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By Daniel Strauss and Elena Schneider | 05/09/2017 10:00 AM EDT


With Bianca Padró Ocasio, Kevin Robillard and Alex Isenstadt

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)

OFF AND RUNNING - "Evan Jenkins jumps into West Virginia Senate race," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "GOP Rep. Evan Jenkins announced his candidacy for Senate in West Virginia today, giving Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin his first major challenger ahead of a tricky 2018 campaign. 'I'm Evan Jenkins and I'm running for the United States Senate to help bring West Virginia back,' Jenkins says in an announcement video . '... [W]ith Donald Trump in the White House we've got a real chance to turn things around. He needs our help and I need your help. West Virginia needs your help.' Manchin is one of 10 Senate Democrats facing reelection in 2018 in a state carried by President Donald Trump last
year, but West Virginia was a particularly strong state for the GOP, with Trump winning over two-thirds of the vote."

- Potential primary off to a hot start: " ... Jenkins, who had been laying the groundwork for a run for months, is the first serious Republican candidate to jump into the race for Manchin's seat, but he may not be the last. Jenkins' Monday announcement came as allies of West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, also a Republican, unveiled plans to form a super PAC that would back Morrisey if he decides to run for Senate. The super PAC, 35th PAC, released a statement linking Jenkins to Manchin. 'This is a critically important race, and we aren't going to beat Joe Manchin by running his 'mini-me' Evan Jenkins,' Leonardo Alcivar, an adviser for the super PAC, said. ... In response,
Jenkins' team pointed to an article in the Charleston Gazette-Mail which reported that a lobbying firm connected to Morissey's wife received nearly $500,000 from Planned Parenthood. 'It's not surprising that a super PAC is doing the talking for Patrick Morrisey (though they ought to bone up on how to spell his name),' the Jenkins spokesman said." Full story.

- STAYING PUT - "Kildee won't run for Michigan governor," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "Rep. Dan Kildee ... plans to tell supporters via email Tuesday afternoon that he will run for reelection instead. Kildee decided to stay in the House after Republicans narrowly passed their Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill last week, according to the aide. He had been considered a top Democratic prospect for Michigan's open gubernatorial race in 2018. Kildee's decision cements former state Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer as the highest-profile Democrat running, though she will face primary opposition. Physician Abdul El-Sayed, the charismatic former Detroit healthcare administrator, is
already among those seeking the Democratic nomination." Full story.

NEW THIS MORNING - CLF releases new TV ad in GA-06: The Congressional Leadership is out with its new TV ad attacking Democrat Jon Ossoff for his contributions, about 95 percent of which hail from outside of the district. "Hi Georgia, San Francisco just wanted to say thank you," says one woman, standing in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, while a man whose hair are in long braids says: "We already have Nancy Pelosi as our congresswoman, now you're going to give us Jon Ossoff as our congressman." It goes on to call Ossoff "one of us." The ad will start airing in the district today, part of the group's $6.5 million investment into the district. Watch the ad here.

- Patriot Majority USA goes after Blum, Poliquin, Upton on health care: The Democratic nonprofit is spending $240,000 on 10 days of TV advertising in three GOP districts: IA-01 (Rod Blum), ME-02 (Bruce Poliquin), and MI-06 (Fred Upton). The ad features Republicans celebrating the passage of the House health care bill last week, saying that "the rest of us pay the price" and including the AARP's label of the bill's premium provisions a "punishing age tax." The ad's narrator also says "protections for preexisting health conditions" will be "gone." The group is putting $115,000 behind its Michigan ad, $70,000 behind the Iowa ad, and $60,000 into Maine, where the liberal advocacy group Save My
Care is also on the air. "These members of Congress declared war on the millions of Americans who will lose their healthcare if this very reckless legislation ever actually becomes law," said Ali Lapp, a House strategist advising Patriot Majority USA. "We and millions of other Americans are going to ensure this bill never becomes law." Watch the anti-Poliquin ad here.

NOT BAD - "GOP report: Health care bill could be 'mild negative' at worst," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "A new Republican study of 25 battleground House districts argues that the GOP can limit fallout from last week's Obamacare repeal vote, partly by leaning on the seven-year-old Democratic law in coming political fights. The analysis by WPA Intelligence compared support for Obamacare in those 25 Republican-controlled districts to support for a repeal-and-replace plan covering the broad parameters the GOP has laid out on health care." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 182.

