Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score, presented by MarketPredict: DCCC adds 3 Democratic challengers to ‘Red to Blue’ list — Patriot Majority USA releases polls in 12 House districts — A third poll shows Morrisey and Jenkins battling, with Blankenship behind
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2018 08:05:53 -0600
List-Id: <1376319.xt.local>

By Elena Schneider | 04/26/2018 10:00 AM EDT

With Zach Montellaro and Daniel Strauss
 
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)
 
FIRST IN SCORE - DCCC adds 3 Democratic challengers to 'Red to Blue' list: The DCCC announced three more candidates were joining its "Red to Blue" program, a top-tier race designation. Sean Casten (IL-06), Dan Feehan (MN-01) and Steven Horsford (NV-04) will all be added, bringing the total number of "Red to Blue" candidates to 41. The DCCC is weighing in on two more ongoing Democratic primaries. In Nevada, Horsford, a former congressman, is running against a handful of opponents for Rep. Ruben Kihuen's seat. Feehan picked up the state party's endorsement last weekend. Casten won a contested primary to take on Republican Rep. Peter Roskam in the Chicago suburbs. 
 
FIRST IN SCORE- Patriot Majority USA releases polls in 12 House districts: Patriot Majority USA, a Democratic outside group, is out with a dozen polls in second-tier, "deep-red" House districts across the country, per a statement from the group. In half of those districts, Trump's disapproval rating is at or above 50 percent (FL-16, IL-13, IL-14, MI-08, NJ-03, OH-01). In head-to-head matchups, Democratic challengers are trailing the Republican incumbents, but the margins are in the single-digits. Reps. Tom MacArthur (NJ-03) and Steve Chabot (OH-01) both lead their Democratic challengers, Andy Kim and Aftab Pureval, respectively, by 1 point. The other six polled districts are: AR-02, IL-12,
 NC-09, NC-13, VA-02, and WA-05. Check out the polling memo here.
 
THREE'S COMPANY - A third W.Va. poll shows Morrisey and Jenkins battling, with Blankenship behind: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's campaign released a new internal Public Opinions Strategies poll showing him and Rep. Evan Jenkins locked in a tight race, 28 percent to 26 percent, for the GOP Senate nomination. Don Blankenship trails at 15 percent - the third time that's happened in three publicly released polls, though he is not completely out of striking distance.
 
- Meanwhile, the pro-Morrisey 35th PAC has ramped up spending recently, bringing its total outlay to over $780,000 on TV, digital and mail to support the state attorney general, according to FEC filings. The Senate Conservatives Fund has spent almost $32,000 in support of Morrisey.
 
- MORE FROM WEST VIRGINIA - "Don Blankenship, West Virginia Candidate, Lives Near Las Vegas and Mulled Chinese Citizenship," by The New York Times' Trip Gabriel and Stephanie Saul: "He is the only candidate in either party in the Senate race who has not disclosed his personal finances as required by law to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. There isn't 'much of a penalty' for flouting the law, he explained in an interview, justifying his refusal. 'I don't personally think anybody should have to disclose private information,' he said while awaiting the start of a 'meet the candidates' event last week in Cabin Creek, W.Va." Full story.
 
- Plus, here's Blankenship's response to attack ads from Mountain Families PAC, which has ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: "Mr. Blankenship brought up Mr. McConnell's marriage to Elaine Chao, the secretary of transportation, and questioned whether the majority leader faced a conflict of interest in foreign relations. Ms. Chao's father is 'a wealthy Chinaperson,' Mr. Blankenship said, speaking on a West Virginia radio show, adding, 'And there's a lot of connections to some of the brass, if you will, in China.'"
 
ONE TO WATCH - Mystery Arizona super PAC has big-ticket donors: A super PAC formed in February called DefendArizona has not revealed plans for what it might do during the midterms. But there are signs it could become a player in the state: GOP donor and activist Randy Kendrick contributed $100,000 to the new group in late March. DefendArizona had $220,000 in the bank in its recent quarterly filing with the FEC. Former Intel CEO Craig Barrett, who contributed $20,000, and Paul Baker of Tuscon, Ariz., were the only other two donors. An aide for Barrett said only that his donation was part of a match and declined to comment further; the other two donors did not return interview requests.
 National GOP operative Benjamin Ottenhoff is listed as the group's treasurer. See the filings here.
 
MONTANA DISPATCHES - "Tester leans on public lands as key reelection issue," by Kevin Robillard: "The issue that could prove key to Democratic Sen. Jon Tester's reelection bid is under the radar in Washington politics but practically ever-present in Montana life. Nearly a third of the land in Montana is under federal government ownership, and Tester wants to keep it that way. It's a way the Democratic senator, who is running for a third term, hopes to keep voters who pulled the lever for President Donald Trump - including hunters, hikers, snowmobilers and ranchers - on his side in 2018." Full story. 
 
- "Online sales tax becomes issue in Montana Senate race," by Pro Tax's Bernie Becker: "A leading GOP Senate candidate in Montana is under attack for once supporting a sales tax in the state. The Montana Democratic Party released a new website Wednesday detailing Russell Fagg's record on the issue, including his onetime support for a 4 percent sales tax and a radio interview this year in which he said he could support an online sales tax." Full story.
 
