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By Elena Schneider | 02/26/2016 10:00 AM EDT


With Kevin Robillard and Theodoric Meyer

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)

LAST STAND - "Rubio, Cruz throw it all at Trump," by POLITICO's Katie Glueck in Houston for the last debate before Super Tuesday: "Fraud lawsuits against Trump University. Donations to Democrats. Hiring undocumented immigrants. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz came to Thursday night's debate armed with an avalanche of opposition research, and both quickly unloaded on their mutual rival: Donald Trump. ... Rubio, who has been relatively reluctant to engage with Trump, tore into him almost immediately as the debate kicked off ... And, in a turn of the tables, he mocked Trump for repeating only the same several catchphrases instead of engaging in substance."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bc531ea650797d5ff9e671876a57b57fdb8b4f471b1337c8096cbebaecc21421

- "11 most interesting moments of the GOP debate," by POLITICO's Nolan D. McCaskill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bc531ea650797d5fd018878ff5156579ab451e32fce66a5dcbff97b6e8da17c0

THE BEAT GOES ON - "Race to replace Boehner becomes a GOP proxy battle," by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer: "The special election to fill [ex-House Speaker John] Boehner's old House seat in Ohio has become a proxy fight between big-money allies of the Freedom Caucus and Republicans who are more open to compromise. Right Way Initiative, a new nonprofit group with major spending plans and a nationwide mission to back 'constructive conservatives,' has picked the race as its first target. The group will spend at least $450,000 on cable TV spots and radio spots, direct mail, and digital ads backing state Rep. Tim Derickson." Meanwhile, the Club for Growth's super PAC plans to spend upwards of
$900,000 to elect businessman businessman Warren Davidson. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=bc531ea650797d5f09107a6189d7de7336bbb1ad66819e8a1e35d38d6dcfab09

Days until the South Carolina Democratic primary: 1. Days until Super Tuesday: 4. Days until the 2016 election: 255.

Thanks for joining us. You can email tips to the whole Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com, tmeyer@politico.com and kcheney@politico.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter, where we tweet a lot about campaigns and occasionally about who (doesn't) follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer and @kyledcheney.

DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFULS DEBATE IN NORTH CAROLINA - The Democratic primary candidates met on stage last night, but they didn't do much to stand out from each other. Deborah Ross, Kevin Griffin, Ernest Reeves and Chris Rey did, however, differentiate some on how to address the economy. "Rey and Reeves pushed for raising the minimum wage. Ross called for expanding infrastructure programs, while Griffin said programs are needed to help veterans transition into the civilian workforce," WRAL reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad1ce4c7979b9b5b21239e8e637df6ccbf65f4f77412c6e9f2b

- Ross, backed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, EMILY's List, and now the League of Conservation Voters, who just endorsed her, has launched her first television ads. Watchers of Bernie Sanders' campaign will recognize the message: "Who says the game's got to be rigged, that the United States Senate will only speak for the wealthy, the well connected?" The ad will air throughout the primary, WRAL reported. Watch "Who Says" here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad117bcb91706a949bf26cab8970424c696e5f4a7820629f2fd

- One group of people Ross is definitely speaking for: stock photo models. The ad features at least four actors from from stock footage that can be found with URL descriptions like, "confident black woman doctor smiling in office," "carpenter framer joiner's workshop industrial plant headband," "teacher using a tablet computer in a classroom," and "people working at a warehouse." Ross's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

ANOTHER OUTSIDE MONEY BACKER - Major GOP donors form second pro-Johnson super PAC, by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad1608c5ac227332bff5bc8aa19099f4572c095456e50e398a8

- POLLING ALLEY - The latest iteration of Marquette University Law School's polling on Wisconsin's Senate race finds little has changed, with Democratic former Sen. Russ Feingold continuing to hold a healthy lead over GOP Sen. Ron Johnson. Feingold has the support of 49 percent of registered voters in the survey, compared to 37 percent for Johnson. That's essentially unchanged from the last poll in January. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad16872af624b1f86ccdb74ae5651a5d7e64be29b6916c28694

** A message from Katz Radio Group: WANT TO INFLUENCE VOTERS? NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE. Katz Radio Group is your one-stop media partner reaching more than 3,000 radio stations in every market across the nation. Let Katz Radio Group give you the local targeting abilities you need to effectively deliver your message to voters.
Contact: Patrick.McGee@katzradiogroup.com **

NO NOD FROM THE WHITE HOUSE - "In tight House race, Obama won't endorse embattled incumbent Honda," by POLITICO's Carla Marinucci in Silicon Valley, Calif.: "In a move that could impact a contentious Silicon Valley congressional race, President Barack Obama has withdrawn his past endorsement of embattled Rep. Mike Honda, who is under the cloud of a House ethics investigation and now in the fight of his political life against fellow Democrat Ro Khanna. ...But sources said it does not reflect an overall policy of the White House, and that the president has made endorsements this year in other Democrat-on-Democrat races, including one in Texas. ...The timing of Obama's decision marks an
embarrassing development for Honda as he heads to the California State Democratic Convention in San Jose this weekend." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad18451f20ee27e3fce40cf748cae1ee110971643413c8a1109

DEPARTURES LOUNGE - "Rep. Matt Salmon will retire from Congress at the end of this year, he announced today. Salmon said he has "missed far too many opportunities to spend time with" his family. Salmon's district, which is centered around Mesa, Ariz., is solidly Republican. Mitt Romney won the district by 29 points in 2012, and John McCain beat President Barack Obama there by 26," POLITICO's Jake Sherman reported. State Senate President Andy Biggs was the first to jump into the open race, with Salmon's backing.

