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By Daniel Strauss | 06/09/2017 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)

YUUUUGE BET - "Democrats bet on Trump in Virginia governor's race," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "The Democratic primary to be Virginia's next governor has been an open race to the left, with Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former Rep. Tom Perriello scrambling to prove their progressivism ahead of Tuesday's primary vote and the November election. Behind it all is the one supporting character common to both campaigns: President Donald Trump... The president's 5-point loss in Virginia cemented Democrats' determination that the former red state has turned blue, and Northam and Perriello have responded with unapologetically liberal campaigns on abortion, guns, free college tuition, criminal
justice reform and other issues - with a heavy dose of Trump-bashing thrown in. 'Let's prove that Donald Trump's values are not Virginia values,' Perriello says in one of his closing television ads. Northam has arguably gone further, using his TV campaign to call Trump a 'narcissistic maniac' - though Perriello answered Thursday with an ad of his own calling Trump 'authoritarian.'" Read more.

- MORE VIRGINIA: Friends of the Earth Action donated $25,000 to Perriello's campaign.

CASH FLOW - "Ossoff raised $15M in last two months," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "Democrat Jon Ossoff raised $15 million in the last two months leading up to Georgia's special House election, bringing his overall fundraising total to $23 million, a massive sum for a House candidate. Ossoff's campaign touted that the average contribution to his campaign was $20.49. Spending in the race has topped $40 million, shattering the record for the most expensive House race in history...Republican Karen Handel's team has not yet released her fundraising numbers. In the pre-primary report in April, Handel raised just under $500,000. Handel, who's run for several statewide offices, has struggled
in the past with fundraising." Read more. Ossoff spent $16.3 million and had just over $1 million left on hand after May 31.

- "Handel raised $4M leading up to Georgia special election," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "Republican Karen Handel raised over $4 million for her campaign in Georgia's special House election in the last two months, according to her FEC report. Handel spent $2.8 million and had $1.4 million left over at the end of May." Full story.

- GEORGIA POLL - Ossoff 50, Handel 47 from WSB-TV/Landmark Communication: The poll is in line with the group's previous surveys, which have been showing Ossoff on top but well within the margin of error. Read more here.

- FIRST IN SCORE - CLF runs new ad in GA-06: Ten days out, the Congressional Leadership Fund released another TV and digital ad that hammers Democrat Jon Ossoff for being a Nancy Pelosi "liberal" who "would make things worse" in Washington by "voting for higher taxes, more spending and job-crushing regulations," the ad's narrator says. "As Georgia's only woman in Congress, Karen Handel will fight hard for working families - supporting a Balanced Budget Amendment, fighting waste and putting Georgia taxpayers and Georgia jobs first." The ad is part of CLF's $7 million expenditure in the Georgia special election. Watch the ad here.

MORE CAMPAIGN FINANCE - Congressional Leadership Fund's pre-special election FEC report showed that the GOP House super PAC raised over $2.9 million in May, including $1 million from Western Refining's Paul Foster and $1 million transferred from American Action Network, CLF's sister nonprofit, which does not disclose its donors. Georgia GOP megadonor Bernard Marcus gave $250,000.

- On the House Democratic side, House Majority PAC raised $1.86 million - but in five full months, from Jan. 1 through May 31. Real estate magnate George Marcus gave $500,000, financier Donald Sussman gave $250,000, NextGen Climate Action gave $200,000, and political funds of the UAW and IBEW unions gave $100,000 apiece.

CLOSE CALLS - "NRCC chair: Georgia special election 'going to be a tight race,'" by Campaign Pro's Scott Bland: "Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), the chairman of the NRCC, said Thursday that he expects the special House election in Georgia to go down to the wire - but believes Republicans will hold the seat in the end. 'It's going to be a tight race all the way to the end,' Stivers said in an interview for C-SPAN's 'Newsmakers.' 'Karen Handel is a great candidate. When you look at what happened in April, we had 13 Republican candidates and they combined to get just over a majority of the vote. ... I feel very comfortable and confident that we are working it as a team with the NRCC.'"

- STIVERS IDs A 2018 BELLWETHER - "'I think of our seats, if you want to look at kind of a bellwether, it'd probably be Ryan Costello" in Pennsylvania's 6th District in the Philadelphia suburbs, Stivers said. 'He's a great young member, a rising star, but he's got a strong challenger and I would pay attention to that race.' ... And he sees Florida's 7th District, represented by freshman Democrat Stephanie Murphy, as a major target the GOP can flip to protect the House ... 'If we win in Florida, I believe that the Democrats are not taking back the majority. If they win in Pennsylvania against Ryan Costello, they've got a shot to take the majority,' Stivers said." Read more.

