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<p>By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico) <br />
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<strong>SCORE EXCLUSIVE -- KIRK KEEPS THE SAFETY OFF</strong>: Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk's Senate campaign is launching a new statewide radio offensive against Democratic Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, hitting Giannoulias for paying no income taxes last year as his family's bank failed. “Alexi's Broadway Bank collapsed from risky loans and loans to convicted mobsters. Alexi just deducted the money he lost on his tax return,” the narrator says in the ad. “Bingo: pay no taxes and the government's FDIC pays Broadway's $394 million loss.” <br />
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The script continues -- “But while Alexi pays no taxes, he thinks you don't pay enough taxes” -- and turns Giannoulias's words against him with a clip of the Democrat saying: “I have said from day one as your state treasurer, that while politically it's not the smartest thing to say, we need an income tax increase.” It's just a little more than a week after Kirk held a press conference to address inconsistencies in his biography, and since then he's been doing his absolute best to prove the maxim: the best defense is a good offense. Listen to the radio ad here. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/c3qVak">http://bit.ly/c3qVak</a> <br />
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As Nikki Haley knocks the Chamber, Charlie Melancon attacks and the Obama-Biden team hits the road, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections. <br />
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<strong>SENATE SNEAK PEEK</strong>: Former Ohio Rep. Rob Portman will announce today he raised $2.65 million for his Senate campaign in the second quarter and finished the month of June with $8.8 million in the bank. That's not just an impressive performance: it's an impressive and sustained performance, since the Republican also took in $2.35 million during the first three months of the year. Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher hasn't shared his fundraising numbers yet but is expected to be at a serious disadvantage. <br />
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<strong>TODAY -- WHITE HOUSE GOES WEST</strong>: President Obama and Vice President Biden are both on the campaign trail today, boosting a lucky group of four candidates between them. Obama will attend a pair of Kansas City fundraisers for Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's Senate campaign before heading to Las Vegas for two events at the Aria Resort and Casino with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Biden, meanwhile, starts his day in Portland, Ore., campaigning with Rep. Kurt Schrader and then travels to California to campaign with Sen. Barbara Boxer. <br />
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<strong>TWEAKING REID</strong>: The NRSC will unveil a new website today targeting the Senate majority leader after Harry Reid's campaign republished an old version of challenger Sharron Angle's website and highlighted some of her less-polished issue positions. The NRSC's page, www.therealreid.com, looks almost exactly like Reid's campaign website -- with a couple important changes. Instead of touting Reid's record and advertising, for example, “Harry's Energy Plan: Making Nevada a leader in renewable energy,” it mocks Reid's positions one by one: “Harry's Energy Plan: A national energy tax that could cost Nevada families as much as $1,600 a year.” <br />
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<strong>SPECIAL BULLETIN -- MANCHIN MOVING</strong>: West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin set the wheels moving toward a special election for the late Sen. Robert Byrd's seat Tuesday, asking state Attorney General Darrell McGraw for a new opinion on whether the seat could be filled by a vote this fall. “Two and a half years is too long to wait for the people to have their say in an election,” said Manchin, who acknowledged he would “highly consider” running for the seat. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9tbzgm">http://bit.ly/9tbzgm</a> <br />
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<strong>SCORE'S TAKE</strong>: Manchin wouldn't be going out of his way to complicate things if he didn't think he could run and take the seat. The only Republican with a real chance against him would be Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who also called for a special election but would be taking a major risk to gamble her career on a bid against the popular governor.</p><p><strong>THE MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR WOMEN</strong>: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann posted an astonishing, $1.7 million fundraising haul for the second quarter of 2010 -- a total that could probably swamp every House challenger in the country EXCEPT Democratic state Sen. Tarryl Clark, who brought in $910,000. Bachmann's total includes the take from a fundraiser she held with Sarah Palin in April; she's raised more than $4 million for the cycle, to Clark's $2 million. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cHt5xZ">http://bit.ly/cHt5xZ</a> <br />
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<strong>MORE -- Q2 TICKER</strong>: Former New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte brought in $720,000 in her bid for Senate, posting her best quarter to date ... Republican Jane Norton raised $900,000 for her Colorado Senate campaign and had $600,000 on hand ... Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek took in more than $1 million, posting yet another seven-figure quarter even as he competed with self-funding billionaire Jeff Greene in the Dem Senate primary... Idaho Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick raised $410,000, banking $1.9 million for the cycle ...stay tuned for more ... <br />
