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By Kyle Cheney

With Sandhya Raman

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. (
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AD WAR - Crossroads buys radio time to hit Hassan: Crossroads GPS has reserved at least $73,000 of radio time to run an ad - starting today - that swipes at New Hampshire Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, who is said to be considering a Senate bid. The spots are slated to air in Boston, Manchester, Portsmouth, Concord and Hanover media markets. Republicans have been hammering Hassan in recent weeks for releasing a state budget that includes new revenue and for hiring a COO to help with the administration of government. The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a web video about the COO hire accusing Hassan of outsourcing the functions of her office to run for Senate. Hassan has yet
to announce if she's running for Senate or reelection as governor, but Republicans are convinced she'll try to make the leap to Washington. The ad:
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SCORE EXCLUSIVE - Strickland elaborates on Senate bid:
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As CPAC gets going and one SoCal Dem considers the Senate, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: daily news, notes and essential information for the 2015 and 2016 election cycles.

Days until the 2015 election: 250; Days until the 2016 election: 621

Thanks for joining us. We're eager for your news and feedback. Email us at
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CPAC WEEKEND - "CPAC: 8 things to watch," by POLITICO's James Hohmann, with Katie Glueck: 1) Does Christie pick a fight with Bush on immigration? 2) Will CPAC swoon for Ted Cruz this time around? 3) Does the new question-and-answer format take candidates out of their comfort zone? 4) Who's trying to wire the straw poll? 5) Will Mike Huckabee be missed? Or are there no longer enough social conservatives at CPAC to care? 6) Does Jeb Bush escape unscathed - or get bloodied? 7) Can Carly Fiorina win over the grassroots? 8) Who is the unexpected, breakout star?
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- "Jeb braces for CPAC," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt, with Katie Glueck: "As political events go, it's hard to find one more ill-suited for Jeb Bush than the Conservative Political Action Conference. That's why he's bringing in supporters - some of them old George W. Bush White House hands - to cheer him on. He's also looking to exploit CPAC's speaking format. The former Florida governor is eschewing the traditional speech-making opportunity in favor of taking questions from Fox News host Sean Hannity, calculating that it will give him a better chance at making his case on the contentious issues where he is most at odds with attendees. It's a cautious, tactical approach to the annual
confab this week at Maryland's National Harbor, a strategy carefully chosen for a venue that's littered with potential land-mines for Bush."
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RAHM AND THE RUNOFF - "Rahm besieged by Democrats' progressive wing," by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere: "Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's political opponents are trying to take him out by claiming he isn't a true progressive. Like his former boss, President Barack Obama, he's besieged by the Democrats' progressive wing. Obama strongly backed his friend and former chief of staff in his race for reelection that Tuesday night went to an unexpected run-off. But as soon as the election results were in, progressive groups, including many aligned with the president, quickly backed Emanuel's opponent ... [P]rogressive groups are trying to elevate Garcia into their latest hero, in the ranks of Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio."
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- The runoff is Rahm's to lose, the Chicago Sun Times reports, but it's still a big embarrassment:
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WAITING FOR HILLARY - "As Hillary waits, Obama steps up," by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere: "Hillary Clinton's leaving a vacuum, and President Barack Obama's going to try to fill it. As Clinton holds off announcing a run for president, Obama is set to launch a three-month blitz of messaging and travel that'll be the first phase of a late-term effort to reassert himself politically and set the stage for Clinton. More than just trying to convince voters that he deserves credit for the economy's improvements, he'll be looking to define the Democratic Party for years after he's gone. "I want the president out talking about, 'Here's the economy I inherited, here's the economy we have today,'"
said Clinton confidant Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who last week urged Obama to take on a greater role directly when Democratic governors met with the president at the White House.
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GOLDEN STATE DEMS - Schiff sees room for Southern Californian in Senate field: Rep. Adam Schiff, a Burbank Democrat, says he's hopeful that the decision by former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to forgo a race for the Senate opens a spot for a new Southern California Democrat to enter the field. "I think there's a real opportunity for a strong Southern California candidate to get into this wide open race," Schiff said in a statement. "I'm continuing to have conversations with constituents and supporters, and hope to make a decision in the near future."

The L.A. Times also reports that Latino leaders are scrambling for another candidate to be their standard-bearer in the race to succeed Sen. Barbara Boxer.
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2016 GOP - "Walker leads the pack in Iowa, new poll shows," by POLITICO's Nick Gass: "Scott Walker is off to a strong start among caucus-going Republicans in Iowa, according to a new poll released Wednesday morning. Among the 12 candidates mentioned in Quinnipiac University's poll, the Wisconsin governor garnered 25 percent. The next closest potential candidate is Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, with 13 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and neurosurgeon Ben Carson follow with 11 percent; with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 10 percent; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 5 percent; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 4 percent; former
Texas Gov. Rick Perry at 3 percent; and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal at 2 percent.
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CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If you turn [your recorder] off, I'll tell you what I really think about him." - Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, asked by Hotline about Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who's seeking Jindal's job this year.
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