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By Theodoric Meyer | 02/12/2016 10:00 AM EDT


With Kevin Robillard and Scott Bland

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)

POST-DEBATE ANALYSIS - "Clinton to Sanders at debate: Get real," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti in Milwaukee: "Bernie Sanders attacked Hillary Clinton over Wall Street contributions, health care and other issues in their sixth debate Thursday night. But Clinton remained even-keeled in response, arguing that there's little daylight between their plans and that the main difference is that she offers the more realistic chance for progressive change. In one of the evening's most heated exchanges - over Wall Street and campaign finance reform, a central plank of his stump speech - Sanders refuted Clinton's attempts to distance herself from Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC backing her
campaign. And Clinton sought to make the case that accepting money from the financial industry doesn't make one beholden to Wall Street by pointing out that Barack Obama received large sums of such money in 2008 and then signed the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1d442fed701d2e3b594b851bb5c9b1b7dd34ade119dc9d11c7450b9ed2d100f1

- "The 8 most important moments of the Democratic debate," by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney: "When Clinton began describing what she would do as president, particularly on the size of federal government, Sanders moved quickly to interrupt her attempt to present herself as an incumbent. 'Secretary Clinton, you're not in the White House yet,' he said sharply. ... One of the sharpest exchanges of the debate came amid a discussion about the thousands of central American children that poured over the border in 2014. The issue led to a fierce debate about whether the children should be returned home or allowed to remain in the United States. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1d442fed701d2e3b6bcb7b80686f5cb92b89aaed20bd2be5b7037b66b84180f1

Days until the South Carolina Republican primary and the Nevada Democratic caucuses: 8. Days until the 2016 election: 270.

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 kcheney@politico.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter, where we tweet a lot about campaigns and occasionally about our popcorn habits: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer and @kyledcheney.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to the Presidents Day holiday, Morning Score won't publish on Monday, Feb. 15. Our next Morning Score newsletter will publish on Feb. 16.

DURING THE DEBATE - Johnson goes after Feingold with digital ads: GOP Sen. Ron Johnson's campaign is going after Johnson's Democratic rival, former Sen. Russ Feingold, for not saying whether he's supporting Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders in the presidential race. Johnson ran digital ads against Feingold during the debate in the two men's home state on Thursday - which Feingold did not attend - calling Feingold "America's most famous undecided voter." It's all part of new strategy from the Johnson campaign of trying to link Feingold to Sanders, Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard reports. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1d442fed701d2e3b8489e39576d57e8df0574efdba6244b36719572263b9b016

PRAIRIE PRIMARY - Club for Growth super PAC airing anti-Shimkus TV ads: The Club for Growth's super PAC will run TV ads hitting GOP Rep. John Shimkus and boosting his primary challenger starting Friday. GOP state Sen. Kyle McCarter is challenging Shimkus, who has held his IL-15 seat for nearly two decades. McCarter was one of the first candidates the Club for Growth PAC endorsed this cycle. The spot shows an ashen-faced Shimkus and criticizes him for breaking a term-limits pledge. "Shimkus has voted for higher taxes and trillions in new debt," the narrator says. "He's one of the most liberal Republicans in Congress. Ready for someone new? Check out Kyle McCarter. Businessman. Conservative.
McCarter knows the country's in trouble - and a guy who's been in Washington 20 years ain't gonna fix it."

- McCarter is likely to need the help. His campaign reported raising about $87,000 in the fourth quarter, but he had to refund tens of thousands in illegal donations, including two contributions totaling $40,000 from a businessman, James Best. Federal law prohibits individual donors from giving more than $5,400 per election. Richard Stubblefield, the GOP chairman in Illinois' Jefferson County, has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over McCarter's filing mistakes. Shimkus, meanwhile, had nearly $1.4 million in cash on hand at the end of the year. The primary is March 15.

- Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1b59cc169d80e96ca73cbb7fb2fd13cef1122066cbf9b01b49c21f4dd72e2dbc

GREEN BACKERS - "Top Latino lawmakers backing Texas' Green in primary fight," by POLITICO's Lauren French: "The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is tapping three of its top lieutenants to help reelect a Texas Democrat battling in a contentious primary that is sharply divided over racial lines. California Rep. Xavier Becerra, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, will decamp to Texas to campaign for Rep. Gene Green on Sunday, following additional campaign help from other Latino lawmakers this month." "With Gene in Congress, people like my parents - a clerical and construction worker - have a better chance of being able to send a kid to college, to own a home someday and to retire with
dignity," Becerra said. "I'll do all I can for him."