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<strong>VITTER DODGES</strong>: Louisiana Sen. David Vitter dodged reporters' questions on Wednesday as they pressed him about the decision to keep employing aide Brent Furer even after an incident in which Furer used a knife against his girlfriend. Vitter, who was filing for reelection, insisted that the story had been “misrepresented,” saying: “Well, the event was two years ago. The discipline he got in the office was two years ago.” Democratic challenger Charlie Melancon linked the scandal with Vitter's previous run-in with the law over his involvement with prostitutes: “He disappeared for eight months after his indiscretion and then he has disappeared now for day 14, day 17 since his episode with his convicted staffer.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bN03Bo">http://bit.ly/bN03Bo</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9zmTg">http://bit.ly/9zmTg</a> <br />
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<strong>HOUSE RACE MUST-READ</strong>: West Virginia state Sen. Mike Oliverio, who defeated Rep. Alan Mollohan in a May Democratic primary, has apparently won over a party establishment once skeptical of his campaign. POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reports: “Among those cutting checks for Oliverio were House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin (D-Mich.), and Richard Neal (D-Mass.) It's a notable turnaround for Oliverio ... During the primary Oliverio had gone so far as to distance himself from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, telling the Wheeling News-Register in late April that he hoped he could support a 'better candidate' for speaker.” <a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/aEDKpb">http://politi.co/aEDKpb</a> <br />
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<strong>2012 TALKER -- GINGRICH RETURNS</strong>: The former House speaker is heading to Iowa for a candidate training event organized by his 527 group, American Solutions. He'll be in Des Moines on Monday to open a session with candidates at the Marriott Hotel. Gingrich headlined a similar event in New Hampshire in June. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/b7i03l">http://bit.ly/b7i03l</a> <br />
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<strong>POLL OF THE DAY</strong>: Sen. Barbara Boxer is leading Republican challenger Carly Fiorina by just three points in her fight for reelection, according to the Field Poll. Boxer currently takes 47 percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO. A majority of voters -- 52 percent -- now say they have an unfavorable view of the Democratic incumbent. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aS1g2I">http://bit.ly/aS1g2I</a> <br />
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<strong>ACROSS THE 2010 MAP</strong> -- with POLITICO's Tim Alberta: <br />
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- The Chamber sticks with Sheheen: The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce is maintaining its endorsement of Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen for governor over GOP state Rep. Nikki Haley. The Chamber also endorsed Haley's runoff primary opponent, Gresham Barrett. Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey slammed the group for supporting “bailouts and corporate welfare.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9bp7mk">http://bit.ly/9bp7mk</a> <br />
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- Whitman knocks Arizona: How intent is Meg Whitman on courting Latino voters in her bid for governor? She's paid for billboard advertising her opposition to the Arizona immigration law and saying she would have opposed Prop 187 back in the day, too. The message: “NO a la Proposicion 187 y NO a la Ley de Arizona -- Meg Whitman.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/996Kkt">http://bit.ly/996Kkt</a> <br />
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- Georgia still on Brewer's mind: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer recorded a robo-call for former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel's gubernatorial campaign, saying Handel is “courageous” and would “demand that the federal government take action on illegal immigration.” Handel needs the boost: her chief primary opponent, state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, has an impressive $1.83 million in the bank for the home stretch. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9XbWp7">http://bit.ly/9XbWp7</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9V1PSo">http://bit.ly/9V1PSo</a> <br />
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- Parnell won't get pinned: Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, running to serve his first full term after succeeding Sarah Palin in office, wouldn't say in a debate whether he preferred Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski for reelection or her Palin-backed primary challenger, Joe Miller. Parnell said he would support the winner of the GOP primary. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bDK4fb">http://bit.ly/bDK4fb</a> <br />
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- Norcross exits: New Jersey Republican National Committeeman David Norcross, a longtime GOP leader who served as the RNC's general counsel under Haley Barbour, plans to step down from his post. He told the Washington Times's Ralph Z. Hallow that because he no longer lives in New Jersey, “it's not quite appropriate for me to represent the state on the national committee.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/c6TZky">http://bit.ly/c6TZky</a> </p><br>
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