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By Kyle Cheney

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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POPPING THIS MORNING - "Cummings' role in Senate race: Candidate or kingmaker?" by POLITICO's Lauren French and Campaign Pro's Kyle Cheney: "A senior lawmaker able to excite his state's massive African-American voting bloc, [Elijah] Cummings could be an instant force as a Senate candidate - and those close to him think there's a high probability that he will run ... 'It does appear as though he probably has a strong proclivity to running,' said a source with deep ties in Maryland politics ... The source said Cummings has told allies he wants to run, but that he's worried about how much there is to lose - most prominently, his powerful voice to serve as a national counterbalance to
Republicans as the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Committee on Benghazi.

"Cummings is quietly testing the waters, however. He's made calls to former colleagues in the Maryland General Assembly and Democratic leaders throughout the state - and he's put a poll in the field to test his standing in what will be a bitter and crowded primary fight."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4c5b447d37af57b246de6fbe6c0606905b6ef32f0151b74ec
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DEMS WANT MURPHY IN FLORIDA - "Pols line up to replace Rubio," by POLITICO's Marc Caputo in South Florida: "The high-level maneuvering to replace Florida Sen. Marco Rubio accelerated Wednesday as Congressman Patrick Murphy emerged as the top pick of Senate Democratic leadership, and word leaked that Republican Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera is interested in the seat as well. The positioning for the seat in the nation's biggest swing state - expected to be vacated by Rubio - didn't stop there. Some Democrats said Wednesday that Gov. Charlie Crist was "making calls" regarding the seat, but his inner-circle discounted the talk. And allies of Jeff Atwater, Florida's elected chief financial
officer, boasted of a poll showing his strength over Murphy and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose interest in running for Senate appears nearly nonexistent. Much of the posturing is speculative - Rubio still has not definitively said he won't seek reelection in 2016 if he explores a bid for president. But he's expected to announce his presidential run in April. Rubio's White House bid appears more likely than ever now that Lopez-Cantera has started preliminary talks about replacing him. Lopez-Cantera and Rubio live a few miles apart, speak frequently and are such close friends that they and their wives attend the birthday parties of each other's kids."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde470a529c3d0f7d552e3b2eab3353ea4fb841a3c8811191104
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HAGAN ON THE FENCE - Ex-N.C. senator considering another run: Former Sen. Kay Hagan, now a Harvard university fellow, sounded a lot like a candidate Wednesday during an appearance on Boston's WBUR-FM. She declined repeatedly to say whether she supports or opposes the existence of a debt ceiling, calling instead for tax reform, before a host pigeonholed her into giving an answer. She also jabbed at President Barack Obama for Democrats' massive losses last year, contending she thought the White House dropped the ball on spreading a positive economic message. "I don't think the president used the bully pulpit to take hold of the economy," she said. Asked if that meant she thought he could've
done more to campaign with her in her state, she added, "That's not what I said." Asked if she'd be a candidate for public office again, she said, "I'm not saying yes, and I'm not saying no."

As Mike Lee gets some help from his frenemies and Russ Feingold gets an encouraging poll, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: daily news, notes and essential information for the 2015 and 2016 election cycles.

Days until the 2015 election: 236; Days until the 2016 election: 607

Thanks for joining us. We're eager for your news and feedback. Email us at
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kcheney@politico.com or find us on Twitter at @
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kyledcheney .

TEAM OF RIVALS - Lee touts support from potential adversaries: In an effort to mend fences with Utah business leaders and establishment Republicans as he seeks renomination for a second term, Sen. Mike Lee announced Wednesday that two of his most prominent possible opponents had signed on as co-chairs of his reelection effort. Former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. and Zions Bank CEO Scott Anderson, both of whom were courted by moderates and considered running against Lee for the GOP nomination, will lead the effort. "I am thankful to these good friends for stepping up and engaging on my behalf as part of my reelection committee," Lee said in a statement. Lee "is committed to raising Utah's voice in
Congress by uniting people from across the political spectrum around common sense solutions," said spokesman Boyd Matheson, a veteran GOP staffer who's been credited with helping Lee turn his rigid image around after the 2013 government shutdown.

