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By Emily Schultheis (
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eschultheis@politico.com ; Twitter: @emilyrs)

DEMS LOOK TO PROTECT HOUSE MEMBERS IN '14: Alex Isenstadt is out this morning with a preview of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's new program to protect its vulnerable incumbent House members in their effort to regain the House in 2014. From the story: "On Tuesday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will unveil its incumbent-retention program, known as Frontline, which will include 26 incumbents from districts across the country. The program, which was borne out during Rahm Emanuel's tenure as DCCC chairman, aims to provide institutional support to the incumbents, giving them advice on everything from how to run their congressional offices to how to set up
get-out-the-vote efforts. There will also be a heavy focus on providing help with fundraising. President Barack Obama has promised to raise money for the House Democratic campaign arm, and party officials say some of that cash will be directed to the vulnerable members."
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FIRST IN SCORE-DEMS HIT CUCCINELLI ON '16 AMBITIONS: Keeping up its attacks on Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the state's Democratic Party is out with a new website hitting the GOP gubernatorial candidate for his national appearances and potential presidential aspirations. The site, "Cuccinelli for President 2016," lists nine things Cuccinelli has done that would indicate he has bigger national ambitions, like releasing his book, The Last Line of Defense, speaking at an Iowa GOP dinner and headlining CPAC later this month. The new line of attack follows from one Democrats and the McAuliffe campaign have already stressed: that Cuccinelli, by not resigning as attorney general while
he runs his campaign, is neglecting his day job while campaigning for higher office. See the site here:
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EXCLUSIVE-DSCC GOES AFTER CORNYN: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is going after Texas Sen. John Cornyn on his tweets about border security last week. Cornyn tweeted about a "friend" who told him 300 people were "coming across his property each night," saying Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wasn't securing the border. But when asked about the identity of his friend by local reporters, Cornyn hasn't given out any information. "It's time for John Cornyn to stop ducking and dodging reporters' questions and verify the truthfulness of his claim," DSCC spokesman Justin Barasky said. "John Cornyn's continued refusal to reveal his source amounts to an admission that
this was nothing more than his latest effort to endear himself to the far right and Ted Cruz in particular, who is beginning to look more and more like the senior Senator from the state of Texas. John Cornyn either owes Texans an explanation, or needs to admit that he's simply making stuff up."

SNEAK PEEK-HOUSE MAJORITY PAC TWEAKS GRIMM ON SEQUESTRATION: House Majority PAC is going on the attack this morning against New York Rep. Michael Grimm for comments he made about the effects-or lack thereof-of sequestration cuts on his district. In its video, the group highlights the nearly $3 million that will be cut from Hurricane Sandy aid in the district, contrasting that with Grimm's assertion that the cuts won't have "that profound effects." "It certainly is not going to be nearly as bad some of my colleagues say," Grimm says in a news clip. "The sky is not falling." Grimm is one of House Majority PAC's top 10 targets for the 2014 cycle. Watch:
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SCORE PREVIEW-BANKRUPTING AMERICA GOES ON AIR FOR SEQUESTER: Bankrupting America, a project of the group Public Notice, is going on air with a national cable and online ad today urging Congress to consider responsible cuts in dealing with sequestration. "What is sequestration? A three percent cut in federal spending. Three cents out of every dollar the government spends," the ad's narrator says. "Americans have made tough choices and cut back; Washington refuses. Call Washington and ask them why it's so hard to cut spending. " The ad will run March 5-15. Watch it here:
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FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD-

1) Will Bill Bolling drop any further hints about his decision in the Virginia governor's race?

2) How much criticism does President Obama get after Jay Carney's suggestion that the 2014 midterms are "not a focus of his"?
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3) Who will win the two general election spots in the primary for L.A. Mayor today?

4) Does Chris Christie get an invite to CPAC after all?

5) How many House members-on both sides of the aisle-will the national parties go after for not averting sequestration?

PROGRAMMING NOTE: After nearly two years and hundreds of pre-dawn wakeup calls, James Hohmann has handed over the Morning Score reins. You can still find his byline on POLITICO, where he's excited to cover the battle for control of the Senate. Thanks for your loyal readership.

As the AFL-CIO sits out MA-Sen, Sanford tries to get his ex-wife on board and Jeb Bush won't rule out a 2016 bid, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your guide to the permanent campaign.

