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By Kevin Robillard | 03/07/2018 10:00 AM EDT


WIth Zach Montellaro, Daniel Strauss, Maggie Severns and Elena Schneider

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)

The first primary night is in the books, and the DCCC has a Texas-sized headache after Laura Moser finished second in the TX-07 primary, advancing to a May 22 runoff even after the committee called her an opportunistic carpet-bagger who threatens the party's chances to knock off Rep. John Culberson.

What does the party do now? Read on ...

- "Top takeaways from the Texas primary," by POLITICO's Gabe Debenedetti and Elena Schneider: "The 2018 midterms kicked off in eye-opening fashion in Texas Tuesday, as a series of surprises in Democratic House primaries jolted the landscape while the party's large turnout sent a warning to Republicans nationwide. But the GOP remained in the driver's seat in statewide races throughout Texas by night's end, leaving most of the shocks to down-ballot races. Washington Democrats saw some of their run-off plans go down the drain. Well-funded candidates fell in contest after contest. George P. Bush unexpectedly cruised to victory. And women kept on winning." Full story.

- "National Democrats' strategy comes up short in Texas," by POLITICO's Steve Shepard and Elena Schneider: "In the closing weeks of the campaign, the DCCC posted a memo featuring opposition research about Moser, including her residency, until recently, in Washington. The committee declined to back Fletcher explicitly early Wednesday but did reiterate in a statement its commitment to defeating Culberson, noting that Democrats in the district had picked 'a clear front-runner' and 'are in a strong position to win in November.'" Full story.

- We're still waiting on results of the Democratic primary in TX-23. Former Obama administration official Gina Ortiz Jones is in the runoff after winning 41 percent of the vote on Tuesday. But high school teacher Rick Treviño has a 94-vote lead over Judy Canales for the second spot in the runoff as of press time, with 95 percent of precincts reporting.

TUESDAY'S WINNERS

- Governor: GOP Gov. Greg Abbott (90%) will face either Democrat Lupe Valdez (43%) or Andrew White (27%)

- Senate: GOP Sen. Ted Cruz (85%) will face Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke (62%).

- TX-07: GOP Rep. John Culberson (76%) will face either Democrat Lizzie Fletcher (29%) or Laura Moser (24%).

- TX-23: GOP Rep. Will Hurd (81%) will face either Democrat Gina Jones (41%), Rick Treviño (17%) or Judy Canales (17%).

- TX-32: GOP Rep. Pete Sessions (79%) will face either Democrat Colin Allred (39%) or Lillian Salerno (18%).

- TX-02: Kevin Roberts vs. Dan Crenshaw in Republican runoff, before facing Democrat Todd Litton.

- TX-03: Republican Van Taylor will face either Democrat Lorie Burch or Sam Johnson.

- TX-05: Lance Gooden vs. Bunni Pounds in Republican runoff.

- TX-06: Ron Wright vs. Jake Ellzey in Republican runoff.

- TX-16: Democrat Veronica Escobar will face Republican Rick Seeberger.

- TX-21: Chip Roy vs. Matt McCall in Republican runoff. Winner will face either Mary Wilson or Joseph Kopser.

- TX-27: Bech Bruun vs. Michael Cloud in Republican runoff.

- TX-29: Democrat Sylvia Garcia will face either Phillip Aronoff or Carmen Montiel.

SPECIAL ELECTION SEASON - "'He reminds me of my son Beau': Joe Biden stumps for Conor Lamb," by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "'He reminds me of my Beau because with Beau and with Conor, it's about the other guy,' Mr. Biden told a crowd of union workers - and a safety dummy nicknamed 'Rescue Randy' hanging from the rafters - at the Carpenters Training Center in Collier overlooking the Parkway West. ... During his 40-minute speech, Mr. Biden urged his audience to think of the race in broader terms, warning that a late 2017 tax cut passed by Republicans would lead to trillion dollar deficits. Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, he said, had 'already announced' that he hoped to cover
those budget holes by 'going to cut Social Security and Medicare.' Mr. Lamb, he said, 'will throw himself in front of a train to prevent that from happening.'" Full story.

