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By Elena Schneider | 09/20/2017 10:00 AM EDT


With Zach Montellaro, Maggie Severns and Kevin Robillard

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)

DEBATE NIGHT - "Few fireworks in gentlemanly Virginia gubernatorial debate," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "With pressure building in a tight race, Virginia's leading gubernatorial candidates eschewed face-to-face political combat in their debate Tuesday night. Instead, their gentlemanly exchange contained few personal attacks and plenty of policy contrast on economic development, health care and immigration. Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the RNC, debated with few fireworks. Neither man deployed his most potent attacks against the other, and both ducked and dodged on some hot-button issues. There was no defining moment to be found. ...At one
point during the debate, Gillespie appeared to announce his opposition to a legislative proposal from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to repeal Obamacare and replace it with state block grants. But post-debate, he said he hadn't read the legislation and wasn't able to take a position for or against it." Full story.

- ANOTHER ONE - Fox News poll shows close race: A Fox News poll released shortly before the debate, the fifth poll of the contest released in the past two days, gave Northam a 42 percent to 38 percent lead over Gillespie among registered voters. Among likely voters, Northam earned 42 percent to Gillespie's 41 percent. This poll follows a University of Mary Washington poll giving Northam a 5-point lead, polls from Suffolk University and Mason-Dixon showing a virtual tie, and a Quinnipiac University poll showing Northam with a 10-point lead. Full results.

- RGA gives Gillespie campaign another $1M: "The Republican Governors Association is donating another $1 million to the party's gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie ...The RGA has now spent more than $4 million on the race." Full story.

SCHEDULING UPDATE - "Trump's Alabama rally to support Strange to be held Friday," by Louis Nelson: "Trump had announced earlier this week that he would campaign for Strange (R-Ala.) in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday, writing on Twitter that ''Big Luther' is a great guy who gets things done!' Strange's campaign announced Monday afternoon that the rally featuring Trump would in fact take place at 7 p.m. Friday.Neither the White House nor a spokesman for Strange immediately responded to emails asking why the event had been moved up a day. Full story.

FIRST IN SCORE - New PAC to knock doors for Flake: A new super PAC called the Arizona Goldwater Tradition PAC hopes to raise and spend $2.9 million leading up to the Arizona Senate primary aiding embattled GOP Sen. Jeff Flake. The PAC, which registered with the FEC on Wednesday, is chaired by Arizona attorney Tim LaSota and was set up with help from GOP consultant Chuck Warren. It has hired multiple fundraisers including former Rubio fundraiser Carmen Miller Spence, Warren said. Arizona Goldwater Tradition PAC will focus on canvassing. "We want to have very well-educated teams of people talking to their neighbors, Republican voters and fiscally conservative independents" about Flake's
conservative voting record, Warren said. "We're going out to have conversations with people. We're confident that if people know his voting record, they will not question Jeff Flake's conservative values."

DESSERT - "Read the 2013 Obama sketch cut from the Emmys," by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere: "Sean Spicer made it to the Emmys. Barack Obama was nixed. The former White House press secretary's surprise, controversial cameo at the Emmys on Sunday dredged up four-year-old bitter feelings among Obama White House staffers of a 2013 sketch that was stopped from going on the air, but that would have promoted Obamacare sign-ups just as the law was going into effect. A script was written. Segments with Tony Goldwyn, who plays President Fitzgerald Grant on "Scandal," and Jay Pharaoh, who was then playing Obama on "Saturday Night Live," were recorded. Some of those involved say Obama may have even
shot his part himself." Full story.

PUBLIC HEARING - "Burr: Facebook to testify publicly on Russian electoral disruption," by POLITICO's Elana Schor: "The Senate Intelligence Committee chairman said today that he expects Facebook officials to appear at a public hearing examining its role in Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election. The social networking giant is under intense scrutiny for its involvement in Russian meddling during last year's presidential campaign and acknowledged earlier this month that it accepted about $150,000 in political ad spending from entities potentially linked to Russia." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 48.

Days until the 2018 election: 412.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

AIR WAR - Save My Care launches TV blitz: The progressive group is out with a six-figure TV ad buy to urge Alaska Lisa Murkowski, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito to vote against the Graham-Cassidy health care repeal bill. One ad says that "partisan politicians are at it again ... pressuring [Murkowski] to cave." Watch the Alaska ad here. Watch the Maine ad here. Watch the West Virginia ad here.

- DCCC launches digital ads against Rep. Yoder: The DCCC is targeting Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder with radio and digital ads for "his vote against disaster relief funds for victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma," per a statement from the group. The 60-second radio ad calls the funding vote "one of those rare times when something actually got done in Washington, but our congressman, Kevin Yoder, voted no." Listen to the ad now.

SEEKING WRITERS - "GOP governors launch 'news' site critics call propaganda," by AP's Bill Barrow: "The Republican Governors Association has quietly launched an online publication that looks like a media outlet and is branded as such on social media. The Free Telegraph blares headlines about the virtues of GOP governors, while framing Democrats negatively. It asks readers to sign up for breaking news alerts. It launched in the summer bearing no acknowledgement that it was a product of an official party committee whose sole purpose is to get more Republicans elected. Only after The Associated Press inquired about the site last week was a disclosure added to The Free Telegraph's pages
identifying the publication's partisan source." Full story.