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR-THE BOLLING EFFECT: In advance of Bill Bolling's March 14 announcement about his possible plans for an independent gubernatorial bid in Virginia, your Score correspondent and Alex Burns look at the effect he could have on the race if he gets in. "Though they're reluctant to say it, Democrats believe that as more voters start tuning in to the race, moderate Republicans will be turned off by Cuccinelli's positions on social issues and look to Bolling instead. ... But for Cuccinelli backers, polling so far of a hypothetical three-way race suggests that Bolling would also pull support from moderate Democrats who have doubts about McAuliffe - and thus be less of a threat to
Cuccinelli."
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MASSACHUSETTS SENATE POLL-MARKEY LEADS BY DOUBLE DIGITS: A new poll out of Massachusetts this morning, commissioned by the League of Conservation Voters and NARAL Pro-Choice America, finds Rep. Ed Markey with a double-digit lead over fellow Rep. Stephen Lynch in the Democratic primary to replace John Kerry. Markey takes 42 percent of voters in the poll, conducted by Garin Hart Yang Research Group, compared with 28 percent for Lynch. Both LCV and NARAL have endorsed Markey in the race. See the full results:
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MORE BAY STATE NEWS-AFL-CIO WON'T ENDORSE: The Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the largest labor union in the state, won't endorse a candidate in the special Senate election. The Springfield Republican: "At a meeting of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO's executive board on Friday, 32 members of the group voted in favor of endorsing Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, according to his spokesman, although the numbers weren't great enough to carry a two-thirds majority necessary to make an official endorsement. The news came as a disappointment to Lynch supporters who were already reeling from an issue raised earlier in the day in which the congressman's name was not included on a brief to the
Supreme Court arguing that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional."
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NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR-BROWN RAISES WITH CHRISTIE: Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who decided to forgo a statewide run of his own this year and has been keeping a fairly low profile since he left office, raised campaign cash for Chris Christie's reelection bid over the weekend. Christie, who leads Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono by double digits in all public polling thus far, also raised money with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell last week.
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LOS ANGELES MAYOR-PRIMARY DAY IN THE GOLDEN STATE: Voters in L.A. head to the polls today in the mayoral primary to replace current Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The AP raises the curtain ahead of what's expected to be a low-turnout primary: "Polls show a tight contest between City Councilman Eric Garcetti and Controller Wendy Greuel, both Democrats. ... An expected low turnout makes surprises more likely, elevating the roles of Democratic Councilwoman Jan Perry and Republican Kevin James, a former prosecutor and radio talk show host."
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SOUTH CAROLINA SPECIAL-SANFORD TRIED TO HIRE EX-WIFE: New York Magazine had a story out over the weekend saying former Gov. Mark Sanford approached his ex-wife Jenny Sanford to run his campaign in the South Carolina 1st district special election. "Since you're not running, I want to know if you'll run my campaign. We could put the team back together," Sanford reportedly told her. "I could pay you this time." Jenny Sanford, who'd considered her own bid in the race but ultimately decided against it, said no. Sanford is running in a crowded GOP field for the seat, which he represented before his tenure as governor. The primary is March 19.
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2014 NEWS-

