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By Elena Schneider | 01/18/2017 10:00 AM EDT


With Kevin Robillard

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)

ON THE RECORD - "Campaign Pro Q&A with Mike Johnston," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "As Democrats seek to rebuild their party and elevate fresh new faces in 2017 and 2018, Colorado state Sen. Mike Johnston hopes he fits the bill enough to make up for some traditional disadvantages in the state's open governor's race. Johnston, a former high school principal and education adviser to President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, is not as well-known as potential Democratic candidates like former Sen. Ken Salazar and Rep. Ed Perlmutter - though The New York Times' Frank Bruni named Johnston one of '14 young Democrats to watch' early last year. ...But Johnston hopes his constant effort to
'elevat[e] the voices and stories of regular people,' which helped him take over a legislative district that has traditionally had African-American representation, may prove a good fit for the times. Fresh off his Tuesday campaign launch, Johnston discussed how he'll attempt to stand out in a potentially crowded primary, what prompted him to run, and how his platform reflects what he believes the Democratic Party failed to offer voters in 2016." Full story.

- Johnston has hired Democratic consultant Craig Hughes, a past adviser to the Obama and Bennet campaigns in Colorado, per the Denver Post.

SUPER PAC-TION - "Trump's election victory gives private prisons a boost," by The Wall Street Journal's Beth Reinhard: "The private prison industry, which has faced tough government scrutiny, a declining inmate population and a drawdown of federal contracts under the Obama administration, is seeing a reversal of fortune due to the election of Donald Trump. Private prisons were found to be more dangerous than government-run facilities in an August report by the inspector general of the Justice Department, prompting the agency to announce it would begin phasing out those contracts. ... But then came the upset by Mr. Trump on Nov. 8. Stock prices surged for Geo Group and Corrections
Corporation of America - rebranded the previous month as CoreCivic - reflecting investors' faith in the self-described 'law-and-order candidate.' Mr. Trump said at a town-hall meeting earlier last year, 'I do think we can do a lot of privatizations and private prisons. It seems to work a lot better.'"

- "... One day after the Justice Department memo, as Geo Group's stock price fell 32%, a subsidiary of the firm gave $100,000 to a super PAC backing Mr. Trump, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That subsidiary, and a GEO Group political committee, made two other donations to the super PAC, called Rebuilding America Now, that totaled $175,000, according to CRP." Full story.

JUST KIDDING - Minnesota pillow mogul Mike Lindell closed the door (almost) completely on a run for governor, after earlier stoking speculation, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Days until the 2017 election: 294.

Days until the 2018 election: 658.

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

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

CHRISTIE WHO? - "Guadagno kicks off campaign for governor without mentioning Christie," by POLITICO New Jersey's Matt Friedman in Keansburg, N.J.: "Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who spent the last seven years in relative obscurity, on Tuesday launched her campaign to succeed Republican Gov. Chris Christie without mentioning his name. Guadagno, who took on the role of New Jersey's business ambassador during the Christie administration, talked of her blue collar roots, her travels across the state and the fact that she gave people she came across her cell phone number, which she promised not to change. And she threw in a couple nameless jabs at Christie." Full story.

CASH RACE - Northam tops Gillespie in fundraising in second half of 2016: "Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, announced he raised $1.6 million for his gubernatorial bid in the back half of 2016, besting Ed Gillespie, the GOP frontrunner. Gillespie announced last week he raised $1.1 million and had just shy of $2 million on hand. Northam's campaign said he has just under $2.5 million on hand. His campaign has raised $3.9 million so far this cycle. The funds are split between Northam's personal account and his Stronger Together PAC." Full story.

- And staffing up, too: Full story.

POLL POSITION - Latino Decisions shows former Sanders staffer, state assemblyman at the front of CA-34 special election field: Latino Decisions asked 400 participants on Jan. 14 about the 10 Democratic candidates jockeying to replace Rep. Xavier Becerra in this safely blue seat, and found Arturo Carmona, former Bernie Sanders political director, leads the pack. After given a full biography, 38 percent of those surveyed said they'd back Carmona, followed by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez with 23 percent and "don't know" at 14 percent. Bernie Sanders also polled highest among for most powerful endorser in the race. Read the full polling memo here.

ON THE HILL - "How Trump keeps trampling on Hill GOP's big plans," by POLITICO's Rachael Bade: "Paul Ryan invited Donald Trump's most senior advisers to Capitol Hill a week ago to head off a quiet tug-of-war between congressional Republicans and Trump officials over tax reform. For more than two hours, the speaker laid out his alternative to Trump's plan to slap tariffs on companies that move jobs overseas, which he believed would encourage companies to stay in the U.S. But not even a week later, Trump dismissed Ryan's idea, calling it 'too complicated.' And now Ryan is left with a potential trillion-dollar hole in his tax plan. It was the latest instance of the president-elect big-footing
Hill Republicans' carefully laid policy plans." Full story.

TRANSITION SPEED READ - "The Trump lobbying purge that wasn't," by POLITICO's Maggie Severns and Isaac Arnsdorf: "Despite President-elect Donald Trump's much-publicized efforts to keep lobbyists out of his administration, they have continued to offer policy advice, recommend job candidates and contribute money to his transition team, according to a POLITICO investigation. And while they're barred from donating to the $200 million in inaugural festivities this week, lobbyists have been collecting checks on Trump's behalf, according to four lobbyists interviewed by POLITICO who are directly helping raise the funds. The loopholes in Trump's restrictions are so widespread that many lobbyists
said they've concluded Trump's ethics rules aren't really meant to change how business is done in Washington. 'I've known Donald Trump for 30 years. I think he's serious for wanting to keep what he calls "special interests" out of the process as much as possible,' said Charlie Black, chairman of the lobbying firm Prime Policy Group. 'But that said, he kind of knows how these things work.'" Full story.

- "Why are no senators boycotting the inauguration? National ambition is part of it," by The Washington Post's Paul Kane: "... So far, not a single Senate Democrat has joined nearly 60 House Democrats, almost a third of their entire caucus, who have vowed to boycott Trump's swearing-in. Those House Democrats have pledged solidarity with Democratic Rep. John Lewis (Ga.), who prompted a Twitter war with Trump over the weekend after declaring that Trump will not be a "legitimate president" in part because of Russian interference in the 2016 campaign. ...The issue is trickier for Senate Democrats with clearer national ambitions. Last week, Booker sat next to Lewis as both testified against Sen.
Jeff Sessions's nomination to be attorney general, citing the Alabama Republican's record on civil rights issues. Senate colleagues accused Booker of launching his 2020 presidential campaign." Full story.

- "Trump's Translator Wants The Global Elite To Understand Him," by Buzzfeed's Miriam Elder: "Anthony Scaramucci was once known as the party boy of Davos, hosting a shindig at the hotel piano bar that is the center of social life during the week that the small Alpine village turns into a gathering of the global elite. This year, the asset manager turned Trump adviser came to the World Economic Forum, as one participant put it, as an 'ambassador and future interpreter.' ...That's where Scaramucci steps in - someone who has been to their soirees and understands their wit and dark humor. Someone who makes easy reference to European history in conversation and throws book recommendations (you
should apparently read historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's The Bully Pulpit) in with remarks on governance. Someone who uses relatively sophisticated vocabulary to say essentially the same thing as Trump: The world is about to change dramatically and there is nothing you can do about it." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Paul Ryan's a nice guy but his music stinks. He's only 46, but he plays the music of a 58-year-old man" - Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who competes with Ryan for DJ duties in the House gym as she teaches spin and he teaches P90X, via the Arizona Republic.

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