RATING THE REMATCH - PPP poll gives Feingold early edge over Johnson: Former Sen. Russ Feingold, Democrats' top recruit for a potential rematch against GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, leads Johnson by about 10 points in a hypothetical matchup, according to a new PPP poll. The Democratic firm found that Feingold fares best against Johnson while other potential competitors - including Rep. Ron Kind, Rep. Mark Pocan and former gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke would all tie or trail Johnson, with significant numbers in the undecided column. In each matchup, Johnson outperforms his dismal approval rating of 32 percent. The poll:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4148f6d8c48c366aba62c1f1e4df67e609c5b403adaf2a6bf
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4148f6d8c48c366aba62c1f1e4df67e609c5b403adaf2a6bf

2016 GOP - "Report: Jeb Bush selling off private businesses," by POLITICO's Adam B. Lerner: "Jeb Bush has officially exited the private sector. The former Florida governor is selling off his remaining stakes in Britton Hill Partnership, an investment and consulting group Bush helped found, and Jeb Bush & Associates, a consulting firm he founded after exiting office in 2007, Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell confirmed"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde47cdebfc00acff515f25dddff7f4cf2af631ddb13dd5dbea4
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THE NUMBERS - Bluegrass voters on the fence on Paul presidential bid: Kentuckians have mixed feelings about Sen. Rand Paul running for president, according to a new SurveyUSA poll released Wednesday. It's the second part of the company's Bluegrass poll, conducted for Kentucky news outlets. About one in five voters want Paul to run for president, and a similar number want him to see reelection and 23 percent want him to run for both. But 30 percent say he shouldn't run for anything. The poll:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4e56e2c81e8ee3229ad57333ed879762a722ab2045e056164
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4e56e2c81e8ee3229ad57333ed879762a722ab2045e056164

More on the poll for Campaign Pro subscribers: SurveyUSA's Jay Leve explains some methodology changes intended to deliver more accurate results after the organization's inaccurate Kentucky predictions in 2014.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4b24b38536842c018ed28ffbd06ae52195d09b01ec3c68970
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde4b24b38536842c018ed28ffbd06ae52195d09b01ec3c68970

TRACKING WARREN - Mass. senator ignores Clinton email query: Roll Call reports that America Rising was causing trouble in the Capitol Wednesday. The target: Sen. Elizabeth Warren. A tracker for the group grilled Warren in the hallway of the Dirksen building, only to be rebuffed, per Warren's usual practice of ignoring questions lobbed at her on the fly. "There appeared to be no general prohibition on members of the public shooting video in publicly accessible hallways of the Senate's office buildings," according to the report. "However, Senate rules and regulations do impose significant restrictions on the use of video cameras (as well as recording video on cellphones) within the Capitol
building itself."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde48f4ab141f426cd4807cd29fe457adeb0ec0546e179f1024e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde48f4ab141f426cd4807cd29fe457adeb0ec0546e179f1024e

DEPT. OF FOREGONE CONCLUSIONS - Another day another endorsement for Hall in CA-44: This time it's Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti endorsing State Sen. Isadore Hall's bid for the CA-44 House district being vacated by Rep. Janice Hahn. 'I am proud to endorse Isadore Hall for Congress. Isadore Hall will be a powerful advocate for the 44th District and our nation who will be a champion for economic opportunity, civil rights and the most vulnerable in our society," Garcetti said in a statement."

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I've always said that I would vote for anybody except the mayor." - Businessman Willie Wilson on his endorsement for Chuy Garcia, who's up against Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, per the Chicago Tribune.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde455da4ac0c0346b3237aaaf7a09b8dfd037e0b4523543b339
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=102fdfc35626dde455da4ac0c0346b3237aaaf7a09b8dfd037e0b4523543b339

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