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By Emily Schultheis (eschultheis@politico.com; Twitter: @emilyrs)

With Jose DelReal

THE FIGHT FOR FLORIDA'S 13th: POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reports from on the ground in the House race everyone's focusing on right now: "Unfolding in one of the few remaining competitive House districts, the contest has become a proxy battle among the national parties for bragging rights heading into the November midterm election. ... Each passing day leading up to the March 11 election brings fresh evidence of how badly each side wants a win. Vice President Joe Biden went to Florida on Wednesday to raise money for [Democrat Alex] Sink - a rare foray by the White House into a single House election. Both national parties, plus an array of outside groups, have combined to spend an eye-popping
$6 million on TV ads, a figure that's poised to soar over the next four weeks. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio campaigned with [Republican David] Jolly on Monday, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is slated to fundraise for him on Friday. But the intense national interest also reflects a tightening race. At the outset, Sink, boosted by her high name ID and prodigious fundraising, was seen as the clear front-runner. But with recent polls showing the race closing, Democrats aren't nearly as confident as they once were, and Republicans aren't nearly as pessimistic."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6b7d6e4f3f16a4bf21fe13163cad631506ec0efabf2129a1e079275929b8603c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6b7d6e4f3f16a4bf21fe13163cad631506ec0efabf2129a1e079275929b8603c

FIRST IN SCORE-POLL FINDS MCCONNELL, GRIMES IN DEAD HEAT: Add another poll to the list of those showing a close race in Kentucky. This survey, from GOP polling firm Wenzel Strategies, finds Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell leading Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes by just 1 point, 43 percent to 42 percent-well within the margin of error. (Wenzel Strategies, which polls for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, isn't affiliated with McConnell or the Senate campaign.) Still, McConnell leads his primary challenger, businessman Matt Bevin, 59 percent to 17 percent. These numbers are fairly consistent with other polling in the race, all of which has shown a close race between McConnell and Grimes and a
big gap between McConnell and Bevin in the primary-a recent poll from the Courier-Journal had Grimes up 4 points. That said, McConnell's favorables are slightly higher in the Wenzel poll than they've been in other recent ones: 50 percent view him favorably, compared with 47 percent who view him unfavorably. Grimes has a 43 percent favorable and 36 percent unfavorable rating in the poll. Polling memo:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc522f752bdc1a4708d5ea78dd88d2655478b014f34f88df7193
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc522f752bdc1a4708d5ea78dd88d2655478b014f34f88df7193 and full results:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52195712c8bbc1cff8795327421014a1d3f341c213ee91a23c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52195712c8bbc1cff8795327421014a1d3f341c213ee91a23c

EXCLUSIVE-EMILY'S LIST ENDORSES THREE NEW HOUSE CANDIDATES: EMILY's List, the pro-Democratic women's group, is throwing its full support behind three female House candidates running in open-seat races this morning: Aimee Belgard in NJ-03, running for retiring GOP Rep. Jon Runyan's seat; Brenda Lawrence in MI-14, running for Democratic Rep. Gary Peters's seat (he's vacating it to run for Senate) and Kathleen Rice in retiring Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's district in NY-04. "These three impressive leaders are stepping up to the plate to run for open congressional seats at a time when our country needs women's leadership more than ever," said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List.

As another congressman retires, Wendy Greuel picks up a new endorsement and Scott Walker sticks with Chris Christie, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 264.

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Good Thursday morning and welcome to Morning Score, where the federal government may be closed but we're still here to bring you your early-morning campaign news. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to eschultheis@politico.com or tweet them to @emilyrs.

RATINGS CHANGES: Cook shifts NY-04 from "Lean Democrat" to "Likely Democrat" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52ecf8529e6dde7813a38087fee0f22721792b5dc83b366900
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52ecf8529e6dde7813a38087fee0f22721792b5dc83b366900 ).

