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By Zach Montellaro | 07/30/2018 10:00 AM EDT


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)

DARK MONEY WATCH - One of the biggest players in 2018 is a network of nonprofit groups attacking swing-seat House Republicans, mirroring tactics used by Republicans. Campaign Pro's Scott Bland: "The groups have local members and names like Floridians for a Fair Shake, Michigan Families for Economic Prosperity and North Carolinians for a Fair Economy. But they are all linked to one obscure nonprofit in downtown Washington, D.C.: the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has funneled millions of dollars to progressive causes in recent years and set up each of the new groups, according to D.C. corporation records.

"Added together, the Sixteen Thirty Fund groups have been among the most prolific political advertisers of 2018. They have aired 6,885 broadcast TV ads since Jan. 1, according to Advertising Analytics, a TV tracking firm - more than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and almost as many as Americans for Prosperity, two of the five biggest nonprofit political advertisers focused on the House and Senate in the first half of this year."

"The network, which has spent over $4.6 million on TV alone, has also been one of the top political advertisers in the country on Facebook, according to a POLITICO analysis of data from the social media company's new political ad archive. The ads don't expressly advocate voting against House Republicans, but they do blast incumbents for their votes on Obamacare repeal and the new tax law in more than a dozen congressional districts."

And even though Democrats have increasingly campaigned against the influence of money in politics on the trail, the group doesn't have any qualms about swiping the GOP's playbook: "'I don't believe in unilateral disarmament," said Cliff Schecter, the CEO of Ohioans for Economic Opportunity, [one of the groups affiliated with the network]. ... 'I'd be happy to disclose all my donors if [the Koch groups] disclose them. But not having a fair playing field does a disservice to people worried about their health care and taxes.'"

Good Monday morning. If you had Bigfoot on your 2018 bingo card, come pick up your prize. As always, you can 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, jarkin@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @PoliticoScott, @ec_schneider, @DanielStrauss4, @JamesArkin and @MaggieSeverns.

Days until the 2018 election: 99.

Upcoming election dates - Aug. 2: Tennessee primaries. - Aug. 7: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington primaries.

SPECIAL ELECTION WATCH - Democrat Danny O'Connor significantly outraised Republican Troy Balderson ahead of the Aug. 7 special election in Ohio's 12th District. O'Connor brought in a bit under $607,000 from July 1 through July 18, according to his pre-election FEC report. Balderson raised about $167,000 in the same period, per his report. Balderson has more cash on hand, $208,000 to $129,000. More details from me.

- An internal poll from O'Connor's campaign conducted by GBA Strategies shows Balderson at 48 percent and O'Connor at 45 percent. More from Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider.

KOCH IS IT! - The influential Koch network is signaling its increasing discomfort with the president's tariffs. Campaign Pro's Maggie Severns reports from Colorado Springs, Colo., from the twice-annual Koch summit: "'The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage,' said Brian Hooks, one of Charles Koch's top deputies, during a briefing for reporters. 'When in order to win on an issue someone else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people and solve the problems in this country. You see that on trade: In order to get to a good place on trade, convince the American people that trade is bad.' A video produced by the Koch network focuses on the dangers of
anti-free-trade sentiment across the country."

- And on the Democratic side, an informal network of women donors is forming to shape the party. NBC News' Benjy Sarlin: "Over several cycles, donors have helped lay the groundwork for a national network of women's 'giving circles,' an informal organization in which mostly upscale members pledge a minimum amount of cash toward candidates for an election cycle. The model is adapted from the philanthropy world, where similar groups pool together charitable donations. The circles, many of which have an explicit focus on gender representation in Congress and statehouses, have become a fundraising stop for Democratic politicians like Sen. Tina Smith in Minnesota and gubernatorial candidate
Stacey Abrams in Georgia, complementing more established organizations like EMILY's List, which backs women who support abortion rights."

PRESIDENTIAL SEAL OF APPROVAL - President Donald Trump tweeted his support for Republican John James, who is running in the Michigan Senate primaries. ".@JohnJamesMI, who is running in the Republican Primary in the great state of Michigan, is SPECTACULAR! Vote on August 7th. Rarely have I seen a candidate with such great potential. West Point graduate, successful businessman and a African American leader," he tweeted. "John is strong on crime and borders, loves our Military, our Vets and our Second Amendment. He will be a star. He has my full and total Endorsement!"