Days until the 2018 election: 546.

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

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

OFF MESSAGE PODCAST: Actress and Activist Sophia Bush, notable for her roles in the TV shows "One Tree Hill" and "Chicago P.D." is outwardly involved in politics and government, regularly weighing in on the headlines of the day and championing the Women's Equality agenda. In the latest Off Message, Bush, who attended the Women's March on Washington the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration, shared her frustration over inequality in health care, telling Isaac, "It's like, I want to walk into Congress and raise my hand and go, 'Hey, bros, if I'm expected to pay for your Viagra, you sure as s#!t are going to pay for my mammograms.'" Listen and subscribe iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

CASH ADVANCE - Senate Leadership Fund reserves $2.65M in ads to back Strange: "Senate Leadership Fund has reserved $2.65 million worth of TV airtime to back Sen. Luther Strange before the GOP primary in Alabama this summer, the latest in a string of aggressive actions the super PAC has taken to protect Strange, who was appointed to his seat earlier this year. The buy will run from July 11 to Aug. 15 and is clearly aimed at dissuading potential Strange challengers. Former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore is already in the Republican primary, and state Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh and Rep. Mo Brooks are also considering bids." Full story.

ON THE TRAIL - "Paul Ryan to stump for Karen Handel in Georgia's 6th District race," by the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Greg Bluestein: "U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan will headline an event in Georgia with Republican Karen Handel on May 15, making him the latest high-profile GOP leader to stump with the 6th Congressional District candidate. Ryan campaign spokesman Zack Roday said the speaker is 'proud to stand with Karen Handel, a strong conservative leader who will be a fighter for Georgians.'" Full story.

DCCC expands AHCA campaign with 15-second digital ads in 10 districts: "The DCCC is launching 15-second digital ads targeting ten vulnerable Republicans over their votes in support of the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare. ...The spots are targeting Reps. Martha McSally (AZ-02), Jeff Denham (CA-10), David Valadao (CA-21), Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), Kevin Yoder (KS-03), Bruce Poliquin (ME-02), Jason Lewis (MN-02), Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), John Faso (NY-19) and Claudia Tenney (NY-22)." Full story.

CLOSED DOOR, OPEN WINDOW? - "Mark Green undecided about Tennessee governor's race after withdrawing Army secretary nomination" by Joel Ebert of The Knoxville News Sentinel: "State Sen. Mark Green, who last week withdrew his nomination to serve as President Donald Trump's Army secretary, said Monday he is still thinking about whether to continue his bid for governor." ... Although Green was technically the first candidate to enter the 2018 race when he filed his paperwork in January, he halted his campaign while the Trump administration vetted him for a post in the administration. Green opted to withdraw his name from consideration for Army secretary after coming under fire from advocacy
groups and others who had become concerned about remarks he's made in the past, particularly on LGBT issues and Muslims." Full story.

TAX AND FUND - "Paul Ryan Starts Tax Overhaul Push With Roundtables - And A Fundraiser," by BuzzFeed's Henry Gomez: "The House speaker will be in Ohio on Wednesday to tour two businesses in a Columbus suburb and to lead a roundtable discussion that is expected to focus on tax policy. It's a subject he and many Republicans are eager to tackle after a risky vote to overhaul Obamacare ... After those events, according to a schedule and invitation obtained by BuzzFeed News, Ryan will dash to the home of Leslie H. Wexner, one of the Buckeye State's most prolific donors. There, Ryan will headline a high-dollar reception and dinner benefitting the National Republican Congressional Committee and
its chairman, Steve Stivers, who represents a nearby district. The House-approved health care plan, celebrated by Ryan and President Trump but facing a far tougher sell in the Senate, could cause trouble for the NRCC as it defends seats in next year's midterm elections. And the plan has critics among key Ohio Republicans, including Reps. David Joyce and Michael Turner, who voted against it last week. Sen. Rob Portman also has expressed concerns, as has Gov. John Kasich, who remains a major Trump critic." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Khalid, from El Paso. I'm super-proud of him and what he's doing." -Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, a candidate for Sen. Ted Cruz's Senate seat, sharing his current musical tastes with the Houston Press.

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