Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Angry donors close their wallets — Tim Murphy to retire in January — AFP to spend $4.5 million on tax reform
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2017 08:02:17 -0600
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By Maggie Severns | 10/05/2017 10:00 AM EDT

With Daniel Strauss, Elena Schneider and Zach Montellaro
 
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)
 
Morning Score will not publish on Monday, Oct. 9. Our next Morning Score newsletter will publish on Tuesday, Oct. 10. Please continue to follow PRO Campaigns issues here.
 
MONEY ON MY MIND - "Angry GOP donors close their wallets," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt and Gabriel Debenedetti: "Republicans are confronting a growing revolt from their top donors, who are cutting off the party in protest over its inability to get anything done. Tensions reached a boiling point at a recent dinner at the home of Los Angeles billionaire Robert Day. In full view of around two dozen guests, Thomas Wachtell, a retired oil and gas investor and party contributor, delivered an urgent message to the night's headliner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: Just do something.
 
Wachtell, who has given tens of thousands of dollars over the years to Senate Republicans, recalled that McConnell responded defensively. Passing legislation takes time, the Republican leader responded, and President Donald Trump didn't seem to understand how long it required.
 
'Anybody who was there knew that I was not happy. And I don't think anybody was happy. How could you be?' said Wachtell, who has previously given over $2,000 to McConnell but recently stopped donating to Senate GOP causes. 'You're never going to get a more sympathetic Republican than I am. But I'm sick and tired of nothing happening.'" Full story. 
 
RETIREMENT WATCH - Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Tim Murphy to retire: Murphy announced his retirement late Wednesday. He faced blowback from his own party this week after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Murphy - who is anti-abortion rights - apparently urged his mistress to have an abortion. NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) said in a statement that "while I am extremely disappointed in the circumstances surrounding Congressman Murphy's retirement, I remain confident that PA-18 will remain under Republican control next year." Full story.
 
FIRST IN SCORE - State senator to announce campaign today: State Sen. Guy Reschenthaler will launch his bid to replace Murphy today, according to a Republican source familiar with the state legislator's decision. Republicans in the state expect more candidates to jump into the race for this Republican-leaning seat in southwestern Pennsylvania. 
 
- VoteVets endorses Democrat Pam Iovino: VoteVets announced Wednesday that it will back Democrat Pam Iovino, a veteran who's one of three Democrats running to replace Murphy, per a statement from the group. 
 
THE HEAT IS ON - "AFP pressures Trump-state Democrats on tax reform," by POLITICO's Kevin Robillard: "Americans for Prosperity is spending $4.5 million on television ads to push three Democratic senators up for reelection next year to back the GOP's plan for tax reform. The group is spending $2 million to pressure Sen. Joe Donnelly in Indiana, $1.5 million to persuade Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin and $1 million to goad Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. All three senators are up for reelection in 2018 in states President Donald Trump won during the 2016 election cycle. ... The ads feature a young woman speaking direct to camera about the impact of tax cuts. 'People are sick of politics,'
 she says. 'I am too. But fixing our broken tax system isn't about politics - it's about helping people. It means the powerful, the well-connected, politicians - they'll stop benefiting from a rigged system. It means everyday Americans will have more to spend on what's important to them.'" Full story.
 
FIRST IN SCORE - Democrat Dan Haberman releases video announcing Michigan Congress run: Attorney and businessman Dan Haberman is announcing today he's running for Congress in Michigan's 11th District, which is currently held by retiring GOP Rep. Dave Trott. Haberman opens his emotional three-minute campaign video announcement by recalling a recent incident in which a bomb threat was called into his daughters' Jewish preschool. "It's crystal clear why this is happening now," Haberman says shortly before the video cuts to footage of the Charlottesville rally.
 
Haberman has not held public office before but worked in the past to push passage of a smoke-free air law in the state. The video calls out Trump's reaction to the Charlottesville rally, but Haberman also struck a bipartisan tone in an interview: "All of us - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, people who don't pay attention - we all deserve a government that functions," Haberman told Morning Score. The Cook Political Report currently rates the district as "Republican toss up." Watch the video.
 
Days until the 2017 election: 33. 
 
Days until the 2018 election: 397. 
 
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You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns. 
 
