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By Zach Montellaro | 09/10/2018 10:00 AM EDT


OBAMA DIVES IN - Former President Barack Obama took a big public step back into electoral politics on Friday, saying in a speech in Illinois that the midterms will be "one of those pivotal moments when every one of us as citizens of the United States need to determine just who we are, what it is that we stand." He also publicly critiqued President Donald Trump by name for the first time since leaving office, calling him a "symptom, not the cause" of the ugliness of American politics. Obama reserved his sharpest criticisms for the Republican party at large. My colleague Edward-Isaac Dovere: "It's about Republicans 'who know better in Congress ... bending over backwards to shield' Trump.
They're hypocrites, he said, and they're just as dangerous to America. At times mocking them and at times laying into them, Obama said they've abandoned all that they're supposed to stand for as Republicans, and as citizens of this country."

He then headed west to California, hosting a rally Saturday for seven Democrats seeking to win seats currently held by the GOP. "I gave a long speech yesterday," Obama said Saturday. "Today is a different role. Today, really what I want to do is highlight the extraordinary collection of candidates who have decided to step up." But as POLITICO's David Siders noted, Republicans saw some upsides in 44's Golden State swing: "Although Hillary Clinton carried the districts of all seven candidates featured at the rally during her 2016 presidential bid, Obama lost five of them in 2012, carrying only the two competitive districts in California's Central Valley. Obama lost California's Orange County
twice. Of his return appearance, said Rob Pyers of the California Target Book, which handicaps races in California, 'I'm not sure it's helpful.' 'It seems like a gift' to the National Republican Congressional Committee, he said."

The reaction from Trumpworld has been muted, at least by the standards of this White House. Vice President Mike Pence pooh-poohed Obama's appearances: "It was very disappointing to see President Obama break with the tradition of former presidents and become so political and roll out the same tired arguments that he and liberals have made over the last eight years," he said on "Fox News Sunday," despite working in an administration that sometimes revels in breaking tradition. Trump himself has largely held his fire. During a campaign stop in North Dakota on Friday, the president said that he "fell asleep" during his predecessor's speech. Trump himself best summed up what Republicans are
feeling about Obama's return to the national stage: "If that doesn't get you out to vote for the midterms, nothing will."

Good Monday morning. A big congrats to everyone's favorite Senate reporter James Arkin, who got married over this weekend. In lieu of wedding gifts, send him your best scoops once he returns later this week. As always email me at zmontellaro@politico.com or DM me at @ZachMontellaro.

Email the great Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com and jarkin@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @PoliticoScott, @ec_schneider, @DanielStrauss4, @JamesArkin and @MaggieSeverns.

Join POLITICO for a special Playbook Elections event in Ohio on 9/20 to discuss how the 2018 midterm elections are shaping up. RSVP here.

Days until the 2018 election: 57.

Upcoming election dates - Sept. 11: New Hampshire primaries. - Sept. 12: Rhode Island primaries. - Sept. 13: New York (state-level) primaries.

BIG MONEY - The Koch network is adding another arm to its constellation of conservative groups. Campaign Pro's Maggie Severns: "The new super PAC, AFP Action, will give the Koch network's largest arm - Americans for Prosperity - significantly more leeway to push lawmakers directly on political issues, adding another tool to AFP's arsenal at a moment when the Koch network is trying to assert its power in Washington. ... The new super PAC has been under discussion for some time and does not affect the Koch network's already-set plans to spend $400 million on politics and policy this election cycle, spokesman Bill Riggs said."

NO DETENTE - The DCCC has pledged to not used hacked materials in campaigning. But the NRCC? Not so much. The Atlantic's Natasha Bertrand: "Their Republican counterparts declined to match that commitment, pulling out of the pledge negotiations just days before the oath was finalized and shifting the blame to the Democrats-and to the press. 'I will say we were close' to reaching an agreement, said a [NRCC] official familiar with the talks, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters about internal discussions. But 'one of the major sticking points' was how to address the press coverage of hacked materials, the official added."

PRIMARY PREVIEW - With just a couple of primary days left, New Hampshire's 1st District remains one of the last undecided battleground districts. Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider previews Tuesday's Democratic primary: "Democrat Maura Sullivan entered the race for New Hampshire's battleground House seat as the archetypal candidate of 2018 - but with one nagging problem: She moved to the district in June 2017. ... [Democrat Chris] Pappas is, unsurprisingly, emphasizing his local roots and endorsements, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and former Gov. John Lynch. In June, Pappas pledged to raise the majority of his money from inside the state, a move contrasting with Sullivan's
mostly non-New Hampshire fundraising."

TRUMP ON THE TRAIL - Trump is heading to Mississippi for a rally promoting GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Friday, the Mississippi Clarion Ledger's Geoff Pender reported. Hyde-Smith is facing former Democratic Rep. Mike Espy and Republican Chris McDaniel in the November special election.

PANIC BUTTON - Republicans are issuing an all-hands-on-deck call in a bid to shore up Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) reelection fight against Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke. POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: "With a string of polls showing GOP Sen. Ted Cruz's lead slipping, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick showed up in Washington on July 25 to deliver an urgent plea to White House officials: Send President Donald Trump. ... The lieutenant governor soon got his wish: Trump announced on Twitter late last month that he was planning a blowout October rally for Cruz, his former GOP rival. ...

"Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who's planning an October fundraiser for Cruz at Washington's Capital Grille restaurant, said he had a simple directive to GOP givers. ... The anti-tax Club for Growth, which spent millions on Cruz during his 2012 Senate bid, has started a seven-figure advertising blitz aimed at tearing down the Democratic congressman. ... A handful of other well-funded groups are considering joining the effort, including the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, the Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund, the newly formed Senate Reform Fund, and Ending Spending, which in the past has been bankrolled by major GOP financiers including New York City investor Paul Singer."

THE RARE RED PICKUP? - Republicans are turning to Minnesota for the rare opportunity to play offense in the battle for the House. USA Today's Nora Hertel and Eliza Collins: "Republicans are working hard to grab Minnesota's Congressional Districts 1 and 8. President Donald Trump captured both of the mostly white, rural districts in 2016 - District 1 by 15 percentage points and District 8 by 16. Then Republicans got lucky when both Democratic incumbents decided not to run. ... National Republicans have deployed their best surrogate - the president - to fire up the base in District 8, while outside groups are pouring money into the state."

LOOKS FAMILIAR - In a Congressional Leadership Fund ad in Kansas' 3rd District, a mother said she is fearful of policies promoted by Democrat Sharice Davids. But left out of the ad is the fact that she is a state GOP official. McClatchy's Bryan Lowry: "What [Alana] Roethle does not say in the ad is that she is secretary of the Kansas Republican Party and a member of the Kansas Lottery Commission, who was appointed to her seat by then-Gov. Sam Brownback in 2015."

ANTI-VAX GONE MAINSTREAM - Kevin Stitt, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Oklahoma, expressed skepticism of vaccines. The Daily Beast's Sam Stein: "Stitt said he personally did not vaccinate some his own kids and opposed legislation that would require vaccinations for children if they wanted to attend public schools. 'I believe in choice,' Stitt said ... [A spokeswoman] said that Stitt did not believe that vaccinations cause harmful medical side effects - an oft-argued and scientifically baseless claim from vaccine skeptics. The 'root of his decision,' she said was the desire for parental choice."

** Presented by AARP: There's only one true deciding factor in this year's elections: 50-plus voters. They won't be ignored and their votes are up for grabs. Medicare, Social Security, support for family caregivers, and prescription drug costs are all on the line-so you can be sure they'll be voting in record numbers.
aarp.org/vote **

POORLY TIMED PROBLEMS - Ahead of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's contested Democratic primary against Cynthia Nixon, he's dealing with two problems that his opponents say are emblematic of his tenure. The New York Times' Jesse McKinley, Shane Goldmacher and Tyler Pager: "[A span of a new bridge] never opened as planned on Saturday as engineers invoked a 'potentially dangerous situation'. ... What had seemed a perfectly orchestrated ribbon-cutting, just days before Thursday's primary, quickly morphed into a cudgel for the governor's opponents, who accused him of putting politics above public safety and called for a federal investigation. Then, a second problem erupted for Mr. Cuomo on Saturday,
when a flier landed in mailboxes of Jewish New Yorkers: a political mailer, paid for by the State Democratic Party that Mr. Cuomo funds, tying together a photograph of his opponent, Cynthia Nixon, and the loaded words 'anti-Semitism.' The flier drew swift rebukes from fellow Democrats as Mr. Cuomo distanced himself from its content."

UNDER WRAPS - The RNC asked a judge to keep a plan for a potential 2020 recount secret. POLITICO's Josh Gerstein: "The document was turned over to the Democratic National Committee as part of long-running litigation over the GOP's alleged use of so-called "ballot security" measures to discourage minority voting. A transcript of a phone conference held in the case last year indicates the memo involves designation of particular counties as 'high risk' or 'medium risk' during a potential recount. Democratic Party lawyers said the selection of those counties raised the specter of the race-focused efforts the RNC agreed to abandon more than three decades ago."

WALKER ON THE ROPES? - After several attempts, Democrats are convinced that this is the year they finally knock off GOP Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin. POLITICO's Natasha Korecki: "The signs that Walker is ripe to be taken down are everywhere. His opponent, Schools Superintendent Tony Evers, has a slight lead in recent polls and there's evidence that critical suburban voters are shifting leftward. ... Just as important, Democrats are running a populist candidate they believe is made for the moment - Evers, who built momentum from decisively winning a crowded primary and went on to raise $1 million in his first week as the nominee. ... The governor's real soft spot in his bid for a third
term, however, might be his 2016 run for president. ...

"Walker's durability and resilience - he's been running and winning tough elections since his early 20s - inspires confidence among Republicans. He's the last man standing among a Wisconsin GOP triumvirate who ascended to national prominence in the Obama era only to see their fortunes sputter during the Trump presidency."

2020 WATCH - Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has taken two moves that signal he's eying a presidential bid: He'll headline the Iowa state party's fall gala and has dispatched staffers to help Democratic candidates in the state, via The Guardian's Ben Jacobs.

CODA - FACT OF THE DAY: 100 women could be elected to the House for the first time ever this cycle, with projected GOP losses being more than offset by projected Democratic gains, via Dave Wasserman.

** Presented by AARP: Americans 50 and over are the nation's most powerful voting bloc. In fact, more than 60 million of them voted in 2016-and this year, they're more motivated than ever to making sure that their voices are heard in Washington.
They're frustrated with broken government. And they're fed up with politicians who'd rather get into fights than get results. The issues they care about most including Medicare, Social Security, support for family caregivers and prescription drug costs, are all on the line. America's 50-plus voters have put the candidates on notice. Anyone who ignores them will feel it on Election Day. aarp.org/vote **

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