MILLER RETIREMENT GIVES DEMS AN EDGE IN CA-31: California GOP Rep. Gary Miller has long been near the top of national Democrats' target lists for 2014-and with the news Wednesday that he'll retire, his seat automatically becomes one of Democrats' best pickup chances. The district voted for President Obama by 16 points in 2012, and Democrats have a registration advantage there. It's unclear right now who will run on the GOP side, but Democrats already have four candidates: Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar (backed by the DCCC), attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes (backed by EMILY's List), former Rep. Joe Baca and San Bernardino school board member Danny Tillman. Per the LA Times, Miller is the fifth
California congressman to call it quits this year.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52edf3a7bf6b455669b95353cb7c65e0605a8da6a8f0b73fb9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52edf3a7bf6b455669b95353cb7c65e0605a8da6a8f0b73fb9

HILLARY'S TO-DO LIST: POLITICO's John F. Harris and Maggie Haberman on the challenges for Hillary Clinton: "At first blush, the world's most famous woman projects an air of invincibility. And yet: An avalanche of coverage prompted by the relatively obscure Washington Free Beacon - which scored an impressive scoop by exploring a cache of papers with a mix of gossipy and revealing insights into her personality and marriage in the 1990s - highlighted a Clinton paradox. Her ability to dominate the national political conversation is nearly as much liability as asset, since the obsessive interest about her character, her past, and her future intentions leaves her acutely vulnerable to publicity
storms that can hijack her public image and swamp her plans to carefully manage her reentry into public life."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc523b04d45d60568e7bd67b866a79103724384b45e28fccc5c3
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc523b04d45d60568e7bd67b866a79103724384b45e28fccc5c3

SCORE PREVIEW-VIRGINIA GOP LAUNCHES WARNER ATTACK SITE: Now that the race between Democratic Sen. Mark Warner and former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie is fully underway, the Republican Party of Virginia is going on the attack against Warner. Its new website,
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52d69b2bacb0e053d97af96c139d341984d28a6a4182aaf9e2
www.MarkWarnerRecord.com , seeks to highlight the incumbent senator's record on key issues in the campaign. The first one it tackles is Obamacare, an issue Gillespie himself raised in his campaign announcement video last month. This race remains an uphill one for Republicans, but now that they've got a solid candidate they're looking to give Warner a real fight.

SNEAK PEEK-NEW ENDORSEMENT FOR GREUEL: Former L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel, one of the Democratic candidates running for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman's seat, is getting the backing of former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros, Score has learned. Others who have backed Greuel include EMILY's List, former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, film director Rob Reiner and state Attorney General Kamala Harris. Greuel is battling against fellow Democrat Ted Lieu, a state senator, for endorsements in the race.

WALKER-'I SUPPORT' CHRISTIE: It's been a tough year so far for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thanks to the Bridgegate scandal, but at least Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is still on his side. POLITICO's Rachael Bade reports from Madison, Wis.: "'He told me the same thing in private that he did to the press in New Jersey, and I have every reason to believe that the information he said is consistent with the truth, and so I still support him in his role as governor and his role in the RGA,' Walker said at an economic conference here. ... Walker said his support for Christie is steadfast, but he added that if something came out linking Christie to the scandal personally, 'I'd have to reassess
that.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc529a517e0b318b972ac419543e086269e68bc65fb5cf68b552
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc529a517e0b318b972ac419543e086269e68bc65fb5cf68b552

ANOTHER GRANITE STATE PILGRIMAGE: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will join Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and other Republicans at the Citizens United/Americans for Prosperity Freedom Summit in Manchester on April 12.

LIGHTER CLICK-The Republican National Committee is out with its annual political-themed Valentines. Some examples: a picture of Obama with one that says, "If you like this Valentine, you can keep it," and one featuring Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying, "Can we take this to the nuclear level?"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52e4195a6119ddb403757eefddba9949fe37ed0fec6ca41532
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc52e4195a6119ddb403757eefddba9949fe37ed0fec6ca41532

ACROSS THE MAP-Quick takes from races around the country:

SENATE-

-AR-Sen, NC-Sen: The Democratic group Patriot Majority USA is going up with a negative ad against GOP Rep. Tom Cotton in Arkansas (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc522799f68d19a182a95b09e2451b811c01ee13ac16eb571483
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5e45f4e187dffc522799f68d19a182a95b09e2451b811c01ee13ac16eb571483 ) and against GOP state House Speaker Thom Tillis in North Carolina (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c564d527862116959efa22d3c9c3af5fc1be685add900216ddb
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c564d527862116959efa22d3c9c3af5fc1be685add900216ddb ).

