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By Maggie Severns | 01/26/2018 10:00 AM EDT


With Elena Schneider, Daniel Strauss and Zach Montellaro

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)

SIREN - OPEN SEAT - "Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection after sexual harassment furor," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tamari: "Rep. Pat Meehan will not seek reelection amid a furor over his use of taxpayer dollars to settle a sexual harassment claim against an aide, and the national response to his describing the woman as his 'soul mate.'

"'After consultation with my wife Carolyn and with my three sons, and after prayerful reflection, I write to inform you that I will not seek re-election to the United States Congress for the 7th Congressional District in 2018,' the Delaware County Republican wrote Thursday in a letter to his campaign chairman. ... The Inquirer and Daily News obtained a copy of the letter Thursday night.

"In it, Meehan, 62, attempts again to explain his actions and comments after a series of interviews Tuesday, including one with the Inquirer, only raised more questions about his conduct. 'Unfortunately, recent events concerning my office and the settlement of certain harassment allegations have become a major distraction,' he wrote. 'I need to own it because it is my own conduct that fueled the matter.'" Full story.

SPECIAL ELECTION SEASON - "DCCC buys ads in PA-18," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's independent-expenditure unit is wading into the March special election for a House seat in western Pennsylvania, reserving at least $69,000 of TV airtime on Pittsburgh broadcast stations, beginning Jan. 30. ... Republican outside groups, however, have dumped nearly $1 million on this western Pennsylvania seat that backed President Donald Trump by 20 points in 2016." Full story.

NEW THIS MORNING - CLF releases TV spot in PA-18: The Congressional Leadership Fund is out with its first TV ad in the special election, attacking Democrat Conor Lamb as "one of Nancy Pelosi's sheep." The 30-second ad says that Lamb "would join the liberal flock and follow Pelosi's lead." CLF said it plans to spend $1.5 million on the ad effort. Watch the ad here. And check out the NRCC's lamb-related web video here.

MORE ON THE AIRWAVES - Antonio Delgado pops TV ad in NY-19: Antonio Delgado, who's running a contested Democratic primary to challenge GOP Rep. John Faso, released his first TV ad on Thursday, airing on cable stations in the district. The one-minute video focuses on Andrea Mitchell, who confronted Faso in January 2017 about keeping her health care because she has a brain tumor. The ad shows footage of the exchange with Faso hugging her and saying, "I promise." The video cuts to a screen that says, "Less than 100 days later, Rep. John Faso votes to repeal the ACA." Watch the ad here.

- Sign of the times - Mary Barzee Flores releases TV ad on Trump impeachment: Democrat Mary Barzee Flores is out with a TV ad that calls for Congress to impeach Trump, as he's "abused his power, obstructed justice, encouraged hatred and violence, and used his office to further enrich himself and his family." Watch the ad here.

- Restoration PAC airs pro-Nicholson TV ad in Wisconsin: Restoration PAC released a cable TV ad in Wisconsin boosting Republican Kevin Nicholson as a Marine veteran, "outsider and businessman," as the ad's narrator says. "Like Reagan, a passionate convert to conservativism," the ad continues. "Nobody is better suited to defeat ultra-liberal Tammy Baldwin." Restoration PAC is putting $200,000 behind this ad, bringing its total spending in the state to $1.5 million. Watch the ad here.

Days until the 2018 election: 283

Upcoming election dates - Arizona 8th District special primary: Feb. 27. Texas primaries: March 6. Pennsylvania 18th District special election: March 13. Illinois primaries: March 20.

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.

BACKGROUND CHECK - "GOP Senate candidate Lou Barletta did interview in 2006 with Holocaust-denying publication," by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski and Chris Massie: "Rep. Lou Barletta, an immigration hardliner running in a crowded US Senate primary in Pennsylvania, came in contact over the years with fringe organizations and individuals with views far outside the mainstream of American politics, a CNN KFile review of his public appearances over the past decade reveals. ... Barletta did an interview with a fringe publication that promotes Holocaust denial and headlined a rally where a political activist and musician who has questioned the Holocaust and promoted conspiracies about the September 11,
2001 attacks also spoke and performed. As a congressman, Barletta appeared on a panel put on by the controversial Youth for Western Civilization and spoke at an event hosted by a journal that pushes extreme anti-immigrant views." Full story.

OVER THE AIR - Blackburn launches radio buy on National Anthem: Ahead of the Super Bowl, Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn is out with a radio ad where she promises to stand for the anthem. "You have freedom of speech, you have right of peaceful protest, but during that three minutes, that belongs to the people who have fought to defend the freedoms that we have," Blackburn says in the 60-second ad. "And in our country, we stand when the National Anthem is played. We salute." The ad, backed by at least a $14,000 buy, according to Advertising Analytics, runs from today through Feb. 2. Listen to the ad here.

