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POLITICO POLITICO's Morning Score, June 02, 2010 6:02 am<br>
----------------------------------------------<br>Sparks, Martinez romp in gov primaries - Parker Griffith wipes out - LCV ties Lincoln to BP, Bush, Cheney - Poll: Wide open primaries in Maine - McDonnell raising for McCain By: Alexander Burns
<br>Wed 02, 2010 06:02 AM EST<br><br><br>

<p>BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cyxlsi ">DAVIS DEFEATED</a>: Alabama Rep. Artur Davis lost the Democratic nomination for governor by a stunningly wide margin to state Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks Tuesday night, taking just 38 percent of the vote to Sparks's 62 percent with over 99 percent of precincts reporting. The Birmingham News reports: 'Sparks, 57, won the nomination in large part by campaigning on a single issue: his support for legalizing, regulating and taxing Las Vegas-style gambling in Alabama. ... [L]ong time observers in Davis' camp said Sparks' victory appears to have been achieved, at least in part, because of low voter turnout among blacks who, unlike two years ago when they showed up in big numbers to vote for Barack Obama, showed no such enthusiasm for Davis on Tuesday.' Davis, who's had a complicated relationship with many of Alabama's black political leaders since defeating Rep. Earl Hilliard in a 2002 primary, took strong criticism from his party's base after voting against health care reform earlier this year. <br />
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AND -- <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aGwqfc ">GRIFFITH GOES DOWN</a>: In Alabama's 5th Congressional District, Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks steamrolled over party-switching freshman Rep. Parker Griffith in the GOP House primary, beating the incumbent by an 18-point margin and averting the need for a runoff vote. The Huntsville Times describes how Brooks won: 'Throughout the campaign, Brooks had repeated a similar theme of America at risk due to budget deficits and a drift to socialism. But most of his best lines were aimed at his chief opponent, as he labeled Griffith 'arrogant,' an unprincipled 'chameleon' and a poll-driven 'parrot.' Griffith ... campaigned on various Republican talking points, arguing for a reduced rate of corporate income tax, a moratorium on the capital-gains tax, the repeal of recent healthcare reforms and the repeal of the estate tax.' <br />
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As Michelle Obama lauds Harry Reid, Newt Gingrich heads to Michigan and Jerry Brown pulls the trigger, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections. <br />
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PRIMARY ROUNDUP -- RETURNS TICKER: Republican Susana Martinez to face Dem Diane Denish for New Mexico governor ... Bradley Byrne first in Alabama GOP gov primary, runoff to follow ... Martha Roby, Rick Barber headed for runoff in AL-02 Republican primary ... Terri Sewell, Sheila Smoot go to second round for Davis's seat ... YouTube sensation Dale Peterson defeated in ag commish primary ... Alan Nunnelee cracks 50 percent in MS-01, set to face Rep. Travis Childers ...<a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/czzmMy ">Full results here</a>. <br />
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COUNTDOWN TO JUNE 8 -- DROPPING TODAY -- THE BP CARD: The League of Conservation Voters, which has targeted Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln for defeat in the Democratic primary, is launching a multi-platform media campaign today hitting the senator in the last week of her runoff campaign against Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. Dubbing Lincoln 'Big Oil Blanche,' LCV is going on television in the Little Rock market with a commercial showing Lincoln's face next to images of former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and the British Petroleum logo. The narrator intones: 'Over the last two years, Blanche Lincoln has taken more oil and gas money than any other U.S. senator. ... Maybe she got that money because she helped Bush and Cheney give oil companies 14 billion in tax breaks, or because she voted to allow risky offshore drilling for BP and others. It's time to send big oil a message: on Tuesday, send Blanche Lincoln packing.' LCV's also launching phone and e-mail messages and web ads against the embattled incumbent. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bfG1CE ">Watch the ad here</a>. <br />
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PLUS -- SNEAK PEEK: The AFL-CIO is continuing to pile attacks on Lincoln, and local officials have ordered 90,000 copies of a get-out-the-vote flyer that hits her on employment -- 'Supports job-killing trade deals, sending 19,800 Arkansas jobs to China' -- and describes Halter as 'on our side.' See the <a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/9exC54 ">document here</a>...<a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/9jXjjC ">and here</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/b20HvT ">GOING DARK</a>: California Senate candidate Tom Campbell, already trailing in the Republican primary polls against Carly Fiorina, pulled his ads off television with less than a week to before the election. The Los Angeles Times reports: 'The decision to go dark -- Tuesday was his last day on the air, for now -- creates enormous hurdles for the former Congressman at a time when his chief rival, Carly Fiorina, has lent several million dollars to her campaign and shot ahead in the polls in what had once been a close race.' Campbell spokesman James Fisfis cautioned in an e-mail to Score that Wednesday is 'only day we're dark now ... We may very well be back up.' <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cXLzI3 ">WELCOME TO THE MAJORS</a>: Former Nevada Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, gaining ground in the Republican Senate primary, is getting new scrutiny over her campaign's less than fully reimbursed use of a supporter's campaign plane. Former state GOP Chairwoman Sue Lowden's campaign filed an FEC complaint against Angle, and Lowden campaign manager Robert Uithoven raised other questions about the tea party- and Club for Growth-backed candidate's finances: 'She has been working out of a Las Vegas campaign office with no disclosure of lease or rent payment - or even an in-kind deal if one exists. We wonder if she's paying her utilities because that office also has lights on and operational phone lines.'</p><p>AD WATCH -- <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9BlRBK ">BROWN FIRES STARTER PISTOL</a>: California Attorney General Jerry Brown released his first television ad Tuesday, dinging Republican primary foes Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner for '$110 million in campaign spending' and '100,000 negative ads,' over a mashed-up soundtrack of Whitman and Poizner's attacks on each other. Brown voice cuts in at the end, introducing the former governor as the adult in the room: 'There's no secret that Sacramento isn't working today. The partisanship is poisonous. We need to work together as Californians first.'</p>
