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By Zach Montellaro | 08/22/2018 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)

FUNDRAISING FORCE - House Democrats are setting up for another massive fundraising haul this quarter, if the July numbers disclosed by ActBlue, the widely used Democratic online fundraising platform, are any indication. Campaign Pro's Scott Bland: "Fifteen Democratic House challengers raised more than $250,000 apiece online in July, according to new campaign finance data ... In addition to the 15 candidates who brought in more than $250,000, another seven Democrats running in GOP-held districts raised at least $200,000 online in July, and an additional 10 brought in at least $150,000 through ActBlue. ...

"Danny O'Connor, the Democratic nominee in Ohio's GOP-leaning 12th District who came up short in the initial vote count of an August special election, led the way with nearly $1.6 million raised via ActBlue, according to the platform's FEC report covering the month of July. Andrew Janz, who is facing Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) in a heavily Republican district, also raised more than $1 million via ActBlue last month. Other top House fundraisers are running in districts at the heart of the 2018 battleground map: Harley Rouda, the Democrat facing GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48) in Orange County, raised over $460,000 online in July, while Jared Golden, GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin's (ME-02)
opponent, brought in about $389,000 in donations through ActBlue.

"On the Senate side, Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) once again led Democratic Senate candidates in online fundraising, bringing in over $2.8 million in July. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) was next at $898,000, followed by Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) at $764,000 and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) at $712,000." Pro subscribers, make sure you click through the story to check out a full chart of Democratic candidates and committees' online fundraising in July.

PRIMARY RESULTS - In Wyoming, treasurer Mark Gordon beat out megadonor businessman Foster Friess for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Gordon's victory also handed President Donald Trump the rare primary loss after he endorsed Friess in a tweet on Tuesday morning. Gordon will face state Democratic Rep. Mary Throne in November. Republican Sen. John Barrasso also easily held off a primary challenge from businessman Dave Dodson. See the full results from the state.

In Alaska, former Republican state Sen. Mike Dunleavy won his party's gubernatorial primary, beating out former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell. He will face former Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, who ran unopposed, and current Gov. Bill Walker, who ran as an independent. See the full results from the state.

Good Wednesday morning. It looks like there will be (officially) no playoff baseball in the nation's capital this year. As a Mets fan, I am not particularly heartbroken. 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: 76.

Upcoming election dates - Aug. 28: Arizona, Florida primaries and Oklahoma primary runoffs. - Sept. 4: Massachusetts primaries. - Sept. 6: Delaware primaries. - Sept. 11: New Hampshire primaries. - Sept. 12: Rhode Island primaries. - Sept. 13: New York (state-level) primaries.

What is it really like for women hitting the campaign trail in 2018? Women Rule's three-part podcast series, "Women Rule: Tracking the candidates," focuses on the gritty realities of running for office. Tune in the next two Wednesdays in August to hear from three women running for office, the challenges and opportunities they face, and the lessons other women can take from their campaigns.

COHEN PLEADED GUILTY TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATIONS - In news you probably didn't miss, Michael Cohen, the former personal fixer for Trump and former deputy national finance chair for the RNC, pled guilty in court to fraud charges. POLITICO's Josh Gerstein, Laura Nahmais and Josh Meyer: "'I participated in the conduct for the purposes of influencing the election' Cohen said about his payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal, two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump in the past. Trump denies the claims. The statement came as Cohen formally entered his plea at a Manhattan federal court, in which he admitted guilt to a slate of eight tax
evasion, financial fraud and campaign finance charges. ...

"Cohen said one payment, for $150,000, was made during 'summer of 2016, in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office.' The second payment, for $130,000, was made around 'October of 2016, at the direction of the same candidate.' ... And Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, didn't shy away from directly calling out the president. 'If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?' he asked in a statement."

ANOTHER CONGRESSIONAL INDICTMENT - California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret Hunter, were indicted for misusing campaign funds. POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Rachael Bade: The pair was indicted on "charges of improperly using hundreds of thousands of campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, including family vacations and dental work. Hunter is also accused of filing false campaign reports and wire fraud. ...

"According to a statement from the Justice Department, during the period from 2009 to 2016, the 'Hunters illegally used campaign money to pay for personal expenses that they could not otherwise afford. The purchases included family vacations to Italy, Hawaii, Phoenix, Arizona, and Boise, Idaho; school tuition; dental work; theater tickets; and domestic and international travel for almost a dozen relatives.' Prosecutors allege that the Hunters falsely mislabeled their personal expenses 'campaign travel,' 'dinner with volunteers/contributors,' 'toy drives,' 'teacher/parent and supporter events,' 'gift cards' for charitable donations, and 'gift basket items.'"

- So what comes next in CA-50? First, as John and Rachael note, it's functionally impossible to remove Hunter from the ballot if Republicans wanted to do so: "Unless Hunter were to pass away in the next 10 days - Aug. 31 - there is no way to replace him on the ballot this November, according to the California Secretary of State's office. There is also no write-in option under state law." Hunter is running against Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, who worked for the Obama administration. Campa-Najjar has actually outraised Hunter so far this cycle, with about $1.1 million to Hunter's $855,000, as of their most recent FEC reports. The district has not previously been seen as a typical
battleground, and it has a PVI of R+11..

