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

FIRST IN SCORE-CITIZENS UNITED BACKS ROUZER IN NORTH CAROLINA: The Citizens United Political Victory Fund, the political arm of Citizens United, is endorsing GOP candidate David Rouzer in the North Carolina 7th district primary. Rouzer is running to fill retiring Democratic Rep. Mike McIntyre's seat in a district that is now seen as a likely pickup for Republicans. He faces New Hanover County Commission Chairman Woody White in the GOP primary. "Republican primary voters should know that there is a stark contrast between David Rouzer and his moderate opponent," said Citizens United President David Bossie. "David Rouzer drove longtime Democrat incumbent Congressman Mike McIntyre into
retirement because voters in Southeastern North Carolina want bold conservative leadership to represent them in Congress."

HAPPENING TODAY-RNC CHOOSES CONVENTION COMMITTEE: Today's the third and final day of the Republican National Committee meetings here in D.C. While yesterday saw RNC members taking up some key changes to the 2016 primary calendar (see more below), the decision to watch today is who RNC members elect to their Convention Site Selection Committee, the small group who will ultimately choose which city gets to host the convention in 2016. The committee has already chosen former House member and current Utah RNC Committeewoman Enid Mickelsen to run the selection committee.

MCDONNELLS EXPECTED IN COURT TODAY-Here's the Washington Post on how former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife sought a deal in their case over accepting gifts from a wealthy businessman: "Maureen McDonnell relayed to federal prosecutors last summer that she felt responsible for the relationship with a wealthy businessman who had drawn legal scrutiny to Virginia's first family, and her attorney asked whether the case could be resolved without charges for her husband. But prosecutors showed no interest, according to people familiar with the conversation. Instead, months later, authorities proposed that then-Gov. Robert F. McDonnell plead guilty to one felony fraud charge that had
nothing to do with corruption in office and his wife would avoid charges altogether. The governor rejected the offer, the people with knowledge of the conversations said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c183cc357039253f5464d6380b639c825acebc5582e09c8f47
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c183cc357039253f5464d6380b639c825acebc5582e09c8f47

MORE-If you missed the story from POLITICO's MJ Lee on how the McDonnells' downfall was influenced by the housing crisis, read it here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c136793a5420eafe4453603a4d5127d1e9796c481494cff035
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c136793a5420eafe4453603a4d5127d1e9796c481494cff035

BREAKING THIS MORNING-KOCH-WORLD EXPANDS FOR '14: POLITICO's Ken Vogel looks at the ways in which the Koch brothers plan to extend their influence over the 2014 midterms: "[The Koch political operation] has mostly taken a piecemeal approach, sticking to its sweet spots, while leaving other tasks to outsiders, or ad hoc coalitions of allies. That's changing. This year, the Kochs' close allies are rolling out a new, more integrated approach to politics. That includes wading into Republican primaries for the first time to ensure their ideal candidates end up on the ticket, and also centralizing control of their network to limit headache-inducing freelancing by affiliated operatives."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1e9387ae2f547f8a74f7149b1e2766bba726723e3a11e349c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1e9387ae2f547f8a74f7149b1e2766bba726723e3a11e349c

As the RNC talks 2016, Mike Honda and Ro Khanna spar over donations and another candidate's in for Jim Moran's seat, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 284.

Good Friday morning and welcome to Morning Score. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to
mailto:eschultheis@politico.com
eschultheis@politico.com or tweet them to @emilyrs.

FRIDAY STANDINGS-BETTER OFF NOW? It's been a busy January, kicking the midterm season into high gear. Here's Morning Score's weekly take on how some of the most important candidates, campaigns and political players should answer the question: Are you better off now than you were a week ago?

YES: (1) Arkansas Rep. Tom Cotton, whose campaign announced that he outraised incumbent Sen. Mark Pryor in the 4th quarter of 2013, and who got a big race rating (from Sabato's Crystal Ball) shifted in his favor this week; (2) Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who's about to get a big podium on the national stage as the pol giving the official Republican response to Obama's State of the Union; and (3) California State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, who in the short time since incumbent Rep. George Miller announced his retirement has consolidated support from Democrats across the California 11th district.

NO: (1) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who found this week that the bad headlines from the Bridgegate scandal (and other New Jersey allegations) are still coming and that the issue isn't going away any time soon; (2) Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who after this week is not only trying to repair his political image but also avoid going to prison; and (3) Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis, whose big fundraising totals were overshadowed by questions about the personal story she tells on the campaign trail.

ON THE TRAIL WITH GRIMES-HER FATHER'S ROLE: In a deep dive on Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes, POLITICO's Manu Raju looks at how her father, Jerry Lundergan, is making his mark on the race: "One of the biggest players in her orbit is a man who does not hold an official campaign title: Grimes' father, Jerry Lundergan, a longtime Democratic boss in the state. 'Nothing important happens without Jerry knowing about it,' said one source close to the campaign. That includes the naming of a campaign manager. At Grimes's request, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee proposed a number of candidates for her to consider as her campaign manager before she announced her run.
But the candidate - and her father - instead picked Jonathan Hurst, a veteran Kentucky operative with long-standing ties to Lundergan."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1c444796212043d7c04f93135646dfdadb943459608670c55
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1c444796212043d7c04f93135646dfdadb943459608670c55

MORE SUBPOENAS FOR CHRISTIE: The tough headlines continue for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's office subpoenaed the Christie for governor re-elect campaign and the New Jersey Republican State committee, both in connection with the Bridgegate scandal. With the number of subpoenas out, the multiple investigations underway and the other allegations now frequently flying at Christie, Bridgegate has turned not just a few weeks, but likely Christie's first half of 2014.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1466cccccd28f8ed749d41423a1a1ccdd6be1db107b3162b0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1466cccccd28f8ed749d41423a1a1ccdd6be1db107b3162b0

BUT-The Republican Governors Association announced last night that Christie is heading back out to the states for another round of fundraising: he'll head to Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts, Georgia, Connecticut and Utah "in the next few months" to raise money.