<p>AND -- <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aPjRGQ ">RICK SCOTT ON DEFENSE</a>: The self-funding Florida gov candidate is on the air with a commercial defending his record as head of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain, as his Republican primary rival Bill McCollum attacks Scott over the company's $1.7 billion Medicare fraud settlement. Scott speaks directly to the camera in his 60-second ad: 'I'm gonna do something the politicians won't: give you the unvarnished truth. ... I wasn't charged or even questioned by the authorities. But that's not what matters. What matters is that the company made mistakes, and as CEO I take responsibility and learned from it.' <br />
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DRIP:<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/crGAXw ">Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk</a> hasn't put questions about his Navy record to rest, as the Chicago Tribune reports there's a flaw in the GOP congressman's account of his discovery that he was mistakenly claiming to have received an award he never won. From the Tribune: 'Kirk says his staff discovered he was mistakenly claiming to be the U.S. Navy intelligence officer of the year, but a military spokesman said today the Navy alerted Kirk about the inaccuracy after media inquiries. Cmdr. Danny Hernandez, a Navy spokesman, said the service notified Kirk's office last Thursday that the Navy was releasing information to the media.' That's not a scandal on its own, but add it to new examples of Kirk misstating his record and it keeps alive a larger story that isn't helpful to him. <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9vR24l ">POLL OF THE DAY</a>: Days before Mainers head to the polls to pick their nominees for governor, a Pan Atlantic SMS Group poll shows both the Republican and Democratic primaries remain wide open, with 62 percent of Democrats and 47 percent of Republicans still undecided about their vote. State Senate President Libby Mitchell leads narrowly among Democrats with just over 13 percent support, compared with just under 12 percent for former state Attorney General Steve Rowe. Former skiing executive Les Otten took 17 percent of the Republican primary vote, with Waterville Mayor Paul LePage taking 10 percent. Other candidates in both parties were in the single digits. <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/buJxR4 ">THE CHOSEN VICTIM</a>: New York Republicans, meeting this week for their nominating convention, picked ex-CIA agent Gary Berntsen as their candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer. Berntsen, who still faces a primary against political consultant Jay Townsend, described his campaign against Schumer in Churchillian terms: 'I will pursue Sen. Schumer in every town, on every street and every village. I will not allow him to sit in Washington, D.C. and send out campaign notices.' <br />
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FLOTUS FOR REID -- From first lady Michelle Obama's remarks at a Tuesday event in Nevada targeting childhood obesity: 'Let me begin by thanking -- doing my thank you: First, to Sen. Reid, not just for his kind introduction but all of the wonderful work he's done to move this country forward. He's just been a tremendous asset, not just to my husband, but to the country and to all of you kids. You know, everybody hears about what the president does, but presidents can't do anything if they don't have a good team. And Sen. Reid is a member of that good team. So we're just grateful to have him on board.' <br />
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THE BIG MAP -- with POLITICO's Tim Alberta: <br />
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SENATE: <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9Eb4ld ">ARIZONA</a>: Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will be one of the hosts of a June 14 fundraiser for Sen. John McCain, the Washington Post reports. The event, also hosted by GOP money man Fred Malek, will take place at the home of Northern Virginia Technology Council CEO Bobbie Kilberg. McCain stumped for McDonnell's 2009 gubernatorial campaign against Democrat Creigh Deeds, and McDonnell endorsed McCain's reelection bid early in his primary fight against J.D. Hayworth. <br />
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CONNECTICUT: Democratic state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has launched his first wave of television ads -- three 30-second spots portraying him as a defender of ordinary people. The ads feature testimony from Connecticut citizens speaking about what Blumenthal's done for them as attorney general: 'Everyone I know has a story about Richard Blumenthal or how he helped their mother or their best friend,' says one woman. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/b6g0jS ">Watch the ads here</a>. <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/dk1CvP ">DELAWARE</a>: Republican Rep. Mike Castle is taking criticism from state Democrats over his decision to back his party's one-year moratorium on earmarks while he runs for Senate, despite having offered a different philosophy on federal spending: 'Anything's better than zero.' Castle cited the country's specific 'financial situation' as the reason for his move, suggesting politicians 'not utilize the earmark process until we return to prosperity.' Democratic Senate candidate Chris Coons retorted, Joe Biden-like, that Castle's 'literally trying to have it both ways.' <br />