THE HEAT IS OFF - "Republican governors not sweating GOP primary turmoil," by POLITICO's Daniel Strauss: "Congressional Republicans are bracing to deal with an angry base and a wave of anti-establishment candidates inspired by Roy Moore's Alabama victory in next year's primaries. But the governors readying 2018 reelection campaigns have no such concerns. Some of them are preparing to face the same voters. But GOP operatives say that the anger those voters feel toward Washington and congressional Republicans - and especially Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - is not matched by anything simmering against state leaders broadly. ... There are still primaries on the horizon for a handful
 of the dozen Republican governors standing again in 2018. Some Illinois Republicans see an opening to challenge Gov. Bruce Rauner after he signed an abortion funding bill. And the lieutenant governors-turned-governors in South Carolina and Kansas look set to face competition for full terms, too." Full story. 
 
Q3 CAMPAIGN FINANCE -
 
- Indiana Senate: Roughly 80 percent of the $1 million state Republican Rep. Mike Braun said he raised was self funded, via the AP.
 
- Massachusetts Senate: Republican businessman John Kingston said he will pour $3 million of his own cash into his potential bid, via The Boston Herald.
 
- MI-06: Democrat Matt Longjohn raised $211,000 since launching his campaign in July, but the announcement did not list cash on hand. 
 
- MI-08: Democrat Elissa Slotkin raised $460,000 in the third quarter, per a statement from her campaign. "Slotkin has raised more in a single quarter than the incumbent Rep. Mike Bishop, or any other Democratic challenger, has previously raised in the central Michigan district," a campaign announcement said, but it did not release her cash on hand total. 
 
- VA-07: Democrat Dan Ward, a veteran who's running against GOP Rep. Dave Brat, raised $260,000 in the third quarter, along with $227,000 in cash on hand, per a statement from his campaign. 
 
- FL-27: Democratic state Rep. David Richardson raised more than $500,000 in the third quarter, with $441,000 in cash on hand, per a statement from his campaign. 
 
DAILY ROLL TIDE - "Roy Moore's Facebook page shared inflammatory memes, article praising Russia's anti-gay laws," by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski and Nathan McDermott: "The Facebook page belonging to Roy Moore, the Republican nominee for US Senate in Alabama, in February included a shared image of a group of black men standing on a destroyed police car during the 2015 Baltimore riots. Overlaying the image was text that read, 'Want to stop riots? Play the National Anthem. They'll all sit down.' The post - originally shared by Moore's wife with the caption 'I doubt it with these people-but worth a try?' - is one of many inflammatory posts shared on the Republican nominee's Facebook, which is now
 used to promote his Senate campaign." Full story.
 
STAFFING UP - Engstrom forms consulting firm: U.S. Chamber of Commerce political director Rob Engstrom has been named chief political strategist for the American Bankers Association, according to a release: "In his new role, Engstrom will oversee the critical components of ABA's political engagement operations: the Fund for Economic Growth, BankPac, grassroots and the ABA-State Association alliance ... Engstrom is forming a consulting firm that will allow him to carry out his new ABA responsibilities while also continuing to provide political direction to the U.S. Chamber."
 
CALL YOUR OFFICE - "Sen. Murphy Used Las Vegas Massacre In Fundraising Appeal," by the Hartford Courant's Russell Blair: "U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy is facing criticism for a fundraising solicitation he sent by email this week - days after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history - that directed donations to three gun violence prevention organizations but also to his own re-election campaign. ... By Wednesday morning, half a day after the email had been sent, the form no longer directed donations toward Murphy's campaign. Republicans accused Murphy, who has been an outspoken advocate of stricter gun control laws and this week said he plans to reintroduce legislation to strengthen gun
 background checks, of fundraising off of the tragedy in Las Vegas." Full story.
 
- From Heller's opponent: Danny Tarkanian, the Republican running against Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, has logged a series of radio and television appearances to talk about the shooting, including one where he promoted his forthcoming book.
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I will do something else like wave signs or march around and yell stuff or something that doesn't require registering or reports." - an excerpt from the termination report a super PAC, Kill Senate Democrats' Political Careers, filed recently with the FEC. (H/t POLITICO's Matt Dixon.) 
 
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