RNC PROPOSES '16 CALENDAR CHANGES: Via POLITICO's James Hohmann, the RNC Rules Committee agreed on a number of key changes to the 2016 calendar yesterday. Among them are rules for which states can vote before March 1 (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada), what the penalties are for states that break the rules, and delegate allocation rules based on when states hold their primaries. The convention would also be held between June 27 and July 18 if the rules were adopted. As far as the calendar goes, both parties already had penalties in place for states that jumped the gun-and it didn't stop Florida from holding a January primary in 2012, causing Iowa et al. to move theirs even
earlier. Will this year's penalties keep states from shredding the calendar again? Maybe. But it's hard to imagine some states won't at least try. (These also all still need to be voted on by the full RNC, which should happen today.)
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c19e2c8a98e6df7b4a3b7c172b4d5674a5e46e5be03ec76778
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c19e2c8a98e6df7b4a3b7c172b4d5674a5e46e5be03ec76778

HONDA, KHANNA CAMPS GO BACK AND FORTH ON MONEY: The latest back-and-forth California's 17th district, where incumbent Rep. Mike Honda is facing a Democratic challenge from attorney Ro Khanna, just got a little bit snarky. In a letter to the Honda campaign, Khanna called on the incumbent congressman to sign the People's Pledge, committing not to use outside groups' money in the race. Honda campaign manager Doug Greven responded by saying that the real way to "keep undue influence out of this election" is to limit contributions to $570, the same as for local candidates in Fremont, Calif., and to refund any previous donations over that amount. He also suggested that Khanna return the donations
of several past supporters who donated to him when he was planning to run for a different seat, and who don't want to see their money used against Honda (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c15e6a71db03626529d82565305707d1039900e70dfd9ad2a0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c15e6a71db03626529d82565305707d1039900e70dfd9ad2a0 ). This race could be one of the nastiest intra-party House fights on the map this year-and if this back-and-forth is any indication, it's going to be a fun ride from now until November.

ACROSS THE MAP-Here are Score's top quick takes from races around the country:

SENATE-

-TX-Sen: Rep. Steve Stockman appears to be MIA: he's missed 17 straight House votes this month.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c18e7e59d2f6af598c20b9a85eed01f81cc26e3f2b2ad9c04c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c18e7e59d2f6af598c20b9a85eed01f81cc26e3f2b2ad9c04c

-NC-Sen: Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan gets a (non-serious) primary challenger: first-time political candidate Will Stewart, who runs a computer repair and website building business, said he'll run against her.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1a6c52933834c479926150a392c26d1c583b185ef67476398
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1a6c52933834c479926150a392c26d1c583b185ef67476398

-OK-Sen: Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating is considering running for retiring Sen. Tom Coburn's seat.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c13ca3bee5ec19213eb2875dc42f117270afca096685feacf9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c13ca3bee5ec19213eb2875dc42f117270afca096685feacf9

-WV-Sen: Democratic Secretary of State Natalie Tennant will officially file her paperwork to run for Senate today.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c135208e58f496816aef4596e4517c31cb2104936b66994955
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c135208e58f496816aef4596e4517c31cb2104936b66994955

HOUSE-

-NY-18 first look: Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney's campaign will announce today that it raised $1.75 million in 2013, including $380,000 in the 4th quarter.

-VA-08: State Del. Charniele Herring will step down as state Democratic Party chairwoman to run for retiring Rep. Jim Moran's seat.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c15e52b814fe79b5c419cd2ccd00d22ab86a38137d7f8f7ae6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c15e52b814fe79b5c419cd2ccd00d22ab86a38137d7f8f7ae6

-NC-02: Singer Clay Aiken is reportedly preparing to announce a House bid next month.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1e5037d3fcafc714e4d23cc63a882de7c048dc3373bf65f6c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1e5037d3fcafc714e4d23cc63a882de7c048dc3373bf65f6c

-VA-10: Republicans will hold an April 26 firehouse primary, not a convention, to choose their nominee to run for retiring Rep. Frank Wolf's seat.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1c56f97c425f861057321de78b9a84aaab340f66f15e06b3c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1c56f97c425f861057321de78b9a84aaab340f66f15e06b3c

GOVERNORS-

-WI-Gov: In his State of the State speech, GOP Gov. Scott Walker lauded a man who's actually a sex offender.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c19554ddf326fd96dc47efec47399fa6f07ac0411fcf5ef386
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c19554ddf326fd96dc47efec47399fa6f07ac0411fcf5ef386

-MD-Gov: Maryland Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger confirms he's definitely not running for governor:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1229f7cf4b207def34987a240ee9832941a9b6d2bad843933
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1229f7cf4b207def34987a240ee9832941a9b6d2bad843933

-OH-Gov: GOP Gov. John Kasich hit the campaign trail yesterday:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1dfa0eb2fae8c0c75586bd6cce8841a757c01c10021d349e7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c1dfa0eb2fae8c0c75586bd6cce8841a757c01c10021d349e7

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Conclusion." -Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who got some attention Thursday for whether he was accidentally reading the headings on his State of the State speech.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c130eecd01c108efc3978886b54298f843b5be1208ddbe8689
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a4dd4fe0484c77c130eecd01c108efc3978886b54298f843b5be1208ddbe8689

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