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By Kevin Robillard | 11/20/2017 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)

THE NEXT SPECIAL - "Conor Lamb is Democrats' pick to replace Tim Murphy," by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Chris Potter: "Over 500 Democratic committeepeople gathered in Washington, Pa., on Sunday to pick former federal prosecutor Conor Lamb, who has never run for office before, to be their champion in a special election for the 18th Congressional District to replace Tim Murphy. ... In a speech before the vote, Mr. Lamb said his 'mission' would be to confront Republicans on what he called 'a public hypocrisy fully equal to the private hypocrisy of Tim Murphy,' who resigned in October amid allegations he was having an extramarital affair. Mr. Lamb, 33, of Mt. Lebanon was an assistant U.S.
attorney in the Pittsburgh office until he stepped down just after Mr. Murphy stepped down. He is a Marine Corps veteran and prosecutor whose cases included the successful prosecution of a Naval Academy instructor who lied under oath about sexual misconduct involving female servicepeople. Mr. Lamb is from a notable public family: His uncle Michael Lamb is Pittsburgh's city controller, and his grandfather Thomas Lamb was the Democratic leader in the state Senate during the 1970s, later becoming Gov. Robert P. Casey's top legislative aide. .... Mr. Lamb was widely regarded as a moderate choice for Democrats. ... Asked whether he would support California Democrat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of
the House, he said answering would be 'presumptuous.'" Full story.

- Republicans picked state Rep. Rick Saccone as their nominee last weekend. The special election is set for March 16.

THE ETERNAL QUESTION - "Republican Governors' 2018 Dilemma: What to Do About Trump?," by the New York Times' Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns in Austin, Texas: "In a series of closed-door meetings, governors tangled over how best to avoid being tainted by Mr. Trump, and debated the delicate task of steering Mr. Trump's political activities away from states where he might be unhelpful. Several complained directly to Vice President Mike Pence, prodding him to ensure that the White House intervenes only in races in which its involvement is welcome. ... Several candidates and strategists said the governors association had been pressing recruits to define themselves early and develop
independent personal brands. But that is a more complicated task than it was during the Obama years, when Republican governors shared an easy template of railing against a Democratic administration and fiscal profligacy at the state level. What Republicans agree on is that their candidates must avoid the contortions of Ed Gillespie, their Virginia nominee for governor, who embraced Mr. Trump's divisive messages on immigration, crime and Confederate 'heritage' but danced inartfully around whether he actually supported the president. 'You can't be halfway in and halfway out,' said Gov. Phil Bryant of Mississippi, a conservative and admirer of Mr. Trump's." Full story.

- HE'S BACK - "POLITICO Pro Q&A: Colorado Republican Tom Tancredo," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "You've run two times before for governor. What makes this time different? The polls indicate that, certainly No. 1, I have the best chances of winning in the primary. And No. 2, I am tied with Jared Polis; he's most likely the Democratic candidate. Now, that's more than anyone else out there. So why would I not say that's a pretty good indication? So your expectation is that Polis will be the nominee? Yes. Anybody that's going to put $30 million into the race, which is what he has promised, will almost certainly - even though he is not, I would say, the favorite of the Democratic
establishment. I think $30 million can turn a lot of heads." Full story.

THE YEAR'S BEST ROMANTIC COMEDY - "Trump still loves polls," by POLITICO's Josh Dawsey and Steven Shepard: "Aides in the White House often show Trump polls designed to make him feel good, according to aides and advisers. Usually they're the ones that focus just on voters who cast ballots for him in 2016 or are potential Trump supporters -Trump's base - but occasionally include public polls like Rasmussen, depending on what the numbers say. ... When the White House sent internal poll numbers to about 15 legislators last month in hopes of pressuring them to support tax reform, it wasn't the usual approve-disapprove. Instead, the polls delineated by the president's base, steady Trump voters,
soft Trump voters, lean Dem independent voters, white working class men, suburban women. For example, in New Jersey's seventh congressional district, a wealthier stretch that includes Trump's Bedminster golf club, 72.7 percent of the president's base approves of him, while 67.9 percent of Republicans approve, internal polls obtained by POLITICO show. There was no data on his approval rating overall. The numbers came from the Republican National Committee. ... Aides in Trump's political affairs shop shrug off public polls that survey the general public. Most of the public pollsters are seen as 'not understanding him,' one senior White House official said, a position carried over from the
campaign, when many polls underestimated support for Trump." Full story.

