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01/31/2019 10:00 AM EDT

By ZACH MONTELLARO (zmontellaro@politico.com; @ZachMontellaro)


Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Score is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Campaign subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here.
QUICK FIX
- Presidential hopefuls are trying to win over the support of members of the Congressional Black Caucus, a sign of the importance of black voters in the Democratic primary.

- A third of eligible voters in 2020 will be non-white, according to a new projection from Pew, the highest share ever.

- A new North Carolina board of elections could be seated as early as today, a crucial step toward a hearing investigating allegations of election fraud in NC-09.

Good Thursday morning. Fun fact: I've had fewer than three cups of coffee my entire life. Yell at me at zmontellaro@politico.com or DM me at @ZachMontellaro.

Email the great Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com, jarkin@politico.com, and lbarron-lopez@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @PoliticoScott, @DanielStrauss4, @JamesArkin and @lbarronlopez.

Days until the 2019 election: 278

Days until the 2020 election: 642
THE TOPLINES
THE BATTLE FOR THE CBC - Potential Democratic presidential candidates are elbowing each other out to win the support of the CBC, in a year that black voters will be a crucial part of any winning Democratic coalition.

"Two African-American senators, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, are aggressively courting black lawmakers as they look to build networks in key presidential voting states like South Carolina, Ohio and Michigan. Both showed up at the CBC's weekly meeting on Wednesday," POLITICO's Laura Barrón-López and John Bresnahan reported. "But Joe Biden could complicate their plans: The former vice president is a longtime ally of the CBC and has been reaching out to veteran black lawmakers to talk about the race."

Laura and Bres interviewed 15 of the CBC's 55 members, and each said they have heard from at least one would-be presidential hopeful, with some saying they've been explicitly asked for an endorsement. And Rep. Jim Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress, said the caucus is split: "I know who's for Biden, who's for Booker, who's for [Harris]," he said.

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IN THE TRENCHES
PRESIDENTIAL BIG BOARD - Is there room for a moderate in the Democratic primary? "Monochrome and male, they do not embody social change and few hold out the promise of making history," The New York Times' Alex Burns wrote. "If they run, these Democrats would test whether there is a large audience of primary voters open to promises of incremental change and political compromise, or whether the ascendant liberal wing is now fully dominant".

- Two more California Democrats endorsed Harris: Reps. Katie Hill (CA-25) and Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44).

- John Podesta says Hillary Clinton is not running for president, per POLITICO's Caitlin Oprysko.

- Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has been quietly setting up for a potential run. Schultz deployed "more than six national polls and [laid] the groundwork for paid advertising that could debut in the next two months," The Washington Post's Michael Scherer reported. Plus a timeline for Schultz: Bill Burton, who now works for Shultz, told Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur that he may not make a decision until "summer or fall."

UP NEXT - Recruiting is well underway for the battle of the Senate. To help Pros keep track of who might run, our own James Arkin launched a new series, his Senate recruiting notebook. Some details from the first edition: Former state House speakers Crisanta Duran and Andrew Romanoff and former State Sen. Mike Johnston, all Democrats, are considering running in Colorado, and William Hagerty, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, is considered a top GOP recruit in Tennessee.

- A group of veteran Republicans has set up a super PAC to support Sen. David Perdue's (R-Ga.) reelection bid, Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss and James reported.

- Former Texas GOP chair Steve Munisteri will be a senior adviser to Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) reelection campaign, the Texas Tribune's Abby Livingston reported.

THE ELECTORATE - The 2020 electorate could be the most nonwhite electorate ever, according to a new report from Pew's Anthony Cilluffo and Richard Fry. A third of eligible voters will be nonwhite, the largest share ever. For the first time, Hispanic voters are poised to outnumber black voters.

But the age of the electorate is tricky: Generation Z voters (the generation younger than millennials) will make up one in 10 eligible voters, while people 65 and older will make up 23 percent of the potential electorate, the highest share since at least 1970. Baby Boomers and older generations will make up fewer than four in 10 eligible voters. But the usual caveat, from the report: "As always, a great deal will depend on who turns out to vote."

NC-09, CONTINUED - A new North Carolina state board of elections could be appointed as early as today, which would set the wheels in motion for an evidentiary hearing over fraud allegations in NC-09. But speed bumps remain. "Last week Democrats complained that two of the four GOP nominees were ineligible for [participating in 'electioneering' in the last four years], The Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill reported. "This week it was Republicans who identified the two Democrats as ineligible."

IN VIRGINIA - A freshman Democratic delegate introduced a bill that would loosen restrictions on third-trimester abortions by allowing one doctor to sign off, if the pregnancy would "impair the mental or physical health of the woman." When pushed by Republican lawmakers at a hearing, Del. Kathy Tran said the bill would allow abortion up until birth, the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Graham Moomaw reported, and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam was later asked about the bill in a radio appearance (The Washington Post's Laura Vozzella has more on Northam's radio appearance, which had critics condemning him as backing infanticide, while a Northam spokesperson called it "bad faith" attempts to
"extrapolate" from his comments). The bill will likely not become law because Republicans have narrow majorities in both chambers of the legislature - but the entirety of both chambers is up for election this year.

TRUMP'S PARTY - Two swing state Republican senators said they'd back President Donald Trump in 2020. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) told IJR's William Steakin he's endorsing Trump for reelection now because it's the "right thing to do for Colorado," while Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who isn't up until 2022, said he'll "support the Republican incumbent."

- Or not? Former Mass Gov. Bill Weld, who was on the 2016 Libertarian ticket, could announce plans to run (or launch a exploratory committee) as a Republican as soon as today, per WCVB's Janet Wu.

SHORT TRIP - The DCCC's new chief of staff, Jalisa Washington-Price, resigned to take a new job just two months into the position, Laura and Bres reported.

#METOO - Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a potential 2020 candidate, didn't tell New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's office that one of his former aides was fired from the DGA for sexual harassment. Why? "Gov. Bullock fully agreed with the decision to end Mr. O'Brien's employment with the DGA and at the time expected that having been held accountable for his actions, Kevin [O'Brien] would not repeat this behavior. Knowing what he knows now, it's clear to Bullock the DGA termination wasn't enough," Bullock spokeswoman Ronja Abel told the Helena Independent Record's Holly Michels.

THE CASH DASH - Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) raised $1.8 million in the last quarter of 2018 (when the Kavanaugh hearings were taking place), per her FEC report.

- 2020 hopefuls often dip from the same donor pool. "More than 1,500 donors have at some point thrown cash to three or more of the current or prospective Democratic contenders," McClatchy's Adam Wollner and Ben Wieder reported.

STILL NOT A FAN - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor Wednesday to criticize H.R. 1 (116), House Democrats' voting, campaign finance and ethics reform bill. Two particular provisions that drew his ire: public financing of campaigns and making election day a federal holiday. "Just what America needs, another paid holiday," he said on the Senate floor, calling the bill "a power grab."

VOTING RIGHTS WATCH - Hawaii is considering a slew of voting reform legislation, Honolulu Civil Beat's Blaze Lovell reported.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I aspire to be the conservative AOC ... [but] I can't dance for shit." - Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to POLITICO.

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