THE INSIDERS' TAKE: As 2016 heats up, so has the POLITICO Caucus. The POLITICO Caucus is expanding into key battleground states that will be essential in determining who will be the GOP presidential nominee. Get insights and predictions leading into Super Tuesday from POLITICO's exclusive insider survey of more than 300 of the most plugged-in operatives, activists and elected officials now in four additional states: Florida, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina. Read this week's survey here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad19ce111cde873fa54cf551728197bc1571f54ad50de5555a2

GETTING THE NOD - NARAL endorses Harris, Bera: NARAL Pro-Choice America, the advocacy group for abortion rights, is making its first congressional appointments of the cycle. The group is backing state Attorney General Kamala Harris over fellow Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez, in the California Senate race. It's also endorsing Democratic Rep. Ami Bera in California's 7th District, a swing seat in the Sacramento area.

- PCCC endorses four House candidates: The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is endorsing four more House candidates in its efforts to bolster the "Elizabeth Warren wing" of Democrats' congressional ranks. Two of the candidates the group is backing are running for open seats that are safely Democratic: state Sen. Pramila Jayapal in Washington's 7th District, the Seattle seat where Rep. Jim McDermott is retiring, and state Sen. Mike Noland in Illinois' 8th District, the seat Rep. Tammy Duckworth is vacating to run for Senate. The other two are more competitive swing seats: Lucy Flores, who one of four Democrats challenging the vulnerable GOP Rep. Cresent Hardy in Nevada's 4th District,
and Angie Craig, who's running for the open seat that GOP Rep. John Kline is vacating in Minnesota's 2nd District. The PCCC had previously endorsed four House candidates and Senate candidates this cycle.

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - Insiders: Donald Trump is the likely GOP nominee," by POLITICO's Steven Shepard: "GOP political insiders have been slow to hop aboard the Donald Trump train. But after Trump's victories in three of the four early nominating states, Republicans now see him as the party's most likely nominee in the general election. ...The vast majority of Republican insiders in the four new states, plus South Carolina, where Democrats will vote on Saturday to round out the month's early primaries, pick Trump as the GOP's most likely nominee. More than four-in-five Republicans surveyed this week said Trump has the best chance to win the nomination, with only Marco Rubio (17 percent)
and John Kasich (2 percent) earning support from other respondents." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad146dd420189aced257c25e3d5357ba2f754ea0294f98284dc

"Black Lives Matter protesters confront Clinton at a fundraiser," by CNN's Eugene Scott: " A pair of Black Lives Matter activists interrupted Hillary Clinton Wednesday night at a private fundraiser, confronting the Democratic presidential candidate with past statements she made about youth in gangs. 'We want you to apologize for mass incarceration,' Ashley Williams said at the Charleston, South Carolina, event. 'I'm not a "super predator," Hillary Clinton.' A video of the exchange was posted to YouTube." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad19b9d26b85565570b5b9fda7db447157e958dcd88f0940185

- "Till death-or Donald-do us part: couples spar over Trump," by The Wall Street Journal's Michael M. Phillips in Clovis, Calif.: "If the Hinman marriage is to survive the 2016 presidential election unscathed, certain rules must be observed. When Donald Trump appears on the evening news, either Jeannine or Jon Hinman must leave the room, or they can flip to the National Geographic channel. If Mr. Trump comes up at a party, the Hinmans migrate to different conversational groups, his pro and hers anti. Above all, there shall be no Trump in the bedroom. 'From bedtime on, we don't talk politics,' says Ms. Hinman. ... There's something about Mr. Trump that makes it hard for people who love him,
and people who hate him, to love each other." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad11ead87f67b059da15abfc96959d4ac6e2b715330563ca27f

- "Former Mexican presidents Fox and Calderón take aim at Trump and his 'stupid wall,'" by The Washington Post's Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan in Mexico City: "Two former Mexican presidents said in separate interviews with The Washington Post that the xenophobic rhetoric of Donald Trump and the other Republicans running for president has damaged U.S.-Mexico relations and changed the way many Mexicans view Americans. ... Asked about Trump's assertion that he was going to get Mexico to pay for his proposed border wall, Fox said bluntly: 'Fuck it.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd4bb2088291aad119b480332ebbc542e500b619af43eeb18120239c59a432b5

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Can somebody attack me, please?" - Ben Carson, trying to get involved at last night's GOP debate.

** A message from Katz Radio Group: Local Radio: Targeting that Delivers MASS-ively

An In-Time Insight brought to you by Stacey Schulman, EVP Strategy, Analytics & Research for Katz Radio Group

If you're courting Democrats in Texas, you won't find them all listening to

News/Talk stations. Sure, they're good choices in Dallas and Austin, but you'd best be also buying Hispanic radio in Houston and Oldies in San Antonio if you want to deliver. How do we know that?

Katz Radio Group is developing In-Time Insights during the Primary Season with its "The Local Vote 2016" research initiative. We've commissioned Nielsen to survey a representative sample of registered voters across 10 states in the weeks leading up to their Presidential primaries. Voter sentiments are then linked back to these respondents' local Scarborough data, demographic profiles and media consumption patterns.

In our first wave of data we learned that between 31 and 33% of voters in Colorado, Texas and Virginia have yet to decide on a candidate (undecided) or are not sure if they are voting (turnout targets). Together, we're calling these folks "The Opportunity Vote".
Want to know more?: Stacey.Schulman@katzmediagroup.com **

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