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By Kevin Robillard | 02/16/2016 10:00 AM EDT


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)

GOP CANDIDATES RALLY TO McCONNELL SCOTUS STANCE - Most of the vulnerable Republican Senate incumbents and competitive challengers held their fire on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's pledge to block a new Supreme Court justice until 2017, in the hours immediately following Justice Antonin Scalia's death. But his hard-line stance has since emerged as a consensus, even among battleground-state Republicans up for reelection. The unified positioning is likely to please the GOP base, something key for Republican senators still at risk of losing a primary challenge. But it could also undercut the one message the unites every incumbent GOP campaign, from New Hampshire to Alabama: "the
majority is working." And the pressure could only increase if President Barack Obama nominates a woman or a racial minority for the seat. POLITICO Senate ace Burgess Everett has more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61d21c4be5126430e2e086a77ea18f3dfdb16861a76f9b2e64

- Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio): "I believe the best thing for the country is to trust the American people to weigh in on who should make a lifetime appointment that could reshape the Supreme Court for generations." Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.): "We should put off a decision on Justice Scalia's replacement until the newly-elected president can make his or her choice." Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.): "I believe the Senate should not move forward with the confirmation process until the American people have spoken by electing a new president."

- From the challengers: Ohio Democrat Ted Strickland: "Sen. Portman is failing to do his job, shirking his responsibilities to our nation, jeopardizing the institutions of our democracy and engaging in exactly the kind of dysfunctional behavior that frustrates Ohioans about Congress." New Hampshire Democrat Maggie Hassan: "Failing to take up a Supreme Court nomination is a complete abdication of the Senate's constitutional duty."

- The only holdouts among battleground-state GOP candidates were Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), who said "[e]ach entity should exercise its prerogative" when it came to choosing a nominee, and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who said the political debate should wait: "Let us take the time to honor his life before the inevitable debate erupts," he said in an e-mailed statement to Burgess.

- Florida is the only GOP primary to see division on the matter so far. Both businessman Todd Wilcox and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera have said the Senate should wait for the next president, while Rep. David Jolly said Obama should put forward a nominee the GOP could approve. "If the president is realistic about successfully appointing a new justice during his final year in office, the reality is he will need to identify a candidate that meets the approval of the Republican Senate," he told the Miami Herald. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be615595057dabeb4c209d505b413ed98db22511d0baca9f56fc

- The DSCC has already started fundraising off the topic, eager to highlight Republicans backing McConnell's stance. "The most vulnerable GOP incumbents have fallen in line to support this unprecedented obstruction of the constitutional process," DSCC press secretary Lauren Passalacqua wrote in the group's latest missive to reporters. "This is a disservice to their constituents and to the Constitution they swore an oath to uphold. With this moment in mind, voters will turn out in November to elect people who will actually do their jobs."

- By comparison, the NRSC has been relatively silent, a position GOP strategists seem fine with. "I hope they can sleep at night," a national Republican wrote when asked about Democrats' aggressive messaging. "The man's body is still warm and all Washington Democrats can do is drool from the excitement that a Washington reporter might call them now. Senate Republicans are taking a respectful approach and want the American people to decide which is what Justice Scalia would want."

ARE YOU READY, CLEVELAND? - "Campaigns secretly prep for brokered GOP convention," by POLITICO's Ben Schreckinger: "In many [states], delegates to Cleveland will be selected at a series of conventions held at the congressional district and state levels. Candidates who are able to get supporters to show up at those conventions and elect loyal delegates would be rewarded in a multi-ballot Republican convention - even if those delegates are bound to vote for someone else in the first round. 'Just because you get x number of delegates, it doesn't mean that it's your people unless you go to these conventions and get people to run,' said Marco Rubio's deputy campaign manager Rich Beeson. 'You
want to make sure that they're with you on subsequent ballots.'" One Southern state party chairman said campaigns and third-party groups have begun seeking "contact information on eligible delegates and the names of people who have served as delegates in past years," while one super PAC backing Ted Cruz has invested in custom delegate-tracking software. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be615c9465c11b6c8bb4b269b55b36b621fd329ac7651bcaf006

Days until the South Carolina Republican primary: 5. Days until the 2016 election: 267.