- "The Hispanic Caucus PAC has endorsed Green - who is Caucasian - against a Latino challenger. Green has represented the same southeast Texas since the early 1990s but has seen his district grow progressively more Hispanic over that time. The district is more than 76 percent Hispanic, giving Green's primary opponent, former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, a potential demographic advantage. But the BOLD PAC - the funding group backing the CHC - opted to go all-in for Green. They've given the Democrat $10,000 in donations. Beyond Becerra, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, lent his name to a series of robocalls in the Texas district in support of Green. And Texas Rep. Filemon
Vela, Jr. has spent time campaigning for Green." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971f739850e8c7737bc9774105022075ebc9f86bdc8fad8b681e0b00e4539a29

BREWING BROUHAHA - Babeu criticized for sending mailer using public funds: Some leading Pinal County Democrats and Republicans say a mailer sent out recently by the Sheriff's Office is nothing more than political propaganda promoting Sheriff Paul Babeu," one of six Republicans running for the open House seat in Arizona's 1st District, The Casa Grande Dispatch's Brian Wright reports. "The mailer touts accomplishments of the Pinal County Sheriff's Office but also prominently features several photographs of Babeu, including one on the front page of the four-page mailer. The front-page photo includes a personal statement from the sheriff and purported accomplishments listed below his
statement." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971f739850e8c77317b36b525f2e8561a5ae4eb9078e34d92e00c683b39b6700

BALLOT BATTLES - NRSC confident Young will make Indiana ballot: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971f739850e8c7734af6b30026ebaf7fc2958456658424e502a97a2cb923f30b

AIR WAR - Super PAC backing Sittenfeld releases new gun-focused ad: The super PAC backing Democrat P.G. Sittenfeld for Senate released a new TV ad today - a 15-second version of previous attacks it has aired against fellow Democrat Ted Strickland in Ohio.The group, New Leadership for Ohio, previously released a contrast ad touting Sittenfeld and hitting Strickland on his record on guns. The new spot cuts the positive material about Sittenfeld but uses the same Strickland radio clips about his NRA scores and congressional votes. The super PAC previously announced a $700,000 media buy.

- Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=1b59cc169d80e96c1ce00c2948e48429a8d72a894e3146765092e0c4b36dc326

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Cruz on defense in military-heavy South Carolina," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett in Rock Hill, S.C.: "Ted Cruz has faced attacks on his national security record before, but not in a place like this. The Palmetto State has far more of a military presence than Iowa and New Hampshire. And some of Cruz's votes on national defense - during his time in the Senate he's joined with Sen. Rand Paul to slow military spending, and he was a key collaborator in reforming the PATRIOT Act - could put the Texas senator on defense. A fifth of 2012 GOP primary voters here identified as veterans, and thousands more of their family members and friends could be swayed on issues of
national security, too. Several of Cruz's foes and a super PAC are already pouncing." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971f739850e8c773319a3469606dc1ff60c55d94e8488f709e0ec90a56b674f5

- "New Cruz ad hits Trump's character, accuses him of sleaze," by CNN's MJ Lee: In a new TV ad, Ted Cruz's campaign accuses Donald Trump of buying influence "in a pattern of sleaze stretching back decades." The spot "centers around Vera Coking, an elderly widow who faced the threat of losing her home in Atlantic City when the city tried to seize it through eminent domain - in order to allow Trump to build a casino parking lot. 'Vera Coking's home was all she had left but it stood in Donald Trump's way and the limousine parking lot he wanted for his casino,' the narrator says. 'To him, she was a nobody.' ... The ad closes with this ominous warning: "Trump uses power for personal gain.
Imagine the damage he could do as president." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971f739850e8c7735b9764eccba4c3e9cc1b05919c37a34a7549d3aa29766c29

- "Trump's South Carolina ground game looks weaker than rivals'," by POLITICO's Rachael Bade in Greenville, S.C.: Trump's South Carolina organizers are talking big about his ground game here, touting local endorsements and a campaign infrastructure they say will turn Trump enthusiasm into votes at the first GOP primary in the South next Saturday. But for Republican officials on the ground, the efforts aren't registering yet. If Trump has a big South Carolina operation, it's news to them. 'What you're seeing out of Trump is just large numbers of people showing up [at Trump rallies], but from a standpoint of an organizational structure, I'm not seeing anything yet,' said Chip Felkel, a
Greenville-based GOP operative not affiliated with a 2016 candidate." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971f739850e8c7738f19eb0d3f755e754f99c46c12d5d933aead15257dbe4bd3

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Well, it ain't Henry Kissinger. That's for sure." - Bernie Sanders, who has taken criticism for not naming his campaign's foreign policy advisers, crossed one name off the list during the debate.

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