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PENNSYLVANIA: White House press secretary Robert Gibbs didn't do much in his Tuesday briefing to put a rest to questions about the Joe Sestak affair. Asked why, 'if it's not a big deal,' reporters had to wait so long for answers on the White House's discussions with Sestak, Gibbs replied: 'I'd have to ask counsel for a better answer on that.' Pressed further, he dodged again: 'If I bear some responsibility for that, I can understand that.' <br />
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HOUSE: <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bKyvi8 ">ID-01</a>: The Idaho Republican Party has hired two full-time staffers to run what it's calling a 'parallel' campaign against Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick, on behalf of GOP nominee Raul Labrador. Lindsay Hemmer will serve as 'victory director' and Jeff Ward will head a North Idaho field office. The two were brought on with financial support from the RNC, the Spokesman-Review reports.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cwdV7G ">NC-08</a>: Tim D'Annunzio has backed out of a debate scheduled for next week with Harold Johnson, his opponent in the GOP runoff primary for Rep. Larry Kissell's seat. D'Annunzio, under fire from his own party from past legal and drug problems, said he canceled 'due to the collaboration between the Harold Johnson campaign and the news media to use partial truth, innuendo and accusations to unfairly smear me.' Johnson described D'Annunzio's excuse as 'conspiracy theories.'</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/dfEhte ">NH-02</a>: Andrew Hemingway, a tea party activist who threatened last week to join the GOP primary for Rep. Paul Hodes's open seat, decided to take a pass on the campaign, announcing that there was a consensus on the right 'that we need a conservative to win this seat and my entrance will only hinder that rather than help it.' Former Rep. Charlie Bass, former state Rep. Bob Guida and 2008 GOP nominee Jennifer Horn are already competing for the Republican nomination.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/a7CwAE ">WA-03</a>: Democratic state Sen. Craig Pridemore dropped out of the race for retiring Rep. Brian Baird's House seat Tuesday, citing fundraising concerns, and endorsed Denny Heck for their party's nomination. Pridemore had won several labor endorsements in his primary fight against Heck, but lost the backing of the Washington Education Association, which he called a 'critical part of our base.' Activist Cheryl Crist is still running against Heck in the primary. <br />
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GOVERNORS: <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9Rdps0 ">GEORGIA</a>: Former Gov. Roy Barnes, already leading state Attorney General Thurbert Baker in the Democratic primary, won endorsements Tuesday from a pair of Atlanta mayors who could help him make inroads with the African-American primary electorate. Shirley Franklin, Atlanta's immediate past mayor, praised Barnes's willingness to take on teachers' unions and said he has the 'tenacity and he has the vision to help our children.' Andrew Young, who led the city in the 1980s, also backed Barnes's campaign. <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9ORYiW ">MAINE</a>: Les Otten won the endorsement of the Maine Legislature's highest-ranking Republican, as state Senate Minority Leader Kevin Raye dubbed him 'the best choice to become Maine's next governor' with 'the broad appeal necessary to win in November.' Otten is competing against six other Republicans in next Tuesday's gubernatorial primary. <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/d7PX8P ">MINNESOTA:</a> Independence Party candidate Tom Horner announced his choice for lieutenant governor, picking former Association of Minnesota Counties executive director Jim Mulder as his running mate. Mulder headed the group focused on municipal government for 21 years and offered a local iteration of Horner's message that state government is broken: 'The state has paid lip service to local governments and then passed the state's problems on to them.'</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9ebDla ">SOUTH DAKOTA</a>: Senate Minority Leader Steve Heidepriem, the Democratic candidate for governor, reached across the aisle Tuesday to pick Republican businessman Ben Arndt as his running mate. Heidepriem explained his choice of the 36-year-old packaging company executive, pointing to Arndt's experience with job creation and saying it's time for 'new blood' in state government.</p>
<p>2012: <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/dfEhte ">ON THE ROAD AGAIN</a>: George Pataki will be in New Hampshire next Tuesday to keynote a fundraising dinner for gubernatorial John Stephen, who's challenging incumbent Democrat John Lynch. The former New York governor's last visited New Hampshire in December, when he addressed the Rockingham County Lincoln Day Dinner. He's also helped raise funds for Senate candidate Bill Binnie. <br />
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<a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/de8zvb ">BLAME THE MEDIA FIRST</a>: Sarah Palin responded to the uproar over Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla with a Facebook post blaming -- the media. Wrote Palin: 'The media, as usual, seems to be reporting only one side of the Israeli Flotilla incident. Don't trust the mainstream media to give you both sides of a story fairly... you must seek out fair reporting to ensure you have all the information.'</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aWjrb8 ">NEWT FOR PETE</a>: Newt Gingrich will throw his support to Pete Hoekstra's primary campaign for governor of Michigan at a rally in Oakland County Wednesday. In a statement, Gingrich praised Hoekstra and pointed to their 'long history together': 'Pete is a true leader of Michigan and has created a strong campaign to fight for the future of this state. I am proud to help Pete spread this message so we can put Michigan back to work.'</p><br>

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