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 Redwoods: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer and @kyledcheney.

** A message from Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest and most diversified television broadcasting company in the country today, delivers not only TV, the primary medium for reaching potential voters, but also targetable digital (mobile, video, email, social media and native) ad solutions. Contact Alan Brittan @ 703-236-9673. Sinclair, busy - Making Political Ads Work! **

POD PEOPLE - The Big Short director Adam McKay sits down with Glenn Thrush to discuss how the financial crisis is shaping the 2016 presidential race - and to trace the candidacies of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders back to what happened on Wall Street. He also weighs in on Sanders' Democratic primary battle with Hillary Clinton, evaluates the Obama administration's record on Wall Street prosecutions, and reveals how Elizabeth Warren reacted to the Big Short. Listen to the full interview by subscribing to the podcast on iTunes or SoundCloud.

REDISTRICTING UPDATE - Eight-member Supreme Court throws redistricting cases up in the air: Several redistricting cases are among those likely to be affected by Scalia's passing. In North Carolina, it could result in the defeat of a stay request against the new congressional maps ordered by a district court, the Raleigh News and Observer reports. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61eb49794d7ff34c6803fc6361b34bf6c84ff388e8a81bcf5e (The legislature has held field hearings on new districts, plans to draw them today and tomorrow, and will vote on them Thursday and Friday, the paper also reported. bit.ly/1Wosu1C)

- Scalia's death "could undermine efforts by Arizona Republicans to undo the state's 30 legislative districts" in another case, the Arizona Daily Star reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61206aac01727005c9c30487f0ad9a297bb128d4db5c11ec5e

- And in Texas, the case over whether districts should be drawn based on total population or total number of eligible voters could also see a different outcome, the Dallas Morning News wrote. bit.ly/1RI2OOc

- One more case with political implications: SCOTUS may no longer have the votes to overturn public-sector unions' ability to collect fees from non-members. The Los Angeles Times has more: lat.ms/1QAsIPf

INDIANA UPDATE - Stutzman joins the challenge: "A staffer for Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman's Senate campaign filed an additional challenge to Rep. Todd Young's eligibility for the Indiana Senate ballot, joining the Indiana Democratic Party in questioning whether the GOP establishment favorite turned in enough valid petition signatures to qualify." The Stutzman staffer, like Democrats, claims Young submitted only 497 signatures in the 1st Congressional District. The Indiana Election Commission will hear the challenges to Young's eligibility this Friday. On Friday, Young spokesperson Trevor Foughty accused Stutzman of borrowing from "Barack Obama's playbook," noting the president
successfully removed an ally-turned-opponent from the ballot by challenging signatures early in his political career. On Monday, Foughty said "Stutzman join[ed] Democrat Party" and released a batch of local endorsements.

ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRATS GANG UP ON GRAYSON - Following last week's New York Times expose on how Rep. Alan Grayson intermingled his hedge fund and congressional work, establishment Democrats are seeing an opportunity to push him out of his primary vs. Rep. Patrick Murphy. And Grayson sees an opportunity to do what he does best: rail against the establishment. POLITICO's Marc Caputo: "The feud gained new life this weekend after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told the Associated Press in a statement on Friday that Grayson has 'no moral compass' and should quit the Senate race. ... Murphy, in a Sunday conference call with reporters, echoed Reid's criticism ... 'I'm calling for Alan Grayson
to close his unethical hedge funds. ... Mr. Grayson has put voters second to his pocketbook,' Murphy told reporters." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61596ffee5cc490538e654a7290503038dd78dcd909471a8fd