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FRIENDS OF THE PODS - "Franken's replacement tries to turn the page," by Reena Flores: "Sen. Tina Smith doesn't want to talk about Al Franken. When asked about her Franken, the former Democratic senator Minnesota seat amid several allegations of sexual misconduct, she avoided even saying his name in a recent interview with POLITICO's Women Rule podcast, instead concentrating on the economic implications of the #MeToo movement. ... 'I believe it's a cultural change that we're going through as a country, and it's not really a partisan issue," Smith, Minnesota's former lieutenant governor, told POLITICO. 'But I think that my party, the Democratic party, needs to continue to lead the way in ...
paving the path for more economic opportunity for women. And to me, this is really part of that challenge, whether it is paid family leave,; whether it is improved child care.'" Franken's checkered history on sexual harassment is an issue Smith hardly wants to focus on, given her intention to a campaign for office this fall - a feat that can typically take up to two years - even as she acclimates to her new job job. Adding to the task: It's also Smith's her first solo run for elected office." Full story. Listen to the podcast here.

- "Democrats Vow to Go After Republican Governors 'Kowtowing' to Trump," by Edward-Isaac Dovere in POLITICO Magazine: "Jay Inslee wants governors races to become the rallying cry for the resistance to President Donald Trump. "It's a great awakening that we have to fight on a state-by-state basis," the Washington governor and chair of the Democratic Governors Association said in an interview for the latest episode of POLITICO's Off Message podcast. ... "If the Democrats want to use my support for the president and vice president against me, I say bring it on," said Tennessee Rep. Diane Black, a Republican who's running for governor, touting her support for the president wherever she goes.
She believes her vote for his tax bill is going to be one of her best weapons. That's exactly the vulnerability Inslee believes Democrats can hit at, even though he continues to advise them to stay away from talking only about Trump himself all the time." Full story. Listen to the podcast here.

Days until the 2018 election: 245

Upcoming election dates - Pennsylvania 18th District special election: March 13. Illinois primaries: March 20.

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

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

DOWN IN DIXIE - "Bryant 'will not appoint himself' to Senate seat, spokesman says," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant's office issued its most direct statement yet on appointing a successor to outgoing Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), saying the governor would not tap himself for the job. "Gov. Bryant will finish out his term. He will not appoint himself, believing it improper to do so," Bryant spokesman Clay Chandler said in a statement...Other names often mentioned as potential appointees include Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and state Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith." Full story.

- New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Jonathan Martin: "Mike Espy, a former Democratic congressman and agriculture secretary in the Clinton administration, said late Monday that he would consider running for Mr. Cochran's seat. Mr. Espy, who is African-American and from a prominent Delta family, could be a formidable candidate in a state where black voters make up much of the Democratic Party. Democrats are watching which race Mr. McDaniel chooses, hoping to put their most formidable candidate against the state senator." Full story.

- What we're hearing: Don't expect a quick decision on an appointment from Bryant. He's expected to met with the individual candidates for the job one-on-one in the coming days.

FIRST IN SCORE - SPECIAL ELECTION SEASON - Susan B. Anthony's List super PAC attacks Lamb in digital ads: Susan B. Anthony's List super PAC, an anti-abortion-rights group, is out with a five-figure digital ad and a phone banking program to attack Democrat Conor Lamb for "siding with Pelosi" as a "pro-abortion extremists." Watch the ad here.

PARTY INFIGHTING WATCH - "Trump finds some friends on tariffs: Red-state Democrats," by POLITICO's Elana Schor: "As Republicans howl that new tariffs could cause an economic meltdown, a handful of Rust Belt Democrats are giving the president a rare serving of praise. His stance could give the trio - Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, all top GOP targets - a chance to tout their bipartisan credentials and defend their home-state metals industries all at once. 'I'm happy to see action being taken,' Casey said in an interview, acknowledging that his alignment with Trump 'doesn't happen that often.'" Full story.