- Vice President Mike Pence also waded into a contested primary, endorsing Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) in a tweet: ".@DianeBlackTN is running for Governor of TN & a strong supporter of #MAGA agenda of tax cuts, military $$ & a champion of right to life policies. There are great candidates running but Diane has been my friend for years, we served together in the House, & she has my support!"

** 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 **

ELECTION SECURITY REMAINS SHAKEY - Few concrete efforts to protect the country's elections from a cyberattack have been made. POLITICO's Eric Geller: "Only 14 states plus Washington, D.C., say they plan to replace their voting machines in time for the next presidential election using their shares of the $380 million in election technology funding that Congress approved in March, according to POLITICO's survey of election agencies nationwide. At least seven other states have paid for new voting equipment with other money. But 21 states either have decided not to upgrade their machines or are unsure of their plans - with some saying they would need much more federal aid to swap out their
equipment."

YIKES - Less than 24 hours after Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) hospitalization in December 2017 was reported, Rep. Paul Gosar's (R-Ariz.) chief of staff reached out to Gov. Doug Ducey's team to say Gosar wanted the seat. The Arizona Republic's Yvonne Wingett Sanchez: "The brief text exchange began at 11:56 a.m. Dec. 14, less than 24 hours after news reports of McCain's hospitalization in Bethesda, Maryland. 'In a meeting, I'll call you back,' [Ducey's then-attorney Mike Liburdi] wrote to Gosar's chief of staff [Thomas Van Flein]. It is unclear whether he was responding to a phone call, text message or some other form of communication. Gosar's chief of staff responded, 'Ok! Just calling to
let u know Gosar is interested in the McCain seat and he wants to talk with your boss.' The requested conversation did not occur, said Daniel Ruiz, a senior adviser to Ducey."

SOY 2018 - As the president's trade war continues, soybean harvests could play a key role in the battle for control of Congress. USA TODAY's John Fritze: "One-third of the nation's most contested House districts are home to major soybean farms, primarily in the Midwest, a USA TODAY analysis shows. President Donald Trump performed strongly in that region in 2016, but the area is now girding for a substantial harvest-time blow from his tariffs, just before voters head to the polls Nov. 6."

POLLS POLLS POLLS - A new poll in the Florida gubernatorial election has Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Gwen Graham with solid leads in their primaries. POLITICO Florida's Marc Caputo: "DeSantis, a two-term member of Congress, has had a meteoric rise in the GOP primary, pulling to a 41-29 percent lead over Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, thanks in large part to Trump's support, the Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey showed. ... Graham, a former member of Congress, has 27 percent support in her primary against four men and leads the second-place Democrat, former Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine, by 9 percentage points, according to the" survey from Mason-Dixon
Polling.

PAY DAY - The DCCC will start paying its intern classes going forward, after current interns protested. HuffPost's Molly Redden: "In a Thursday morning roundtable with the current class of interns, Rep. Ben Ray Luján, the DCCC chairman, said that the committee was 'going forward' with plans to pay intern classes in the future. The change comes just weeks after 13 interns signed a forceful letter urging Luján and other committee officials to pay their future cohorts. By offering unpaid internships, the letter said, DCCC was limiting the talent pool to the kinds of people who already dominate the political world."

GROUND GAME - The Congressional Leadership Fund was out in force on Saturday to try to save the GOP's majority. NBC News' Shaquille Brewster: The CLF "showcased their national field operation, making around 400,000 contacts with voters. Since 2017, the group's tallied 15 million interactions, already reaching many on their data-driven list of conservative and swing voters multiple times. ... The CLF, which pledged to spend $100 million this midterm cycle, spread its staff and volunteers across 34 competitive congressional districts."

STAFFING UP - Michael Fields joined Colorado Rising Action, a state-level operation of America Rising Action, as executive director. He was previously state director for Americans for Prosperity Colorado.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I would never write myself off ... but he's got a point. It is a totally different situation," Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), responding to the suggestion that he wouldn't win a primary today if he wasn't the incumbent, via The New York Times.

** 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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