Days until the 2017 election: 150.

Days until the 2018 election: 514.

Thanks for joining us. Your Morning Score author today is especially proud of the Quote of the Day. Make sure to read all the way to the end of Score. Go Blue! 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 BONUS EPISODE: On the eve of LGBTQ Pride marches around the country, president of the Human Rights Campaign Chad Griffin and Indecent playwright Paula Vogel join Isaac Dovere for a special bonus episode of Off Message. The two activists share their anxieties about the future of the LGBTQ community under the Trump administration. "Do I feel right now that we're at a volatile moment? Absolutely," Vogel tells Dovere. "Do I feel we're going to lose these rights? I think it's a real possibility." Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

NERDCAST PODCAST: James Comey made his first public appearance as the former director of the FBI Thursday. POLITICO's Scott Bland, Charlie Mahtesian, Ken Vogel and Eliana Johnson break down what he said and what it means for the Russia investigation. Plus, the latest on New Jersey and Virginia's gubernatorial races and what they say about the future of the Democratic Party - and what's new in Georgia's intense special House election. Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

MEANWHILE, IN SOUTH CAROLINA - Norman had $97,000 on hand in pre-special FEC report: Republican Ralph Norman is still the heavy favorite in the race to replace OMB Director Mick Mulvaney, but he won't get there by outspending Democrat Archie Parnell. A pre-election campaign finance report shows him with just $97,500 on hand as of the end of May. Norman is personally wealthy, so he could change that situation quickly. Norman spent just under $555,000 and raised $411,000 during the last campaign finance period, according to an FEC filing.

KOBACH GETS IN - "Kobach announces campaign for Kansas governor" by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach launched his campaign for governor today. Kobach is one of the most high-profile secretaries of state in the country, an ally of President Donald Trump and a strident opponent of voter fraud and illegal immigration. Trump picked Kobach to serve as vice chairman of his commission on voter fraud and voter suppression." Read more.

- Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander's Let America Vote group responded: "Let America Vote will make sure that Secretary Kobach answers for every time he stands in the way of eligible voters and the ballot box."

DEBATE RECAP - "Georgia House candidates debate in Comey's shadow," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "Ossoff and Handel debated Thursday morning for the second time in three days - this time in a meeting sponsored by an Atlanta public radio station that was also streamed online - mostly sparring over health care, taxes and foreign policy. But with the debate beginning just an hour before Comey appeared on Capitol Hill, both candidates were pressed on Comey's advance testimony, which was released on Wednesday. Both candidates deflected and said the investigations should continue." Full story.

BOLTON BACKING - John Bolton's PAC is donating a net total of $100,000 to ten House Republicans' reelection campaigns. They are: Reps. Martha McSally (AZ-02), Mike Coffman (CO-06), Ron DeSantis (FL-06), Brian Mast (FL-26), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), John Katko (NY-24), Will Hurd (TX-23), and Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-08).

STAFFING UP - Rep. Raúl Labrador announced his gubernatorial campaign team on Thursday. The team is run by China Veldhouse Gum, the former executive director of the Republican Party and Labrador's 2010 and 2012 campaign manager. Axiom Strategies' Jeff Roe and Ethan Zorfas will serve as principal advisers on strategy, direct mail, and digital engagement. Public Opinion Strategies' Glen Bolger and Robert Blizzard are also on the team alongside Jim Innocenzi, who will run political advertising and messaging for the campaign.

HOUSE BATTLEGROUND WATCH - "A secret recording shows U.S. Rep. McSally has some concerns about reelection," by Tucson Weekly's Jim Nintzel: "Team McSally has been poo-pooing recent polls ... But last week, in a private talk to the Arizona Bankers Association, McSally conceded that in the current political environment, she has some real challenges in next year's election. McSally complained that President Donald Trump and his tweets were creating troubling 'distractions' and 'it's basically being taken out on me. Any Republican member of Congress, you are going down with the ship.' ... 'There's just an element out there that's just, like, so against the president. Like they just can't see
straight. And all of a sudden on January 20, I'm like his twin sister to them. And I'm, like, responsible for everything he does, and tweets and says. And they want me to be spending my time as a pundit. "I disagree with that. I agree with this." I have a job in the legislature!'" Full story.

REDISTRICTING UPDATE - "State lawmakers [in North Carolina] are disregarding Gov. Roy Cooper's call Wednesday for an extra session to redraw the legislative districts struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court," WRAL's Laura Leslie reported. Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I can guarantee you there will be no Harbaughs winning in Columbus in November." - NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), criticizing OH-07 Democrat Ken Harbaugh and University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh all at once Thursday, in an interview for C-SPAN's "Newsmakers," which will air Sunday.

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