Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: Kochs find agreement with Trump — RNC's Wynn resigns — End Citizens United touts fundraising network
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2018 09:02:26 -0600
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By Daniel Strauss | 01/29/2018 10:00 AM EDT

With 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)
 
BROTHERLY LOVE - "Kochs find areas of agreement with Trump" by Campaign Pro's Maggie Severns: "The powerful political network helmed by brothers Charles and David Koch appears to be settling into a steady - if uneasy - working relationship with the Trump White House. Koch officials were quick to praise the Trump administration on tax reform at the network's semiannual retreat here. Tim Phillips, the president of the Koch-backed nonprofit Americans for Prosperity, called the passage of the tax law late last year a 'transformative event.' ... While the Koch officials emphasized they have a direct line to the White House on immigration, they also cautioned that they won't support severely
 curtailing future immigration levels, which one official called 'arbitrary cuts' in a statement, and don't want a broader debate over immigration to derail efforts to renew the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program - which is set to expire in March, though the end of the DACA program is tied up in litigation." Full story. 
 
NETWORKING - "End Citizens United touts fundraising network" by Severns: "The pro-campaign finance reform End Citizens United PAC raised $3.5 million for candidates last year - but the group says it's having an even greater impact as a fundraising network, despite its ultimate goal of getting money out of politics. ... According to the group's analysis of three races last year, End Citizens United donors boosted Democratic candidates and, the group says, helped them counterbalance the massive sums raised and spent by super PACs and other outside groups. For example, End Citizens United raised $1.4 million for Jon Ossoff in the Georgia special House election last June. But after donating
 through End Citizens United, its members gave an additional $1.5 million to Ossoff, totaling close to $3 million and just under 10 percent of Ossoff's massive $30 million fundraising haul." Full story. 
 
WYNN RESIGNATION - "RNC finance chair Steve Wynn resigns after sexual harassment allegations" by Politico's Alex Isenstadt: "Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn on Saturday stepped down as Republican National Committee finance chairman, according to three senior Republicans briefed on the decision. ... 'Today I accepted Steve Wynn's resignation as Republican National Committee finance chair,' said RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who spoke about the Wynn situation with the president on Saturday morning, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Trump returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday evening. ... Wynn has been a prolific Republican
 donor, particularly over the past decade: He has donated more than $2.5 million to the Republican Governors Association since 2012 and has been a top donor to several individual gubernatorial campaigns." Full story.
 
GREAT AMERICA COMMITTEE - "Pence to headline Trump hotel dinner to raise money for GOP candidates" by Politico's Alex Isenstadt: "Vice President Mike Pence, looking to buttress his party ahead of what is shaping up to be a difficult midterm election season, will headline a high-dollar fundraising dinner Monday that is expected to net about $500,000 for his leadership PAC, according to an administration official. The Great America Committee event, to be held at the Trump hotel in Washington, is expected to draw a number of congressional Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, the official said.
 ... Pence also is preparing to embark on a cross-country campaign swing for GOP candidates, with more than a dozen political trips scheduled between now and April. On Friday, he will appear at a fundraiser for Pennsylvania Republican Rick Saccone, who is competing in a high-profile March special election for the House seat vacated by former Rep. Tim Murphy." Full story. 
 
Days until the 2018 election: 280
 
Upcoming election dates - Arizona 8th District special primary: Feb. 27. Texas primaries: March 6. Pennsylvania 18th District special election: March 13. Illinois primaries: March 20.
 
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. 
 
ICYMI - SPECIAL ELECTION SEASON - "National cash floods Pennsylvania House special," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "After months of shadow-boxing in the otherwise solidly Republican district, investments this week by both the DCCC and the NRCC signal the race between Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone is more competitive than recent history would suggest. The NRCC has reserved more than $1 million on ads on broadcast and cable TV stations. ....Democrats stayed out of the fray until this week, when the DCCC reserved $236,000 on TV ads for just a two-week flight, beginning next Tuesday." Full story.
 
Q4 TOTALS - CA-10: Democrat Josh Harder raised $290,000 last quarter, ending the year with just under $680,000 in cash on hand. 
 
GETTING THE NOD - EMILY's List backs two House Democratic challengers in Texas: EMILY's List endorsed two Democratic House challengers in contested primaries, Lillian Salerno and Sylvia Garcia. Salerno is running against several well-funded primary opponents, like Ed Meier and Colin Allred, both former Obama administration officials, to challenge GOP Rep. Pete Sessions. Garcia, a state senator, is running against a half-dozen primary opponents to replace retiring Rep. Gene Green.
 
RUBIO FIRES REED - "Rubio fires chief of staff for improper relations with subordinates" by POLITICO's Marc Caputo and Henry C. Jackson: "Sen. Marco Rubio has fired his chief of staff after determining he violated office policies regarding proper relations between a supervisor and subordinates. Rubio said in a statement that an investigation concluded his chief of staff Clint Reed engaged in behavior that 'in my judgement amounted to threats to withhold employment benefits.' ... Reed began working for Rubio on his presidential campaign, including his efforts ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Reed then ran Rubio's 2016 Senate campaign when he left the presidential race and reversed a decision to
 run for re-election in 2016. He replaced Albert Martinez, a longtime Rubio adviser. Jessica Fernandez, his longtime scheduler and current deputy chief of staff, will act as Rubio's interim chief of staff." Full story. 
 
CUOMO CHALLENGER - "Sources: DeFrancisco will launch gubernatorial campaign" by POLITICO New York's Jimmy Vielkind: "A Republican state senator from Syracuse is set to announce this week that he will challenge Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November, according to three people he briefed on his intentions at an annual political action conference of the Conservative Party of New York State. Sen. John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse), a 71-year-old attorney who has served in the Senate since 1993, would become the third declared candidate for the Republican nomination. Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua) and Joel Giambra, a lobbyist and former Erie County executive, have already begun
 campaigning. ... DeFrancisco is known in political circles as an articulate and potent critic of the governor, particularly regarding his economic development policies. He is deputy majority leader of the Senate's ruling Republican conference, a position of prominence in Albany." Full story. 
 
STAFFING UP - Kildee chief of staff to DCCC: Jennifer Cox is taking a leave of absence from Rep. Dan Kildee's office to be a regional political director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Cox previously served as former Rep. Ron Barber's chief of staff. Mitchell Rivard will take over as Kildee's chief of staff. Rivard, a native of Bay City, Mich., has served on the congressman's staff since he was elected in 2013, including the last three years as deputy chief of staff and communications director.
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If he made statements like we've heard at some other points, like 'with heart' and 'bill of love,' that kind of thing is helpful," - Sen. Jeff Flake to POLITICO on the importance of President Donald Trump showing compassion to DREAMers during his upcoming State of the Union address.
 
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