Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Upton readies Senate bid — FEC moves toward action on Russian Facebook ads — Corker gets primary challenger
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2017 08:04:50 -0600
List-Id: <1376319_7022168.xt.local>

By Kevin Robillard | 09/15/2017 10:00 AM EDT

With Zach Montellaro and Elena Schneider
 
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)
 
NEXT MAN UPTON - "Upton takes steps toward Senate run," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss and Kevin Robillard: "Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is inching closer toward running for Senate in 2018, sounding out potential allies and donors about a race against Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow and garnering attention with a major 'Upton 2018' fundraiser at a state Republican conference next weekend. The veteran Republican has not made a final decision - according to an aide, his timetable for deciding whether to run statewide is sometime this fall - and Upton has also been the subject of retirement rumors this month after three other GOP members called it quits, including fellow Michigan Rep. Dave
 Trott. But talks about a possible Senate run have gained momentum, according to people who have spoken to Upton. ... Upton set off a new round of speculation about his intentions this week, when he invited donors to a campaign fundraiser featuring Gov. Rick Snyder and all of Michigan's Republican congressmen next weekend during the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. Republicans close to Upton said the event's purpose was to show unity within Michigan's ideologically mixed GOP delegation. Upton himself leans toward the moderate side of the delegation, with a Heritage Action vote rating of 37 percent and a Club for Growth vote score of 54 percent - the lowest among Michigan
 Republicans. ... Snyder's office did not directly respond to questions about whether the governor would support Upton if he ran for Senate." Full story. And here's the invite. 
 
NOT RUSSIAN TO CONCLUSIONS - "FEC takes first step towards action on Russian Facebook ads," by Campaign Pro's Maggie Severns: "The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to gather testimony from experts and outsiders on whether it should make new rules regulating online political advertising, a first step in response to the recent news that Russian nationals bought Facebook ads during the 2016 elections. The commissioners have been debating what to do about foreign election interference for months, and they were spurred by Facebook's recent disclosure that a Russian company had purchased $100,000 worth of ads during the election. The news provided direct evidence there
 was Russian interference in the election in the form of online advertising, which is overseen by the FEC. ... The FEC took similar steps last fall, but the effort stalled during the winter when the commission postponed - and then never rescheduled - a planned meeting on online advertising disclosure." Full story. 
 
DAILY ROLL TIDE - A Senate Leadership Fund poll from GOP pollster Jan van Lohuizen has the Alabama primary election in a dead heat. The poll has former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore at 41 percent with Sen. Luther Strange just 1 point behind with 40 percent. More from the Washington Examiner's David Drucker.
 
- "Senate candidate Roy Moore this year suggested 9/11 might have been punishment for US turning away from God," by CNN KFile's Andrew Kaczynski and Nathan McDermott: "Moore, a hardline conservative running against fellow Republican and incumbent Sen. Luther Strange in a runoff primary race, made the comments in February during a speech at the Open Door Baptist Church, a video reviewed by CNN's KFile shows. Moore, the former chief justice of Alabama, quotes verses from the Old Testament's Book of Isaiah, which have been used by some fringe elements of Christianity to suggest that the Bible prophesied the attacks. ... Later in the same speech, Moore suggested God was upset at the United
 States because 'we legitimize sodomy' and 'legitimize abortion.'" Full story. 
 
- "Roy Moore, Luther Strange agree to debate with no moderator," by AL.com's Howard Koplowitz. Full story. 
 
PRIMARY CONCERNS - "Conservative activist Andy Ogles launches U.S. Senate bid for seat held by Bob Corker," by The Tennessean's Joel Ebert and David Boucher: "'Over the past several months it has become increasingly clear that too many of our elected officials in Washington are failing our country, failing to fulfill their promises, and failing our future,' Ogles said in a news release. ... Ogles, a Tennessee native who lives in Franklin, most recently served as the head of Americans For Prosperity in Tennessee. The Koch-funded organization led the charge to successfully derail expansion of Medicaid in Tennessee, but Ogles lost a very public fight against Gov. Bill Haslam's gas tax this
 year." Full story.
 
Days until the 2017 election: 54. 
 
Days until the 2018 election: 418.
 
Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked] and [email-masked].
 
You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns. 
 
PRIMARY CONCERNS, CONT. - "Senator Kamala Harris, darling of progressives, says she'd support a Feinstein re-election bid '100 percent,'" by Carla Marinucci in Oakland, Calif.: "In a robust defense of Dianne Feinstein, her embattled Democratic colleague, Sen. Kamala Harris said Thursday that she would back the state's senior U.S. senator '100 percent' should Feinstein decide to run again in 2018, calling her a tireless fighter for 'California values.' 'I am a strong supporter of Dianne, and if she decides to run again I will be front and center in supporting her - and for lots of good reasons,' Harris told POLITICO on Thursday. 'I may not agree with her on everything. But I admire and
 respect her. ... I do strongly believe that she is one of the greatest public servants that California has had.'" Full story.
 