-LA-Sen: An ad by Americans for Prosperity, which will air over the next three weeks, hits Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu on the Affordable Care Act. But per ABC News, the "Louisiana families" in the ad are paid actors:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5630adda1278707720220ddd66eba678389d166ee36f0837b6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5630adda1278707720220ddd66eba678389d166ee36f0837b6

-KS-Sen: A new radio ad by conservative primary challenger Milton Wolf raises the issue of incumbent GOP Sen. Pat Roberts's Kansas residency.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c56720f4bcd54f13856484eeb4d13438402e059036427d0c30b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f12b062c4242030bb2b9cd71554e995ca0c2eda886949d154

-KY-Sen: GOP primary challenger Matt Bevin and the Senate Conservatives Fund hit Sen. Mitch McConnell via Twitter for his vote on raising the debt ceiling.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c56f9049ab3cb2bca5442a69bc8fe5f3ea36a7ace8cba0d2ffe
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f7d94ce53599abb0428b9e3e3570da399e1042313f627b356

-MT-Sen: John Walsh, the Democrat appointed to replace Sen. Max Baucus, released an ad called 'Honor,' which emphasizes his military service, in response to Republican attacks on him.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c56c914d40d94e12b528457d72c5a7482fee6c7fbf97bb05900
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c56c914d40d94e12b528457d72c5a7482fee6c7fbf97bb05900

HOUSE-

-NRCC: In honor of the Democratic retreat this week, the NRCC is out with a web video saying that Democrats are both "on retreat" and "in retreat" for 2014:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5617e692bf926ed5d94f59be34530a18deb9cadf2d13161b49
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5617e692bf926ed5d94f59be34530a18deb9cadf2d13161b49

-MI-03: AFP will go on the air with $230,000 worth of ads boosting GOP Rep. Justin Amash in his primary:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c567862b2c4b47fa8595a57c74096cf82d0fe48cc3c4b272111
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c567862b2c4b47fa8595a57c74096cf82d0fe48cc3c4b272111 . (See the ad:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5622a1e7015b918b431bc91fa9f9bca758f656c876fa0bd3c5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5622a1e7015b918b431bc91fa9f9bca758f656c876fa0bd3c5 )

-CA-52: Carl DeMaio, an openly gay GOP candidate, released an ad featuring a rainbow flag and his partner Johnathan Hale, labeling himself a "new generation Republican."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5639fad0e7320a5bf381cc1e600dad32073117561c5d29d354
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5639fad0e7320a5bf381cc1e600dad32073117561c5d29d354

-VA-10: GOP state Del. Bob Marshall has entered the primary race for the open seat.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5685e6bce17089c3e8597e9b2e937f59bb4bfce15acb99b381
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fccf368db90f3c5685e6bce17089c3e8597e9b2e937f59bb4bfce15acb99b381

-AL-01: Mobile Realtor Burton LeFlore, a Democrat, will challenge newly elected GOP Rep. Bradley Byrne. However, now that the filing deadline has passed, it's clear Byrne won't have a primary challenger.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f77173e2f6e0f15998a1049228048fdeeea073ba3ae640c22
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f77173e2f6e0f15998a1049228048fdeeea073ba3ae640c22

GOVERNORS-

-WI-Gov: The Republican Governors Association will go on the air next week with a six-figure buy hitting Democratic candidate Mary Burke.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f42b6da86d6226691bd41358f29d2acc37bbac7fa636ca8dc
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f42b6da86d6226691bd41358f29d2acc37bbac7fa636ca8dc

-IL-Gov: Republican Bruce Rauner's campaign released an ad pushing back against 'false attacks' from '[Democratic Gov.] Pat Quinn's allies and the Springfield insiders.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0fb356bce8349798f30852b60c0c06a0c0c1f372d3bf0027d5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0fb356bce8349798f30852b60c0c06a0c0c1f372d3bf0027d5

-NE-Gov: Nebraska state auditor Mike Foley entered the gubernatorial race, joining a crowded field in the GOP primary.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f37049afe1dd1fb1f7babf4bfdd78b44b150342ea07830e4b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f37049afe1dd1fb1f7babf4bfdd78b44b150342ea07830e4b

-TX-Gov: Democrat Wendy Davis said she would support a 20-week abortion ban if it were written to give deference to a woman and her doctor.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f12c0adae38fb14f3da76eb40954ecdd6ede36e1e32e75694
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f12c0adae38fb14f3da76eb40954ecdd6ede36e1e32e75694

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Revenge." -The reason Hillary Clinton wanted to keep records of her time in the Clinton White House and the health care battle of 1994, according to her friend Diane Blair's papers
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f6b18286e3ae222ce5911e4a684a4761a8457cc2f8dd8613d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=219d735cb91c6b0f6b18286e3ae222ce5911e4a684a4761a8457cc2f8dd8613d

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