Subject: POLITICO's Morning Score: GOP worries Harris is ‘damaged goods’ in NC-09 as he opens door for new election — Super PACs expand their power — Progressives defend their label
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2018 09:02:56 -0600
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12/10/2018 10:00 AM EDT
        
By ZACH MONTELLARO ([email-masked]; @ZachMontellaro)

        
Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Score is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Campaigns subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here. 
          THE TOPLINES         
DOWN IN N.C. - We're getting closer to a new election in NC-09 amid allegations of election fraud committed by an independent contractor for Republican Mark Harris' campaign. "Although I was absolutely unaware of any wrongdoing, that will not prevent me from cooperating with this investigation," Harris said in video on Friday, noting that he hoped he would be certified as the winner after the investigation. "However, if this investigation finds proof of illegal activity on either side to such a level that it could have changed the outcome of the election, then I would wholeheartedly support a new election." There have been no allegations of fraud leveled at Democrat Dan McCready's campaign.

If a new election happens, Republicans are worried that Harris' chances may already be sunk. Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "Privately, national and state Republicans acknowledged that Harris, who denied in a statement Friday that he had any knowledge of illegal activity, would be a toxic candidate. Some Republicans in the state are holding out hope that Harris could be replaced on the ballot, which would require intervention from a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. But if the state board votes to rerun the election, the only way for Harris to be removed from the ballot would be if he moved out of state, according to Gerry Cohen, who formerly served as special counsel to the
 North Carolina General Assembly."

- Jens Lutz, the vice chair of the Bladen County Board of Elections and a registered Democrat, resigned from his post, citing family issues. Lutz previously had a business with McCrae Dowless, the contractor at the center of the fraud investigations, WSOC's Joe Bruno reported. 

- Harris' campaign still owes the consultancy firm that Dowless worked for $53,000 in its post-election FEC filings, per CNN's Fredreka Schouten. The New York Times also took a deep dive into Dowless' history, including his work for Democrats in the past. 

- The Charlotte Observer editorial board called for new elections with new primaries.

Good Monday morning. Also read Michael Graff's dispatch from Bladen county in POLITICO Magazine, where he takes a deep dive into the politics of the region. Email me at [email-masked] or DM me at @ZachMontellaro. 

Email the great Campaign Pro team at [email-masked], [email-masked], [email-masked] and [email-masked]. Follow them on Twitter: @PoliticoScott, @JamesArkin, @ec_schneider and @DanielStrauss4.

Days until the 2019 election: 330

Days until the 2020 election: 694
          IN THE TRENCHES         
THE FILING TAKEAWAYS - After poring over post-election FEC filings, one thing is clear: we're in the era of super PACs. POLITICO's Maggie Severns: "Super PACs aligned with House and Senate Democrats and Republicans more than quadrupled their total fundraising in the 2018 midterms compared to four years ago, a sign that campaign money and power is amassing at big outside groups that face fewer transparency rules and can be difficult for party leaders to oversee. ...

"[T]he super PAC explosion has also allowed the groups to spend more money in races without timely disclosures to voters about what they're doing. And some political insiders are concerned that the officially sanctioned super PACs could wind up fighting over funding with big-money groups that are not under party control or with scammers who raise money in the name of politics but largely pocket it themselves."

- In the potential 2020 cash dash, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is leading the field in campaign cash on hand (for non-presidential campaigns, which are still transferable), per Bloomberg's John McCormick and Bill Allison.

THE GLASS CEILING - In a year that saw historical wins for women candidates, women political operatives are still left out in the cold. Abby Livingston for POLITICO Magazine: "They frequently describe themselves as left out of the most important big picture decisions on campaigns-'they won't let us in on the sexy part of politics' is how [a] former Democratic fundraiser put it. They fret about the opportunities they've been denied on major statewide campaigns, if not presidential races. They shudder at the thought that sexism has cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions) over the course of their careers. They stew about the solid advice and creative ideas they've offered
 that have been ignored in favor of those from men. But mostly, they are mad as hell."

THE PRESIDENTIAL BIG BOARD - Some staffers have entered a holding pattern to see if Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) will run for president. The New York Times' Matt Flegenheimer and Jonathan Martin: "There are several questions Mr. O'Rourke is considering aloud, a person close to him said: Could he build a full-scale national campaign without losing the down-home feel that powered his Senate bid, when fans tracked his 254-county tour of Texas (down to the four-hour drives and late-night burger runs) on a near-constant video feed? Would a hope-and-change chorus find an audience in a primary with other Democrats - and without an easy Republican foil like Mr. Cruz?"

THE PROCESS - Nebraska Democrats voted to ditch caucuses in favor of primaries for the 2020 presidential contest, the Omaha World-Herald's Roseann Moring and Micah Mertes reported. According to the center-left Third Way (which supports primaries over caucuses), Nebraska is the fifth state to ditch caucuses for 2020, following Colorado, Idaho, Maine and Minnesota. Nine states (as of now) still use caucuses to pick the Democratic nominee.

THE MOVEMENT - Progressives are worried that their brand is becoming diluted. POLITICO's David Siders: "Leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are discussing policy platforms that could serve as a litmus test for presidential contenders. Progressive donors, meanwhile, are plotting steps - ranging from closer engagement with campaigns to ultimatums tied to fundraising - to ensure that 'Medicare for All,' debt-free college and a non-militaristic foreign policy, among other causes, remain at the center of the upcoming campaign. In an effort to winnow the burgeoning field, progressive advocacy groups are beginning to poll supporters in the hopes of elevating candidates who gain the
 imprimatur of the left."

- And liberal groups are fired up in Wisconsin and Michigan after a series of power grabs by Republicans. Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "Liberal groups in both states are organizing demonstrations filling the capitols in both states ... Local chapters of Indivisible, the national 'resistance' group founded after President Donald Trump's 2016 win, reactivated their members weeks after the election to protest the legislation, while MoveOn.org has texted members in key Wisconsin state Senate districts urging them to contact Republican politicians to complain. And Wisconsin Gov.-elect Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Democratic Party have raked in money with online fundraising appeals highlighting
 the fight over the past two weeks."

STAFFING UP - Scott Fairchild will be the next executive director of the DSCC, per Campaign Pro's James Arkin.

- Nick Ayers, who was widely reported to be the White House chief of staff in waiting, will not take over that role and is instead expected to head to a pro-Trump outside group, POLITICO's Andrew Restuccia reported.

THE NEW HOUSE MINORITY - House Republicans who lost their reelection bids were typically more moderate than those who won. Pew Research Center's Bradley Jones: "Among the Republican House incumbents who lost their re-election campaigns, 23 of 30 were more moderate than the median Republican in the chamber."

GETTING IT OUT OF THE WAY? - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), team player? A still-bearded Cruz endorsed fellow Texan Sen. John Cornyn for re-election in a video Friday. The pair have a history of not endorsing each other, The Texas Tribune's Abby and Patrick Svitek report (Cornyn did ultimately back Cruz during the midterms).

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I have a feeling I will," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) responding to a New Hampshire politician telling him to come back soon, via The New York Times.
    
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