- Grayson responded by calling Murphy a "lickspittle pillock" in a fundraising message. The e-mail also calls Murphy a "hoser," notes he's accomplished "0 + 0 = 0" in the U.S. House and list Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's party affiliation as "BFF-Lobbyists." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61fd750e5db3990473e32a2dc595268e9ab55a122550db39e1

ANONYMOUS ATTACKS RETURN IN MISSOURI - Republican Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, is fending off an anonymously-posted YouTube video that attacks his military record. Kansas City Star's Steve Kraske has more: "Greitens, a one-time Navy SEAL and a first-time candidate for public office, was concerned enough that he countered with his own video here that defends his service. ... Asked why the campaign even bothered to respond, Greitens spokesman Austin Chambers pointed out that the hit piece is 'being emailed around to activists in Missouri.' He said the piece had more than 12,000 views online." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61a96dd72157c2c331702da6b6c4ef45fb5c4910e01f8ae5dc

- Here's the attack video: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be611263606dcf8ff5d552fbd4b7a1281e867bcc61720b503326 Here's Greitens' response, which quotes the man who killed Osama bin Laden. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3de7c2f76ba8be61d9d266140946a4110843b0c35a3e794bb417dd4029b7b88f

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Bush brothers, Trump push hard in South Carolina," by POLITICO's Eli Stokols: "Making his first campaign appearance on his brother's behalf, George W. Bush didn't engage directly with Donald Trump, who's spent the last 72 hours baiting the former president with blistering criticism blaming him for the Iraq War and 9/11. Bush didn't even say Trump's name. But every word of his 20-minute speech to roughly 3,000 people here Monday night was intended to make voters reconsider supporting Trump and his inflammatory, brash brand of politics." politi.co/1R4WsXb

- "6 most important moments of the GOP debate," by POLITICO's Ben Schreckinger: "1. Trump blames 9/11 on George W. Bush ... 2. Trump argues with the crowd ... 3. Candidates mourn conservative icon Antonin Scalia ... 4. No habla espanol ... 5. Trump and Cruz go head to head ... 6. Getting the facts straight." politico.pro/1QiB5hI

- "Harry Reid allies to Team Clinton: Don't slam Nevada's caucus Read more," by POLITICO's Annie Karni: "With five days to go until the Nevada caucuses - once viewed as Hillary Clinton's Western firewall - Sen. Harry Reid and his allies are incensed at the wounded Democratic front-runner. The reason: the Clinton campaign's attempt to downgrade expectations there by whitewashing the diverse state. The campaign's recent assertion that Nevada is 'still a state that is 80 percent white voters' - in other words, a state that looks a lot like Bernie Sanders' base - is simply wrong, Reid allies claim. But more galling than that, they say, it undermines the entire rationale for the caucuses'
existence: The state was pushed to the front of the election calendar eight years ago solely because Reid lobbied for better demographic representation than the overwhelmingly white early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire." politi.co/1ObnlnC

- Expectations game: "Marco Rubio wants to win Saturday's S.C. GOP primary but could count a third-place finish as a success, political allies say," as reported by The State's Jamie Self. bit.ly/1QEOIsh

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I understand that Americans are angry and frustrated but we do not need someone in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our frustrations." - Former President George W. Bush, rallying for his brother's campaign in South Carolina on Monday.

** A message from Sinclair Broadcast Group: The race for influence in the 2016 election cycle is gaining speed. Everyone is looking to reach as big of an audience as possible and get significant portions of that audience motivated and educated enough to vote and mobilize probable supporters. As the pace quickens, more will be trying to find an edge to influence voters their way. Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest and most diversified television broadcasting company in the country today, can help you break through the clutter. Utilizing both TV, the primary medium for reaching potential voters and targetable digital (mobile, video, email, social media and native) ad solutions, Sinclair
Makes Political Ads Work! The bottom line is the bottom line - winning elections. At the Sinclair Broadcast Group, we have the ad tools necessary to help you to persuade, enlighten and activate voters. Contact Alan Brittan, Sinclair's Director of Political Ads for more details @ 703-236-9673. **

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