- "Senate advances bank deregulation bill as Democrats break ranks," by POLITICO's Zachary Warmbrodt: "A deep rift between Democrats over banking industry oversight will be on full display on the Senate floor over the coming days, exposing to voters a clash of progressives and centrists that has been building for several years. 'The people in Congress may have forgotten the crash 10 years ago, but I guarantee that people across this country have not forgotten the pain that these giant banks caused,' Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said as she sought to rally her colleagues against the White House-backed bill. 'They do not want to see Congress move toward deregulating these banks.' ... For
those senators driving the legislation, including [North Dakota Democrat Heidi] Heitkamp, Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), it is an opportunity to show that things can still get done in a bitterly divided Congress." Full story.

- "'Sex and the City' actress threatens Cuomo's 2020 ambitions," by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere and POLITICO New York's Jimmy Vielkind: "Cynthia Nixon is unlikely to beat Andrew Cuomo in the New York Democratic primary. But she'll be the biggest demonstration yet of the visceral loathing and distrust of the governor among liberals that will clearly haunt him if he tries to run for president in 2020. The 'Sex and the City' actress is in serious conversations about jumping in and has begun reaching out to potential staffers, according to a person familiar with her plans, though she has not yet pulled the trigger. Though there's been chatter for months that Nixon would run, Cuomo's team was
caught by surprise Tuesday, several people close to the governor said, as word spread that she was getting more serious. ... [W]ith New York's very late primary - it's not until mid-September - Nixon will have months to exploit that distrust on a range of issues. Cuomo's 2014 primary challenger, Zephyr Teachout, won more than a third of the vote - without Nixon's star power." Full story.

MONEY RACE - "Complaint filed against key PAC in Alabama Senate race," by the Associated Press: "A complaint filed Monday accuses a super PAC that spent millions of dollars to support Doug Jones in Alabama's U.S. Senate race of breaking campaign finance law by failing to disclose donors until after the election. The complaint against Highway 31 political action committee was filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Washington D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center. The complaint alleges the PAC used lines of credit from vendors to avoid disclosing that it was backed by well-funded national Democratic groups." Full story.

- New anti-Blackburn PAC in Tennessee: A new super PAC called the Smoky Mountain Values PAC filed with the Federal Election Commission this week. The PAC is solely devoted to keeping Marsha Blackburn, frontrunner for the Republican Senate nomination, from being elected, said Kyle Tharp, one of the PAC's operators. The group plans to raise money online and is being run by "a group of five young, 25-35 year old current and former Tennesseans" working on a volunteer basis, Tharp said in an email, adding that most of the operators have worked in Democratic politics. Tharp declined to detail the PAC's spending plans but said that "it won't be insignificant." Website here.

ON THE AIR - "Schwartz is first in governor's race to air commercials; declares he 'will fix' education, says Laxalt has 'no solutions,'" by the Nevada Independent's Michelle Rindels: "Republican gubernatorial candidate and Treasurer Dan Schwartz has launched a pair of TV ads, becoming the first governor hopeful to go up with commercials. Schwartz, the perceived underdog in the race, announced the two, 15-second ads on Tuesday. One starts with police sirens and the words 'Code Red Emergency,' noting that in spite of a tax increase, Nevada still ranks last in education. ... A second, 15-second commercial opens up with a line from a Reno Gazette-Journal opinion piece calling Laxalt an 'empty
suit.' It features shots of a grinning Laxalt and scrolls through a list of donations the attorney general has taken." Full story. Watch the ads here and here.

STAFFING UP - Tester hires press secretary: Montana Sen. Jon Tester's reelection campaign has hired Luke Jackson has press secretary. Jackson previously worked in Tester's Senate office as the senator's executive assistant and then his Montana press secretary.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "She did a good job until she realized she wasn't wearing her glasses." - Rep. Beto O'Rourke on his mother's work driving the campaign van in a Wall Street Journal story on parents helping their children's political bids.

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