Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Parties try to change the electorate in GA-06 — First-quarter FEC deadline: Tiberi raised $1.4M — GOP looking for Cramer alternative in big North Dakota Senate race
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2017 08:11:22 -0600
List-Id: <1376319_6530715.xt.local>

By Scott Bland | 04/17/2017 10:00 AM 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)

THE CHASE - "GOTV operations heap uncertainty on Georgia special election," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider and Steven Shepard: "Beneath the din of $14 million worth of TV ads blanketing Georgia before Tuesday's special House election, Republicans and Democrats are also waging an expensive, block-by-block turnout battle that has both parties - and the pollsters trying to gauge the race - unsure of what to expect from the results. The efforts will decide not only whether Democrat Jon Ossoff and his thousands of energized volunteers can score a surprising first-round majority in the all-party primary but, assuming Ossoff does not hit 50 percent, which Republican he will face in a June
 runoff." Full story. 

- More from the Atlanta Journal Constitution: "The messaging can get eerily personal. Some Democrats in the district, which stretches from east Cobb to north DeKalb, got mailers encouraging them to prod their spouses to vote. Others were frustrated by letters from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee knocking their past voting record as merely 'average.' 'Shaming is no way to motivate and may actually be doing more harm than good in getting out the Democratic vote,' said Liz Goldsmith, a Roswell Democrat who received one of the mailers. In the last few days, hundreds of residents received hand-written postcards from as far as Wyoming from Democrats urging them to rally behind
 Ossoff, a 30-year-old former congressional aide who now runs an investigative filmmaking company." Full story.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE DEADLINE - Senate prep in the House? Besides special election candidates, only Speaker Paul Ryan and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy raised more money in the House last quarter than Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), who brought in almost $1.4 million and boosted his cash on hand to a whopping $6.3 million. Tiberi is a potential primary rival for Republican state Treasurer Josh Mandel, whose first-quarter numbers aren't out yet, in the race to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown next year.

- Tiberi isn't the only potential Senate candidate sitting on a big federal account. Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) now has over $1 million on hand, while Missouri's Ann Wagner has over $2.7 million on hand and Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema has over $2.8 million after raising another $677,000 in Q1. GOP Reps. Todd Rokita and Luke Messer of Indiana also each have over $1.5 million to their names, while Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) has $641,000 on hand after raising $322,000 in Q1 - his biggest quarter since 2014. More campaign finance below!

- ALSO ON CRAMER - "Nervous about GOP congressman, Republicans woo new North Dakota Senate candidate," by CNN's Manu Raju: "Top Republicans in Washington are privately sending this message to a GOP congressman once viewed as a top recruit in North Dakota: Don't run against Sen. Heidi Heitkamp next year. Senior Senate GOP officials have grown concerned that Rep. Kevin Cramer's penchant for controversial remarks could damage their chances ... Behind the scenes, there's a growing GOP push to woo a wealthy North Dakota state senator, Tom Campbell, who has the resources to largely self-fund a campaign against Heitkamp, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Campbell is ...
 putting together an organization with the resources that will let him run for a statewide office next year, according to Chip Englander," a political adviser to Campbell who said he will "definitely" run for either Senate or House next year. "A final decision could come within a matter of weeks." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 204.

Days until the 2018 election: 568.

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

THE GLOBAL POLITICO PODCAST: MACHIAVELLI IN THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE: Michael Anton wrote inflammatory essays backing Trump during last year's campaign. Now he's in charge of explaining Trump's keep-em-guessing foreign policy at Trump's NSC. In an exclusive interview with Susan Glasser's Global POLITICO podcast, Anton talks Syria, North Korea, Steve Bannon - and the virtues of Trump's unpredictability. Not to mention who's best dressed in the White House, and why his intellectual hero Machiavelli would approve of the president. iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher 

CAMPAIGN FINANCE 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES - The DCCC on Friday announced raising $13.2 million (nearly $4.9 million online) in March and almost $31 million in the first quarter (over $13.6 million online). The DCCC finished the month with about $16.5 million on hand. But, the NRCC had previously announced raising $15.5 million in March and $35.9 million in the first quarter.

