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By Elena Schneider | 03/28/2018 10:00 AM EDT


With Kevin Robillard and Daniel Strauss

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)

COUNTDOWN - "POLITICO's top 10 Senate races," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "In an abominable year for Republicans on the ballot, a few bright spots have lifted GOP spirits of late in the battle for Senate control. In North Dakota, a sought-after GOP recruit, Rep. Kevin Cramer, changed his mind and jumped into the race against Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp. And perhaps more significant, Florida Gov. Rick Scott inched closer this week to bringing his statewide name ID and boatloads of money to the race against vulnerable Sen. Bill Nelson. But lest the GOP get its hopes up, there have been warning signs to counter the encouraging news."

- Quick rundown: 1. Nevada 2. Indiana 3. Missouri 4. Arizona 5. North Dakota 6. West Virginia 7. Florida 8. Wisconsin 9. Montana 10. Ohio. Read about the reasoning here.

FROM THE HILL - "Tax cuts, Round 2: GOP looks to punish Democrats in 2018," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Rachael Bade: "Republicans are dreaming of passing another round of tax cuts this year - or at least making vulnerable Democrats squirm by voting against them. GOP leaders are weighing a series of votes to make last year's temporary tax cuts for individuals permanent, according to Republicans in both chambers. The strategy would portray the party as the guardian of Americans' paychecks, Republicans say, and buoy the GOP during a brutal election year." Full story.

AND FROM THE COURTS - "Supreme Court to consider limits on gerrymandering," by POLITICO's Steven Shepard: "When the Supreme Court hears oral arguments this week examining whether partisan gerrymandering can violate voters' constitutional rights, the time-honored ability of the two parties to draw congressional maps to maximize their advantages will be under existential threat. In the case in question, the justices will examine whether Democrats improperly retaliated against Republican voters in Maryland by changing the district lines to beat a GOP congressman. It's the second such case currently before the high court, which last year heard arguments over Wisconsin's GOP-drawn state
legislative map. Taken together, the two cases raise the prospect the court could soon put limits on how far the parties can go in redistricting - and could erase some of the decade's most egregious political maps." Full story.

CENTRAL CASTING - "How veterans are powering the Democrats' 2018 hopes," by POLITICO Magazine's Michael Kruse in New York: "It is not a coincidence that this wave of veterans is hitting at a moment when a five-time draft-deferring president occupies the White House and toxic partisanship has ground Capitol Hill to a virtual halt. The candidates are presenting themselves both as a moral rebuke to what they see as President Donald Trump's self-promoting divisiveness and also as a practical solution to the failure of the nation's highest legislative body to get anything done. In short, the reputation of the national institution with by far the highest approval rating, the military, is being
offered as an antidote to the woes of a schismatic president and a Congress whose approval ratings have never been worse." Full story.

NEW THIS MORNING - CLF adds 5 offices in House districts: The Congressional Leadership Fund super PAC is expanding its field operations to five House districts, further evidence of a growing midterm battlefield. CLF is opening offices in districts represented by Reps. Bruce Poliquin (ME-02), Ted Budd (NC-13), Steve Chabot (OH-01), Keith Rothfus (PA-17) and the open seat in Washington's 8th District, left vacant by Rep. Dave Reichert. Check out the full list of district offices here.

Days until the 2018 election: 225

Upcoming election dates - Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and West Virginia primaries: May 8.

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.

THE HEADLINER - "Obama will appear at McCaskill fundraiser in Beverly Hills," by POLITICO California's David Siders: "Former President Barack Obama will appear at a Beverly Hills fundraiser for Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in May, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO - a sign Obama is edging into the midterm elections. Obama is listed as a special guest at the May 6 fundraiser hosted by the actress Katie McGrath, film studio executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, filmmaker Steven Spielberg and others Los Angeles-area heavyweights." Full story.

THE LABORATORY - "Maine's radical Democratic experiment," by POLITICO Magazine's Colin Woodard: "Maine is about to embark on an unprecedented experiment in American democracy, and Paul LePage - the state's belligerent, foul-mouthed and polarizing governor - is a big part of the reason. ... So in June, Maine will hold the nation's first statewide primary election using ranked choice voting, a rarely used system championed by political reformers whereby voters get to rank their candidate preferences, rather than simply choosing their favorite. The election is the result of a citizen's referendum passed nearly two years ago, and a whole lot of wrangling and maneuvering in between, and will
even include a ballot question that, in effect, will decide if the system is used in November's U.S. Senate and House races as well. It could wind up being a train wreck." Full story.

CENSUS CONTROVERSY - "States to sue Trump administration for adding citizenship question to U.S. Census," by POLITICO's Brent D. Griffiths, Andrew Restuccia and Cristiano Lima: "A collection of states started preparing legal actions against the Trump administration just hours after the Commerce Department announced that it would include a controversial question about citizenship status in the 2020 census - a move that could have far-reaching impacts on immigrants and the political landscape." Full story.