- Messer launches anthem petition: Rep. Luke Messer's campaign is using a petition against an NFL decision not to air an ad encouraging people to stand for the anthem to gather e-mail addresses. "The NFL is REFUSING to air an ad by American Veterans asking citizens to stand for our National Anthem," the petition reads. "This is a big mistake. Join your fellow citizens DEMANDING that the NFL air the ad." But Rep. Todd Rokita's campaign notes Messer previously took a lighter tone on the protests. "Listen, this is America, they are entitled to their point of view," Messer told MSNBC at the time. "I don't necessarily agree with it, but I support their right to have their voice heard.'" See the
petition here.

2020 WATCH - "Bernie Sanders summons team to discuss 2020," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti: "Bernie Sanders convened his top political advisers in Washington on Saturday for a planning meeting that included a discussion of the feasibility and shape of a possible 2020 presidential campaign, half a dozen senior Democrats familiar with the gathering confirmed to POLITICO. The top-line message the Vermont senator received from the operatives gathered during the government shutdown was a more formal version of the one they've been giving him regularly for months: You would be one of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination. And if you want to run, it's time to start seriously planning
accordingly. The Democratic socialist's response to the series of presentations, according to multiple Democrats: I haven't yet made a decision about 2020, but I still think beating Donald Trump is the most important thing for this country. And I want to be ready if I do decide to run." Full story.

- "Oprah squashes 2020 buzz: 'I don't have the DNA for it'," by POLITICO's Louis Neslon: "TV and entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey told InStyle magazine that she does not have the 'the DNA' for a presidential run, putting a damper on talk that has swirled since her viral speech at the Golden Globe awards earlier this month. 'I've always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not. And so it's not something that interests me. I don't have the DNA for it,' Winfrey said in an interview published online Thursday." Full story and the InStyle Magazine piece.

- "Campaign to draft Joe Biden for 2020 says it's not too early," by the Des Moines Register's Kathie Obradovich: "Two Illinois Quad Cities men, Collin West and Matthew Graf, filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission about three weeks ago to create the Time for Biden super PAC." Full story.

Q4 TOTALS - "RAGA raised $16M in 2017" by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "The Republican Attorneys General Association raised over $16 million in 2017, according to figures shared with POLITICO. Republicans control 27 attorneys general positions - important perches in many states, both for policy purposes and maintaining the GOP bench for higher office. Democrats are hoping to flip some of those seats, especially those most contentious battleground states this cycle: Wisconsin, Ohio and Nevada. ... The latest RAGA total comes amid a changing landscape in the politics around attorneys general. Last March brought the end of a longtime agreement among sitting attorneys general not to target
their colleagues in other states from the opposite party." Full story.

- FL-16: Democrat David Shapiro raised $250,000 in the last quarter.

- IL-06: Republican Rep. Peter Roskam raised $580,000 last quarter, ending the year with $1.6 million in cash on hand, Illinois Playbook reported.

DATA DEPT. - How Senators voted on Trump's Cabinet nominees: POLITICO Pro's DataPoint team has put together a handy graphic showing how the senators in 13 key reelection battles voted on Trump's nominees so far. Check out the Datapoint graphic here. Want to add DataPoint to your Pro account? Learn more.

FAMILIAR FACE - Horsford will run for his former House seat: "Former Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford plans to run for his old House seat, setting up a possible rematch against former Rep. Cresent Hardy, according to a Democratic source familiar with Horsford's decision." Full story.

- The Nevada Independent talked with Horsford about his decision. Read the full story here.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN - MSNBC's Chris Jansing reported from an RNC training session during the "National Day of Action" over the weekend, which focused on the group's microtargeting operations. The segment.

SOME OLD-FASHIONED FUN - FiveThirtyEight publishes "Atlas of Redistricting": An interactive map that lets you see how congressional districts would look if they're drawn with certain goals in mind - like gerrymandering for a specific party, promoting competitive elections or making a district compact. The tool.

GETTING THE NOD - LCV Action endorses two House challengers: The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund endorsed Brendan Kelly (IL-12) and Erik Jones (IL-13) in their Democratic primaries, according to a statement from the group.

TUPPENCE A BAG - America Rising zeroes in on Pelosi "crumbs" comment: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi criticized the Republican tax law for offering "crumbs" to the middle class while "fat cats" benefit from the bill. The comment prompted conservative America Rising to deliver a literal basket of bread crumbs to the DNC on Thursday "to show @NancyPelosi what real #crumbs look like - not the $$$ in taxpayers' wallets thanks to #TaxReform," per a Tweet from AR Executive Director Alex Smith.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If America retreats so many [vacuums] are going to appear," Werner Hoyer, president of the EU's European Investment Bank, told POLITICO's team at Davos. "Which at the end of the day is an opportunity for Europe."

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