TRUMP ON THE TRAIL - The president avoided any mention of Cohen's guilty plea (or former campaign chairman Paul Manafort's guilty charges) at his rally in West Virginia. Instead, it felt much like a usual campaign rally. POLITICO's Caitlin Oprysko: "Trump, in an event to prop up Patrick Morrisey, a Republican running for the Senate, hit his usual notes by touting tax reform, a soaring economy, his hopes for better trade deals and his pledge to rescue West Virginia's flagging coal industry. ... Voting for Morrisey, Trump said, was a 'simple choice,' though the president's initial introduction of Morrisey was lukewarm." Democrat-turned-Republican Gov. Jim Justice also endorsed Morrisey.

- And speaking of rallies, Trump is planning an aggressive campaign schedule between now and the midterms. Bloomberg's Justin Sink and Billy House: "Trump intends to spend more than 40 days on the campaign trail between the beginning of August and the November midterm elections, according to a White House official who discussed the plans on the condition of anonymity. ... The president will hold eight rallies and 15 fundraisers across 16 states in the coming weeks, according to a person familiar with the president's thinking who discussed the plans with reporters on a conference call on condition of anonymity. Likely stops include North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Montana, Kentucky and
Tennessee, all states with competitive Senate races."

MIDTERM MESSAGING - Democrat Phil Bredesen is trying to pull off the upset in the Tennessee Senate race by convincing voters, in part, that a vote for him is not a vote for a Democratic majority. Campaign Pro's James Arkin from Kimball, Tenn.: "It's not pessimism but self-preservation that tinges Bredesen's assessment of the Senate landscape. An upset win in Tennessee could, in fact, put Bredesen's party in the majority, and the former governor's path to victory depends on convincing voters that they wouldn't be handing power to national Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. ... 'If the question on the ballot were, Do you want to send a Democrat or Republican to Washington? I would
lose. If it's, Do you want to send Phil Bredesen or Marsha Blackburn to Washington? I think I can win that,' Bredesen told POLITICO in an interview. ...

"In an interview at a local bakery in Brentwood, a wealthy and educated suburb of Nashville, Blackburn ticked off the potential fallout from a Bredesen victory: Schumer as majority leader; Dianne Feinstein, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as committee chairs; and Lamar Alexander, Tennessee's senior senator, losing his grip on the health committee."

MORE ON NELSON'S HACKING CLAIMS - Officials from the FBI and DHS are rebutting Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-Fla.) claim that Russians had penetrated Florida election systems. POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Officials "warned in a letter that Russians are capable and have a willingness to interfere in elections, but so far have not, which is in direct contrast to comments Nelson made last week that there was direct interference in some Florida counties. 'Although we have not seen new or ongoing compromises of state or local election infrastructure in Florida, Russian government actors have previously demonstrated both the intent and capability to conduct malicious cyberoperations,' read the letter to
Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner, which is signed by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and FBI Director Christopher Wray. ...

"The unsubstantiated Nelson claim opened him to attacks that he was either making up the information or had divulged classified information. The [Gov. Rick] Scott campaign was quick to pounce Tuesday after the DHS and FBI, hammering Nelson for what he said was the three-term incumbent's attempt to 'undermine voters' confidence.'"

FIRST IN SCORE - ON THE AIRWAVES - The Congressional Leadership Fund is going up in Kentucky's 6th District with two new ads hitting Democrat Amy McGrath, who is challenging Republican Rep. Andy Barr. The first ad ties McGrath to "the liberal elite," who think Kentucky "is flyover country." The ad prominently features pictures of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, along with Hillary Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The second ad features a Navy veteran who says that "Amy McGrath served our country too, but her ideas on national security are risky," hitting her on the Iran nuclear deal and the border wall, and once again tying her to Pelosi.

ELECTION SECURITY - Microsoft said campaigns and political groups are facing cyberattacks, including from Russia, and that more are on the way. Pro Cyber's Eric Geller: "'In the face of this continuing activity,' the company wrote in a blog post Tuesday, 'we must work on the assumption that these attacks will broaden further.' Last week, Microsoft received a federal court's permission to take down malicious websites that mimicked the login pages of the Senate, Microsoft's own Office 365 email platform and two conservative think tanks, the International Republican Institute and the Hudson Institute. ... Microsoft said it had no evidence that the Russians successfully hacked anyone using the
sites it took down last week. But it said it was 'concerned that these latest attempts pose security threats to a broadening array of groups connected with both American political parties in the run-up to the 2018 elections."

- New details on how states plan to spend election security money from Congress are out. The Wall Street Journal's Alexa Corse: "States plan to spend roughly $134.2 million on cybersecurity upgrades over five years, and $102.6 million on voting equipment, according to the data released by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. States plan to spend the rest of the federal funding on measures that include upgrading voter-registration databases, bolstering postelection auditing and communications capabilities. Every state and eligible U.S. territories have requested the funds, and 96% of the money has been disbursed to date."

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "HUNTER asked the Treasurer if he was 'trying to create some kind of paper trail' on him," a line from the indictment against Hunter, who was responding to a question from his campaign treasurer asking if charges were related to campaign events.

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