POLLING DATA - Spanberger releases internal primary polling in VA-07: Abigail Spanberger is out with an internal polling memo that shows her leading the Democratic primary field with 27 percent of the vote, while Dan Ward has 7 percent. But nearly two-thirds of the polled participants said they were undecided. Check out the polling memo here.

ON THE AIRWAVES - Indiana - "Rep. Todd Rokita is out with a new television ad attacking his two opponents in the Indiana GOP Senate primary as 'not conservative.'" Watch the ad here. Full story.

- CA-39 - Cisneros pops new TV ad on gun control: Democrat Gil Cisneros is out with a new TV ad that says that "politicians scared of the NRA have no place in Congress." Cisneros promises to "stand up to the NRA," adding that "these weapons of war have no place in our neighborhoods" and calling for the ban of assault-style weapons. Watch the ad here.

- NC-09 - Harris attacks Pittenger in new TV ad: Mark Harris, who's challenging Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) in a primary, released a TV ad that goes after the congressman for being "allergic to the truth." The ad says that in 2016, "Pittenger claimed Donald Trump endorsed him - just plain untrue," the ad's narrator says. "This year, his ads say Mark Harris opposed Donald Trump, more lies from Robert Pittenger." Harris nearly toppled Pittenger in the GOP primary in 2016. Watch the ad here.

- AZ-08 - Lesko talks bipartisanship in TV ad: "Republican Debbie Lesko casts herself as a 'fresh voice' that's needed in Congress in a new TV ad in next month's special congressional election in Arizona, sponsored in coordination with the NRCC." Full story.

DOWN IN FLORIDA - "Rubio says 'I don't campaign against Bill Nelson,'" by POLITICO Florida's Matt Dixon: "As Florida's Republican establishment prepares to rally around Gov. Rick Scott in his forthcoming bid to knock of Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, one of the state's most well-known Republicans does not seem poised to help lead the charge: Sen. Marco Rubio. 'I don't campaign against Bill Nelson,' Rubio said Tuesday during a sit-down with reporters in his Tallahassee office. 'Bill Nelson and I have a very good working relationship.'" Full story.

- Meanwhile - Scott teased a "major announcement" on April 9, amid expectations he'll run for the Senate, The Associated Press reported.

BAD HEADLINE - "On the campaign trail, House Candidate Sara Jacobs has inflated her resume," by The San Diego Union-Tribune's Joshua Stewart: "Sara Jacobs, a Democrat running for Congress, has exaggerated her work experience as she campaigns for office. In interviews and statements, Jacobs, at 29 the youngest candidate running to represent the coastal district in northern San Diego County, has said she was a 'policy maker' who worked for the State Department under President Barack Obama. Jacobs, however, was a junior employee working for a government contractor and federal regulations prohibited her from making policies." Full story.

GEOGRAPHY BEE - FIRST IN SCORE - Missouri Rising launches social media campaign targeted at McCaskill rally: McCaskill is attending a "Rally for the Middle Class" with union members in Jefferson City on Wednesday, and Missouri Rising plans to target the rally with a geotagged social media campaign pointing attendees to a web ad attacking McCaskill for her wealth, titled "Rich and Liberal." Watch it here.

COMEBACK? - "Post-trial Menendez kicks off reelection campaign Wednesday," by POLITICO New Jersey's Matt Friedman: "Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who survived a two-and-a-half month corruption trial late last year, kicks off his Senate reelection campaign Wednesday accompanied by New Jersey's most powerful Democrats. The senator will likely face a well-funded challenger in November: former pharmaceutical executive Bob Hugin, who is expected to spend tens of millions millions of dollars from his own pocket." Full story.

MAP FALLOUT - Costello to withdraw name from PA-06 ballot: "Pennsylvania Rep. Ryan Costello will withdraw his name from the Republican primary ballot on Tuesday, essentially giving Greg McCauley the GOP nomination by default, the congressman confirmed with POLITICO. McCauley, a tax attorney, hasn't yet filed a fundraising report with the Federal Election Commission." Full story.

GETTING THE NOD - CHC endorses 7 House Democratic challengers: The Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC endorsed seven House Democratic candidates, including Xochitl Torres Small (NM-02), Max Rose (NY-11), Dave Min (CA-45), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Kathy Manning (NC-13), Susie Lee (NV-03) and Steven Horsford (NV-04).

PRIMARY CONCERNS - Capito won't endorse in West Virginia: West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, appearing on Eastern Panhandle Talk, said she wouldn't endorse in the three-way primary between Rep. Evan Jenkins, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and ex-con coal baron Don Blankenship. Capito said she had spoken with all three candidates and told them: "You are big boys and you're expected to fight it out." And while she wasn't explicitly asked if she would back Blankenship, she added: "I'll support the Republican candidate at the end of the day." Full audio here.

STAFFING UP - Whitmer hires new campaign manager in Michigan: "Democrat Gretchen Whitmer has hired Eric Goldman as her new campaign manager for her Michigan gubernatorial bid, Whitmer's campaign confirmed today." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm also more of a hawk on immigration than even the president. My view was these DACA kids shouldn't all be allowed to stay in the country legally." - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who's running for Utah Senate, weighed in on immigration, The Utah Daily Herald reported.

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