- Senate rundown: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced Saturday that she raised almost $1.4 million in Q1 and had over $3.2 million on hand after spending $270,000, while Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) raised $553,000 and has a bit less than $2.2 million on hand. Here's how key 2018 incumbents did last quarter: Tim Kaine (D-Va.): $2.9 million raised, $5.5 million on hand - Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.): $2.8 million raised, $3 million on hand - Bob Casey (D-Pa.): $2.7 million raised, $3.8 million on hand - Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio): $2.4 million raised, $5 million on hand - Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.): $2.2 million, $2.4 million on hand - Bill Nelson (D-Fla.): $2 million raised, $3.6 million on hand -
 Jon Tester (D-Mont.): $2 million raised, $3.2 million on hand - Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.): $1.6 million raised, $2 million on hand - Stabenow: $1.4 million raised, $3.2 million on hand - Dean Heller (R-Nev.): $1.4 million raised, $2.6 million on hand - Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.): $1.4 million raised, on cash on hand announced - Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.): $1.3 million raised, $2.5 million on hand - Manchin: $553,000 raised, $2.2 million on hand.

- See our full chart of Q1 House 2018 battleground fundraising reports here. We left out the Georgia and Montana specials to keep things tighter, though Montana Republican Greg Gianforte's new report shows over $1.6 million raised in the first quarter for MT-AL.

- "Trump's reelection campaign raised $13.2 million in first quarter," by POLITICO's Kenneth P. Vogel: "Trump's reelection campaign is off to a quick start, pulling in $13.2 million through a trio of committees in the first three months of the year, while paying an unusually large staff of about 20 employees, according to records filed Friday evening with the Federal Election Commission. Nearly 80 percent of the cash raised by the three committees - Donald J. Trump for President, Trump Victory, and Trump Make America Great Again Committee - came from small donors. The Republican National Committee says it raised another $41.3 million in the first three months of the year, but as of early
 Saturday, it had yet to file its final FEC report of the quarter." Full story.

2018 WATCH, OHIO EDITION - "Can the consumer watchdog Trump loathes win an election in Ohio?" by POLITICO's Lorraine Woellert, Daniel Strauss and Ben White: "Gary Cohn gave Richard Cordray, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an ultimatum over dinner a few weeks ago: Go the easy way, or go the hard way. Cohn, President Donald Trump's top economic adviser, had heard the rumors that Cordray wanted to run for governor in Ohio. He left dinner that night thinking that they were true, according to people familiar with the meeting. So the White House decided to hold off on firing Cordray. Trump didn't want to cause a sensation that could boost his candidacy and juice his
 fundraising. ... Cordray - whose five-year term expires next July - has yet to announce his political intentions and his window for launching a gubernatorial campaign is starting to close. ... At least Cordray keeps in touch. On most Thursdays, he flies to Grove City, Ohio, where he works from home and spends time with his family."

- "... On a trip home last month, Cordray sat down with CNBC at Lilly's Kitchen Table, a neighborhood diner. He stuck to his consumer-protection script, but the interview - shirtsleeves, khakis, burgers and fries - had all the trappings of a campaign stop." Full story.

PRIMARY BATTLES - American Action Network promises $5M to defend Obamacare repeal plan backers: "American Action Network is setting aside the cash to encourage House Republicans to continue to work with House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump on Obamacare reform. The group's efforts are aimed to counteract the conservative groups attacking Republicans for supporting the GOP's first attempt at repealing Obamacare, which was scrapped last month. The Club for Growth in particular has gone after moderate Republicans who backed the law, while the Koch brothers' network has pledged to spend millions defending members from establishment attacks." Full story.

- Ricketts-linked group targets Club for Growth in GA-06, by The Hill's Lisa Hagen: "The 45 Committee - founded by GOP mega-donors Sheldon Adelson and Todd Ricketts - is hitting Republican Bob Gray in a new ad for his endorsement from the Club for Growth, which opposed the House GOP's healthcare bill that Trump embraced." Full story.

QUICK STAFF CHANGE - GOP Rep. Jim Renacci has already replaced his gubernatorial campaign manager in Ohio, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. Weston McKee, a former campaign manager for GOP Rep. Martha McSally, is coming in to replace Bryan Reed, who was announced as campaign manager last month.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ - "Christie angling for a comeback," by POLITICO's Ryan Hutchins and Josh Dawsey: "The New Jersey governor remains one of the country's most unpopular executives ... But Christie, entering into the last eight months in office, often seems happier and more focused than at any point since the Bridgegate scandal broke, several people close to him say. He is again taking on an ambitious agenda in New Jersey, trying to buttress and shape his once-enviable legacy. And he is enjoying significant influence in Trump's world, spearheading a new national anti-addiction effort, talking to the president several times per week, and recently spending much of two days in the Oval
 Office advising Trump. ... It's unclear exactly what Christie is angling for, besides attempting to repair his public standing. One person familiar with his thinking said the governor plans to 'go make some money' when he leaves office, but he's clearly eager to keep other options open, possibly in Trump's administration." Full story. 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It is true that the Democratic Party should have put more resources into that election." - Sen. Bernie Sanders, speaking about the Kansas House special election on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

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