Days until the 2018 election: 194 
 
Upcoming election dates - Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and West Virginia primaries: May 8 - Idaho, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Oregon primaries: May 15 - Arkansas, Georgia and Kentucky primaries, plus Texas primary runoffs: May 22.
 
Upcoming filing deadlines - Florida: May 4 - Massachusetts: May 8 - Washington: May 18 - Arizona: May 30.
 
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STAGING A COMEBACK - "Chafee will 'very likely' challenge Whitehouse for US Senate," by WPRI's Kim Kalunian, Shaun Towne and Ted Nesi: "Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee says he is 'very likely' to enter the Democratic primary against the man who defeated him for the same seat 12 years ago, Sheldon Whitehouse, Eyewitness News has confirmed. Chafee, 65, said Whitehouse's lukewarm job approval rating in the exclusive WPRI 12/Roger Williams University poll last month has influenced him, along with the urging of some Bernie Sanders supporters, who he said first approached him a few months ago." Full story.
 
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ON THE AIRWAVES - FIRST IN SCORE - Cervantes releases TV ad in New Mexico governor's race: State Sen. Joe Cervantes is out with his first TV ad in the crowded Democratic primary for New Mexico governor. The positive bio spot with the ad's narrator saying that Cervantes will "fight for working families, better schools, safer neighborhoods and a fair economy with a strong middle class." The ad is part of a six-figure buy, airing statewide on broadcast and cable stations. Watch the ad here. 
 
- Walters launches first TV ad in CA-45: Republican Rep. Mimi Walters released her first TV ad on Wednesday, featuring a survivor of a violent assault praising the congresswoman for "giving a voice to the voiceless." Watch the ad here. 
 
- Manning up with first TV ad in NC-13: Democrat Kathy Manning released her first TV ad, a positive bio spot that features her work "with a local charity to help people who lost their jobs during the recession." Watch the ad here.
 
- Heitkamp pops first TV ad: Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp's reelection campaign is rolling out its first campaign ad of the 2018 cycle. The 60-second ad, "Laundry," is set to run statewide. The ad is a biographical spot of Heitkamp's childhood featuring the senator's siblings. The campaign is spending six figures on broadcast and five figures on digital on the ad. Watch it here. 
 
- Rosen releases positive TV spot in Nevada: Rep. Jacky Rosen, who's challenging Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, said she "remembers counting up tips at the end of my shift," which is why she thinks it's a "problem" that Washington "[doesn't] respect your money" and "that's why I run my office as efficiently as possible." The ad is airing statewide. Watch the ad here. 
 
POLLING DATA - Cisneros releases internal polling memo in CA-39: Democrat Gil Cisneros released a poll on the crowded all-party primary in the open southern California seat, showing the first-time candidate leading the field. Cisneros has 19 percent, followed by Republican Shawn Nelson with 13 percent, Republican Bob Huff with 12 percent and Republican Young Kim with 11 percent. Democrat Andy Thorburn has 10 percent. Check out the full polling memo here. 
 
 PAGING TOM STEYER - "Harry Reid says Trump is damaging the country but warns against impeachment," by NBC News' Heidi Przybyla: For Democrats who "are publicly pushing to remove the president from office, Reid has a message: 'I say to everybody, stop it.'" Full story.
 
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS - "In a first, bankers back Tester, Budd reelection," by Pro Financial Services' Zachary Warmbrodt: "The American Bankers Association is putting its weight behind the reelection of Sen. Jon Tester, a vulnerable Montana Democrat who was a key player behind a wide-ranging bank deregulation bill moving through Congress. The trade group representing thousands of U.S. banks will begin running television ads supporting Tester in his home state Wednesday. The organization is also launching ads backing Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), a member of the House Financial Services Committee who has supported the banking industry and defied intense lobbying by retailers in the banks' fight to
 repeal caps on debit card fees." Full story.
 
MONEY CHASE - "The Republican frontrunner in the race for Paul Ryan's House seat just raised a ton of cash in his first week on the trail" by CNBC's Brian Schwartz: "The Republican frontrunner in the race to fill House Speaker Paul Ryan's seat in Wisconsin's 1st District raised more than $250,000 during the first week of his campaign. Bryan Steil, who used to work as Ryan's legislative aide, announced the rapid fundraising haul in an email to supporters. 'We came out of the gates hard,' Steil said in the email. 'In just one week, we have raised over $250,000 and received an outpouring of support from across the district that is incredibly encouraging. We are just getting started.'" Full
 story.
 
ON TAX REFORM - Fischer campaign goes after Raybould on tax reform: Sen. Deb Fischer's campaign released a statement attacking Democrat Jan Raybould for "[avoiding] taking clear positions to play both sides" on tax reform. In a TV interview with News Channel Nebraska, Raybould refuses several times to say whether she would have voted for the GOP tax bill. 
 
STAFFING UP - Cuomo hires Lis Smith: Gov. Andrew Cuomo's reelection campaign and the New York Democratic Party has brought on Democratic operative Lis Smith to do rapid response. Smith is a veteran of a number of major Democratic campaign, including Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's presidential campaign. 
 
CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought." - Kanye West on Twitter. Sure. 
 
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