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By Daniel Strauss | 09/27/2017 10:00 AM EDT


With Zach Montellaro 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)

MOORE WINS - Moore crushes Strange in Alabama Senate primary" by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "Republican challenger Roy Moore defeated Sen. Luther Strange in Alabama's Senate primary Tuesday night, riding a wave of rural support over the incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice, had 55 percent of the vote to Strange's 45 percent with 95 percent of precincts reporting. Strange, who was appointed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' old seat earlier this year, is the first senator to lose a primary since Indiana Republican Richard Lugar was defeated in 2012. Moore's victory comes despite the efforts of
top Republicans in Washington, who threw their weight behind Strange. Trump endorsed Strange in August and appeared with him in Alabama last week, while a super PAC aligned with McConnell spent millions of dollars on pro-Strange advertising. ... Moore criticized McConnell during the primary, but the Republican leader said in a congratulatory statement that he will support Moore in the special election. ... Senate Leadership Fund also vowed to back Moore going forward."

- "... Moore will now face Democrat Doug Jones in a December special election. Jones, a former U.S. attorney, won his primary outright in August, and some Democrats hope that he could be competitive against Moore, despite Alabama's strong Republican lean. Former Vice President Joe Biden is slated to campaign for Jones in Alabama next week." Full story.

- "Moore's win spells trouble for GOP establishment in 2018," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: "Insurgent Roy Moore's rout of incumbent GOP Sen. Luther Strange in Alabama's special election Tuesday has senior Republicans bracing for a wave of resource-draining primaries across the map that could undermine their best-laid plans to defeat Democrats in 2018. Moore's win - over an incumbent who benefited from millions of dollars in spending by a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell - is certain to provide fuel for conservative challengers lining up to take on sitting senators in states like Arizona, Nevada, Mississippi." Full story.

- TRUMP'S DINNER DISCUSSION - "Regrets? In Alabama Senate race, Trump had a few" by POLITICO's Josh Dawsey: "President Donald Trump began distancing himself from Alabama Sen. Luther Strange before ballots were even cast in Alabama's GOP Senate primary, saying at a dinner on Monday night the candidate he backed was likely to lose - and suggesting he'd done everything he could do given the circumstances...Attendees said the president asked questions that suggested he harbored doubts about his endorsement."He went around the room and wanted to know what everyone thought," said American Conservative Union head Matt Schlapp, who was among the attendees. The group told Trump they believed Moore
would win." Full story.

- MEANWHILE - Democrats won a handful of state legislative special elections on Tuesday night. POLITICO Florida's Marc Caputo has the story from the party's state Senate victory in an anti-Trump Miami-Dade district here.

RETIREMENT WATCH - "Corker to retire after 2018," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan: "Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) will retire from the Senate after two terms, scrambling next year's election map and causing a seismic change in the Senate's entrenched committee structure...Corker would likely have faced a tough primary challenge next year from the right, likely backed by Steve Bannon. The former White House strategist met on Monday night in Alabama with Mark Green, who was mulling jumping into the race to challenge Corker....The two most obvious potential GOP candidates are Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Rep. Steven Fincher." Full story.

- "Blackburn, Fincher could run for Corker's seat," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "Tennessee Republicans are pointing to Rep. Marsha Blackburn and former Rep. Steven Fincher as potential candidates to replace retiring GOP Sen. Bob Corker... But Blackburn and Fincher are early front-runners to join the race. Blackburn holds a seat stretching from the wealthy suburbs of Nashville to rural areas in the center of the state...Fincher, who grew up as a traveling gospel singer, is a farmer who took office during the tea party wave of 2010 and opted not to run for reelection last cycle." Full story.

- Another Democratic name to watch: Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke.

- If Blackburn runs for Senate: Look for former Huckabee campaign manager and RNC chair candidate Chip Saltsman to run for her congressional seat.

FLIGHT PLANS - "Democratic senator to appear with Trump at tax reform event" by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss and Politico's Matt Nussbaum: "Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) will ride with President Donald Trump on Air Force One to a tax reform event in Indiana on Wednesday, two people familiar with the plans confirmed...Along with Trump's visit this week, Vice President Mike Pence is making at least three trips to Indiana over September and October to push for tax reform. His first visit came last week." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 41.

Days until the 2018 election: 405.

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.

GUIDE TO TAX REFORM - Easily understand and explain tax reform. Tax reform is complicated, to say the least. Download POLITICO Pro's Guide to Tax Reform and become an expert. Includes six tax-related infographics. GET YOUR GUIDE TO TAX REFORM.

BANNON ENDORSEMENT - "Wagner gets Bannon's stamp of approval in [Pennsylvania] governor's race" by The Associated Press's Marc Levy: "Steve Bannon, the divisive ex-Trump strategist, urged a conservative gathering in St. Louis over the weekend to support the Republican state senator from York County. Wagner told the crowd that flying to St. Louis with Bannon left him "500 percent more emboldened." He also said Pennsylvanians are being "shafted" by politicians from both major parties and criticized the state Senate's Republican leadership as giving Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf "a free pass." Full story.