KENTUCKY SENATE-GOP GOES AFTER JUDD: POLITICO's Lois Romano looks at the early GOP efforts to discredit Ashley Judd in Kentucky-before she even announces her decision about challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "Republicans are homing in with glee on the actress and activist, picking apart her views and statements and compiling a thick compendium of speeches, writings and tweets. What they found: Judd may not have a legislative record, but she has left quite a paper trail," Romano writes. "This early opposition research effort seems as much about scaring Democrats nationally about a Judd candidacy as informing Kentuckians before Judd even decides to make the race."
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GEORGIA SENATE-GRAVES WON'T RUN: The latest news out of the race to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss is that Rep. Tom Graves won't run in the GOP primary. "I firmly believe, had I decided to run, the money would have been there, and we would have been very competitive," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The only announced candidate in the race is GOP Rep. Paul Broun, though a handful of other Georgia congressmen are mulling bids. Democrats still don't have a candidate in the race, though Rep. Tom Barrow is considered a top choice if the party can recruit him to run.
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IOWA SENATE-AG SECRETARY FLOATS GOP BID: Just days after GOP Rep. Tom Latham said he won't run for retiring Sen. Tom Harkin's seat, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says he's considering running in the GOP primary. Northey told Radio Iowa that he's "thinking about it." "We'll talk about it with our family and have a lot of conversations and figure out what's right," he said. So far, no Republicans have announced in the race, though Rep. Steve King and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are both reportedly mulling bids of their own. On the Democratic side, Rep. Bruce Braley is already planning his campaign.
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NEW JERSEY SENATE-BOOKER'S SPEAKING FEES: The New York Times is out with a story about Newark Mayor Cory Booker's speaking fees-he's earned about $1 million from speeches during his seven years in office, which he says he's donated mostly to charity. "The mayor, whose city salary is roughly $135,000 a year, said he had donated almost all of the outside earnings to charity. ... Mr. Booker, 43, said he would release a full accounting of his outside earnings in the next month or so. He will be required to make such public disclosures as he moves toward a formal announcement of his candidacy for the Senate, where he is seeking to replace the retiring Frank R. Lautenberg. He confirmed the
approximate figures during the interview on Monday."
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LOUISIANA SENATE-BOUSTANY WON'T CHALLENGE LANDRIEU: GOP Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., whose name had come up recently as a challenger to sitting Sen. Mary Landrieu, said Monday that he's going to stay in the House for the time being. The news comes a few days after state Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne said he was "pondering" whether to mount a bid against Landrieu himself. Landrieu is considered one of a handful of vulnerable Democrats up for reelection in red states next year, and will be a prime GOP target.
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TEXAS GOVERNOR-POLL FINDS PERRY BELOW 50: A new poll out of Texas finds that, while Gov. Rick Perry is still a favorite to get reelected in 2014 if he runs again, he's sitting at under 50 percent among Republican voters there. The survey, from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune, found that 48 percent of GOP primary voters said they would vote for Perry, 6 percent said they'd vote against him and 44 percent said they'd wait and see what their options are. When matched up against GOP Secretary of State Greg Abbott, who's reportedly mulling a run, Perry would win handily with 49 percent of the vote to Abbott's 17 percent, but 31 percent of voters said they're undecided. Despite the
uncertainty about Perry in 2014, the vast majority of GOP voters in the state -72 percent - say they have a favorable view of him. Full results:
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PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR-SCHWARTZ TAKES FURTHER STEPS TOWARD GOV BID: The news of Pennsylvania Rep. Allyson Schwartz's plans to run for governor against unpopular GOP Gov. Tom Corbett has been trickling out over the last few weeks, and this week she comes closer to making it official: the longtime Philly-area congresswoman told the Philly Inquirer that she'll establish a state political committee within the next few weeks. She also said she won't simultaneously run for her House seat, even though she's legally allowed to do so.
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MAINE GOVERNOR-MICHAUD 'LOOKING AT' GUBERNATORIAL RUN: Speaking of incumbent governors up for reelection next year who have low approval ratings in their state, Maine Gov. Paul LePage could have his first challenger in Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud. Michaud said Monday that he's looking at" running against LePage, but that he hasn't "really set any timelines" for his decision. A Public Policy Polling survey of potential matchups shows Michaud edging LePage handily in a two-way race, 57 percent to 36 percent. But in a three-way race, with independent candidate Eliot Cutler running again, LePage would lead with 34 percent.
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COLORADO HOUSE-BENNET BURIES THE HATCHET: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet is coming to the aid of a former primary foe in a Colorado House race: he's backing his former 2010 primary opponent, Andrew Romanoff, in his bid for Colorado's 6th district next year. "Andrew has always placed the needs of his constituents above Washington's politics-as-usual. At a time of partisanship and gridlock, he will work across the aisle to move our nation forward," Bennet said in a statement. The two fought in a heated Democratic primary three years ago: President Obama endorsed Bennet, while Bill Clinton backed Romanoff.
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MINNESOTA HOUSE-GRAVES VS. BACHMANN, ROUND TWO? Democrat Jim Graves, who came very close to unseating GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann in her Minnesota House district last November, looks like he's gearing up to challenge Bachmann again. 'I know that the work we started last year, well, it isn't over,' Graves wrote in an email to supporters Monday, also hitting Bachmann on her stance on the Violence Against Women Act. Graves lost to Bachmann by just 4,200 votes last fall, and told the St. Cloud Times that he'd make a decision by April 1.
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ARKANSAS-BEEBE VETOES TOUGH ABORTION BILL: Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe vetoed his state's controversial abortion bill Monday, saying the law is "blatantly unconstitutional." The bill would have made all abortions after 12 weeks illegal-much stricter than the state's already restrictive abortion laws. Still, the state's legislature only needs a simple majority to override Beebe's veto.
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2016 WATCH-

HILLARY LEADS IN MARYLAND POLL: The Washington Post takes the temperature on 2016 in Maryland, and finds that Clinton would be the strong frontrunner in a Democratic primary even against sitting Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Clinton takes 46 percent in the poll, compared with 14 percent for Vice President Biden, 7 percent for O'Malley and 5 percent for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. And asked if they'd support O'Malley in the general election if he were the Democratic nominee, just 17 percent said they'd "definitely" vote for him; 41 percent would consider voting for him and 38 percent said they would definitely not vote for him.
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JEB ON 2016-'WON'T' RULE IT OUT: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Monday that he won't rule out a 2016 presidential bid - but that it's too early for him to express interest in it, too. Asked on "The Today Show" whether he would definitively rule out running, he said, 'I won't. But I won't declare it today either.' 'That's way off in the future," he continued. "I have a voice. I want to share my beliefs about how the conservative moment and the Republican Party can regain its footing, because we've lost our way." Bush was on the show to promote his new book, "Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution."
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SCOTT WALKER is fundraising for Ken Cuccinelli in Virginia next week.
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LIGHTER CLICKS-

SUPPORTERS OF VAWA make a parody of Taylor Swift's "22" about the 22 Senators who opposed the bill.
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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE took on the Supreme Court's examination of the Voting Rights Act last week.
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JON STEWART mocks Congress for letting the sequester cuts go into effect.
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CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You have no idea how many women I disappointed." -Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, on how having Robert Redford play him in "All the President's Men" affected his love life.
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