- Daily Kos Elections' David Nir weighs in against the possibility of a convention in the VA-10 Democratic primary: "Well, this is garbage. ... A vigorous primary will engage voters and compel all the candidates to get their campaigns operating at full capacity-a crucial shakedown test. By contrast, switching to a convention would deprive voters of a chance to make their voices heard and would (quite fairly, for once) open the local Democratic Party up to charges that the process is indeed "rigged." It would also yield a nominee who's spent months talking to just a handful of convention delegates rather than to the broader electorate, which is a recipe for producing a weak candidate (just
 ask Kansas Republicans how they felt about Ron Estes). And since a primary would be held in June, that would give the winner plenty of time to regroup for the general election campaign against Comstock. Party leaders are set to make a final decision in November, but there's only one choice that's right, both for Democrats and democracy: a primary." Full story. 
 
- "NRCC: 'No indication' White House will intervene in GOP primaries," by Kelsey Tamborrino: "There is 'no indication' that the White House will intervene in House GOP primaries, a top National Republican Congressional Committee official said on Thursday. 'Our job is to protect our members in the primary,' said Joe Pileggi, the NRCC's political director, during POLITICO's inaugural Pro policy summit. 'We have a great relationship with the White House.' ... Pileggi said the idea of Trump intervening in the House field was 'hypothetical,' adding that 'there is no indication that is happening.' He also said Trump's sinking poll numbers wouldn't hurt Republican House candidates." Full story. 
 
OL' VIRGINNY - Poll finds Northam needs to improve with voters of color: A survey released Thursday by BlackPAC and Brilliant Corners Research and Strategies found Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam was trailing Gov. Terry McAuliffe's performance with voters of color in the state. Fifty-nine percent of voters of color backed Northam, and while just 15 percent backed Republican Ed Gillespie, another 15 percent were undecided. A polling memo warns that the Democratic ticket needs to do more to encourage black voters to turn out, and specifically notes black women are trailing in vote likelihood, although Latino voters indicated they are more likely to turn out. The poll also found a majority
 of voters of color feel under attack in 2017 and also believe voting in November can send a message. Full polling memo here.
 
THE DAILY MENENDEZ - "New Jersey poll: Only 20 percent want Menendez reelection," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "Just one in five New Jerseyans believe Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez deserves reelection next year, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Menendez's approval rating is just 31 percent, with 49 percent disapproval. An even 50 percent of registered voters think Menendez, who is on trial for bribery, does not deserve reelection. That number includes 41 percent of Democrats, 61 percent of Republicans and half of independents. At the same time, voters do not want unpopular GOP Gov. Chris Christie - whose approval rating is just 16 percent, with 79 percent disapproval - to
 select Menendez's replacement if he resigns or is removed from office. Republicans are hoping to gain a Senate seat by forcing Menendez from office and allowing Christie to select a replacement. A mere 3 percent of respondents want Christie to appoint himself, 24 percent want him to appoint someone else, and 68 percent want him to wait for a new governor to make an appointment. Even a narrow majority of Republicans want to wait for a new governor to make the pick. Democrat Phil Murphy, a former ambassador and investment banker, has a healthy lead over GOP Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in the governor's race." Full story. 
 
- "Prosecutors question timing of flight reimbursements," by Politico New Jersey's Matt Friedman: "U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez did not reimburse his friend, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, for two round-trip flights on his private jet until a reporter started asking questions, according to testimony presented in federal court on Thursday. The prosecution introduced a November 1, 2012 email from Washington Post reporter Paul Kane, asking about a trip to the Dominican Republican that had surfaced in news reports just days before the senator was to stand for re-election." Full story. 
 
2018 WATCH - Susie Lee enters NV-03 race: Democrat Susie Lee, who lost a 2016 primary bid for Nevada's 4th District, is jumping into the race to replace Rep. Jacky Rosen. Lee was initially recruited to run for this seat last year, but she opted for the crowded primary in the more Democratic-leaning neighboring district. Last cycle, Lee loaned her campaign more than $650,000, and she told The Nevada Independent that she planned to once again invest in a campaign. Several Republicans are already in the race, including state Sen. Scott Hammond and and former Assemblywoman Victoria Seaman. 
 
WAY, WAY, WAY DOWN THE BALLOT - "Inside Danica Roem's Historic Campaign as a Transgender Woman in Trump's America," by Cosmopolitan's Rebecca Nelson: A profile of Danica Roem, who's running for the Virginia legislature as a Democrat and, if elected, would be the first "openly transgender person elected and seated to a state legislature." Read more here. 
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "He likes us. He likes me, anyway." - Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer presumably speaking about his relationship with Trump on a hot mic picked up by C-SPAN. 
 
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