HEARD ON THE HILL - Democratic lawmakers to push FEC: Democratic House and Senate lawmakers plan to send a letter to the FEC today urging the commission to "consider new rules that would prevent foreigners from using online advertising platforms like Facebook and Twitter to influence voters," CNN's Dylan Byers reports. Additionally, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is considering legislation that would place new disclaimers on advertisements. The new efforts from lawmakers come on the heels of Facebook announcing it had told $100,000 worth of ads to Russian nationals during the 2016 elections.

SPECIAL GUEST - "Obama to host an event for New Jersey governor candidate," by The Hill's Amie Parnes: "Former President Obama will host an event this fall for Phil Murphy, the Democrat running for governor of New Jersey, Democratic sources say. Murphy served as U.S. ambassador to Germany from 2009 to 2013 under Obama. He also worked for more than two decades at Goldman Sachs. It's one of several events Obama is expected to attend in the coming weeks as he seeks to lend his star power to Democrats across the country." Full story.

- RGA launches first television ad in New Jersey: "The Republican Governors Association is airing a television ad in the New Jersey governor's race, its first foray into a contest most believe Republicans have little chance of winning. The 15-second ad attacks Democrat Phil Murphy, a former ambassador and Goldman Sachs executive, for wanting to raise taxes." Full story.

GOOD FRIEND TO HAVE - "Republican Andy Ogles' bid for Bob Corker's U.S. Senate seat to get $4 million assist from Lee Beaman," by The Tennessean's Joel Ebert: "Nashville businessman and Republican donor Lee Beaman said Tuesday he plans to raise $4 million to assist with Andy Ogles' run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Corker. 'There are donors who are already anxious to get involved in this race and our plan is to raise and spend $4 million over the next 13 months to provide President Trump with an ally in the U.S. Senate that he will be able to depend upon,' Beaman said in a news release sent by the Ogles campaign." Full story.

CASH RACE - RNC raised $7.3M in August: The Republican National Committee raised $7.3 million during the month of August, the committee said today, bringing its total fundraising for the year up to $93.3 million. The RNC ended August with $45.8 million cash on hand, the committee said. Its August fundraising total is slightly more than the $6.7 million the RNC raised during August of 2013, the last off-year leading up to a midterm election. Then, the committee finished August with $12.5 million cash on hand." Full story.

- "RNC says it has spent over $400,000 on Trump family's legal bills," by POLITICO's Nolan D. McCaskill: "The RNC has spent nearly a quarter-million dollars on President Donald Trump's legal bills, an RNC official confirmed today. Reuters reported that Trump was using funds from the RNC and his reelection campaign to pay for lawyers amid FBI and congressional probes into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, including possible collusion between Trump associates and Moscow." Full story.

RETIREMENT WATCH - "Sources: Trump encouraged Corker to run for Senate again," by AP's Erik Schelzig: "President Donald Trump is encouraging Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee to run for another term, according to two people familiar with a meeting between the two Republicans at the White House last week. The Friday meeting was the first between Corker and Trump since they clashed over the president's comments about a violent white supremacist rally in Virginia last month." Full story.

PRIMARY CONCERNS - Vukmir names Walker campaign chair to steering committee: Wisconsin State Sen. Leah Vukmir laid out the steering committee for her U.S. Senate bid to challenge Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin last night. One name to jump out: former Bradley Foundation president Michael Grebe, who chaired Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's presidential campaign in 2016.

FROM THE COURTROOM - "Menendez legal team gets a victory on evidence," by POLITICO New Jersey's Matt Friedman: "Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) won a legal skirmish with prosecutors on Tuesday, when a judge said he would allow Menendez's legal team to tell jurors about official actions the senator took to help people other than his co-defendant, Salomon Melgen. ...Attorneys for Menendez, a Democrat, plan to introduce evidence showing he has helped many constituents with visa and other issues during his 11 years in the Senate - the same types of acts he's alleged to have done for Melgen and his foreign girlfriends, in exchange for Melgen providing lavish vacations, private jet flights and
hundreds of thousands of dollars in political contributions." Full story.

TRANSITIONS - DLCC names communications director: The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has hired Mara Sloan as communications director. Sloan previously worked for Sens. Bob Menendez and Bill Nelson.

- Hatch challenger hires campaign manager: Jenny Wilson, the Democratic Salt Lake City Councilmember challenging Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, has hired Democratic operative Scott Hogan to manage her campaign. Hogan most recently worked for former Labor Secretary Tom Perez's successful DNC chair campaign.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ - "Price's private-jet travel breaks precedent," by POLITICO's Dan Diamond and Rachana Pradhan: "In a sharp departure from his predecessors, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price last week took private jets on five separate flights for official business, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars more than commercial travel. The secretary's five flights, which were scheduled between Sept. 13 and Sept. 15, took him to a resort in Maine where he participated in a Q&A discussion with a health care industry CEO, and to community health centers in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, according to internal HHS documents. The travel by corporate-style jet comes at a
time when other members of the Trump administration are under fire for travel expenditures, and breaks with the practices of Obama-era Secretaries Sylvia Matthews Burwell and Kathleen Sebelius, who flew commercially while in the continental United States." Full story.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I think a lot of people would roll their eyes or raise their eyebrows at it. ... But I'm here to win." - Tyler Ruzich, a Shawnee Mission North student, launched a campaign for the Republican nomination for Kansas governor, The Kansas City Star reported.

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