MEANWHILE IN NEW JERSEY - "Menendez trial focuses on Dominican port dispute, contract with friend's firm," by POLITICO New Jersey's Ryan Hutchins: "Sen. Robert Menendez threatened to hold a public hearing if a high-ranking State Department official did not address his concerns about port security in the Dominican Republic, including a contract dispute involving a company owned by a close friend, according to testimony and exhibits presented in court on Tuesday during the senator's bribery trial. The pressure eventually led the official to travel to the Caribbean nation and lobby its president on the issues, taking care to note the interest of a member of Congress in resolving the
contractual dispute, according to testimony." Full story.

- "RGA TV ad attacks Murphy on $15 minimum wage in New Jersey" by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "The Republican Governors Association released a new TV ad today attacking New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Murphy for supporting a $15 minimum wage. "Multimillionaire Phil Murphy says he's for a $15 minimum wage. But he didn't pay it himself," the narrator in the ad says. "Phil Murphy: He's really loaded, really liberal and really doesn't get New Jersey."" Full story.

- MURPHY'S AD - Murphy, meanwhile, released his first ad of the general election. According to a press release, "The campaign will also launch an aggressive digital and social media effort. The spot, titled "Cut + Paste," highlights that electing Kim Guadagno would simply be another four years of policies ripped from the Christie playbook, including the continued underfunding of public schools that has driven up property taxes and the awarding of billions of dollars in corporate tax breaks." Watch the ad here.

HMM ... - "Tom Steyer won't rule out challenging Sen. Dianne Feinstein, but says not to read too much into it," by the Los Angeles Times Phil Willon: "Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler tweeted that he asked Steyer if he would rule out running against Feinstein and that Steyer would not nix the idea. Steyer was visiting a Sacramento high school Tuesday to encourage students to register to vote. Steyer quickly added that he hates answering speculative questions like the one posed to him since there's always a chance it might 'bite you in the rear end.'" Full story.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK - Why Banning Russian Facebook Ads Might Be Impossible, by Rich Hasen in POLITICO Magazine: "Lost amid the debate over whether Facebook can be trusted to police itself to stop Russian and other foreign interference in future U.S. elections or whether new legislation is necessary to accomplish this task is a potential insuperable roadblock to effective regulation: the conservative justices on the United States Supreme Court and their views of the First Amendment...Many of those concerned about Russian involvement think these steps are not enough. Some have called for the Federal Election Commission to issue new rules to regulate online political advertising, reviving a
debate that earlier led to death threats against former FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel for having the temerity to suggest regulation of internet-based political advertising. Two Democratic senators, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mark Warner of Virginia, have solicited support from their colleagues for new legislation that would mandate more disclosure of election ads on the internet and require digital media to "make reasonable efforts to ensure that electioneering communications are not purchased by a foreign national, directly or indirectly." These approaches are good, but they are likely to be ineffective if the Supreme Court applies the same framework it has applied in the domestic
campaign finance context to foreign individuals, entities and governments." Full story.

THE TRUMP EFFECT IN VIRGINIA - New data from a poll from the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University found that 39 percent of Virginia voters say President Trump will factor into their choice for governor, with a slim majority of Democrats (51 percent) saying it motivates them. The poll was in the field from Sept. 12 through 22nd with a margin of error of 3.7 percent. Full results.

- A poll from Roanoke College puts Democrat Ralph Northam four points up over Ed Gillespie, 47 percent to 43 percent, among likely voters. The poll was conducted from Sept. 16 to 23rd and has a MoE of 4 percent. Full poll.

- Another poll that came out on Tuesday from Monmouth University gave Northam a 5 point leader over Gillespie, 49 percent to 44 percent. The poll was taken from Sept. 21 to 25th with a MoE of 4.4 percent. More data.

** The Agenda: Aging in America. We often hear that Americans are getting older, but it's easy to miss what that really means for the nation. Today, in this special report, The Agenda looks at the biggest challenges our decisionmakers face as the country grows grayer, from transportation to finance to healthcare--and some innovative solutions for dealing with them: More **

POLITICAL FOOTBALL - "Manchin sides with Trump, says NFL owners shouldn't 'tolerate' anthem protests" by The Washington Free Beacon's Brent Scher: "West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D.) told voters on Monday evening that he thinks NFL owners should step in and tell players protesting during the national anthem they won't tolerate it. "This is something the owners have to address," Manchin said during a Facebook town hall. "The owners of these football teams, that have these contracts with these players and the conditions these players are going to be playing under, has to step in here and say, 'I'm not going to tolerate it."..."I think everyone should stand and show respect for the flag that
represents the greatest nation on earth that's shed more blood and lost more lives for the cause of freedom that you and I enjoy," Manchin concluded." Full story.

IN OR OUT - "Hawley may be hedging on Senate race, but a key backer says he's running," by the Springfield News-Leader's Deirdre Shesgreen: "Fox told invitees to the Oct. 1 fundraising soiree that Hawley has made up his mind about running for the Senate - contradicting Hawley's statements that he is just exploring the possibility of a 2018 bid against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. 'I am happy to report that he is going to run,' Fox said in a letter soliciting contributions for Hawley's Senate bid. 'Checks should be made payable to Josh Hawley for Senate.' In August, Hawley set up what his aides billed as an "exploratory committee" to test the waters for a Senate run, a move that allows
prospective candidates to raise money for polling, travel and other expenses without officially declaring their intentions. But a true exploratory committee comes with limits." Full story.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Nov!" - President Donald Trump in a tweet after Moore won the Republican primary runoff for Jeff Sessions' old Senate seat.

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