawsey and Tara Palmeri: "'The closer,' it turns out, needs extra innings.The final straw for a Thursday deal was a lengthy White House meeting between Trump, his top lieutenants and the hardliner House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservatives who have pushed to strip requirements that insurance companies provide standard benefits such as maternity care in coverage plans. They couldn't reach a deal, forcing the White House into a one-by-one effort to turn votes." Full story.

- "Gorsuch's supporters and critics make last-ditch pleas," by POLITICO's Seung Min Kim and Josh Gerstein: "Gorsuch went through nearly 20 hours of questioning by members of the committee earlier this week, and emerged largely unscathed despite tough questioning from Democrats. The committee plans to vote on advancing his nomination April 3, and Republican leaders have vowed to get Gorsuch confirmed before senators leave for the Easter break that begins April 8 ... Outside of the Hart hearing room, the confirmation wars escalated in earnest when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) confirmed that Democrats would mount a filibuster of Gorsuch's nomination." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Last week I was going to run a team, this week I going to apparently run for Senate, and next week I'll be an astronaut." - Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, shooting down rumors of a future political career, via Fox Sports.

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