MONEY CHASE - FIRST IN SCORE: The DSCC raised more than $4.1 million in October and has more than $17.5 million cash on hand. The committee had $15.7 million on hand and $8 million in debt at the end of September.

Days until the 2018 election: 354. (Updated for 11/17)

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.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Morning Score will not publish from Nov. 23-Nov. 26. Our next Morning Score newsletter will publish on Nov. 27.

FRANKEN FALLOUT - "Sen. Al Franken faces fallout from account of sexual harassment," by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Maya Rao and Brandon Stahl: "Supporters, political allies and former employees of U.S. Sen. Al Franken responded with dismay, confusion and support Friday following his public apology for unwanted kissing and groping of a woman in 2006. Some distanced themselves from the Democratic senator, including a Minnesota rape survivor who said she no longer wants Franken to sponsor legislation she has championed to aid sexual assault survivors. At the same time, a group of eight women who worked for Franken in recent years released a letter of support stating that he always 'treated
us with the utmost respect.' ... Two DFL candidates for governor in 2018, State Auditor Rebecca Otto and state Rep. Erin Murphy, said Franken should resign, while a third - St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman - said that was for Franken to decide." Full story.

- "Lujan Grisham: Senate leader should leave race," by the AP's Russell Contreras and Morgan Lee: "New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial candidate Michelle Lujan Grisham said Friday that Democratic Sen. Michael Padilla should end his bid for lieutenant governor over claims he harassed women as a city of Albuquerque supervisor. Padilla has long denied the harassment claims dating back to 2006 that he links to issues of a hostile workplace environment and not sexual harassment. But Lujan Grisham said in a statement to The Associated Press that Padilla should end his campaign as the decade-old allegations began to resurface on social media and amid sexual harassment cases involving other
political leaders and celebrities." Full story.

DAILY WAR EAGLE - "Roy Moore scandal ignites fundraising explosion for Democratic challenger Doug Jones," by NBC News' Alex Seitz-Wald: "The Roy Moore scandal has unleashed a torrent of online donations to Democrat Doug Jones, who was collecting around $250,000 per day in its immediate aftermath, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity." Full story.

ANOTHER ONE - "Indiana candidate's DC-area home complicates Senate campaign," by the AP's Brian Slodysko: "His family lives in McLean, Virginia, keeps a vacation house in Dandridge, Tennessee, yet sold their home in Indiana two years after his election to Congress in 2012. They now say a two-bedroom house Messer co-owns with his mom in Greensburg is the family's Indiana residence. ... For his part, Messer says he relocated his family in order to stay close. He was raised by a single mother and wanted to be engaged in his three kids' day-to-day lives, unlike his own father. Plus, his family's move to Virginia was well known and never a secret, he said. 'I am proud to serve our state, but
being a dad comes first,' Messer said in a statement Wednesday. 'My opponents think that's gonna cost me this election. If it did, I would never regret it.'" Full story.

PRIMARY CONCERNS - "Dems opt for state-run primary in Virginia's 10th District," by the AP: "Democrats will hold a state-run primary next year in their race to unseat Republican Barbara Comstock from a northern Virginia congressional district. ... The 10th District Congressional Committee voted Saturday to hold a state-run primary, rather than a convention or 'firehouse primary,' to nominate a candidate for the 2018 race. Nine Democrats, including state Sen. Jennifer Wexton, have already announced plans to run for the seat." Full story.

- FLASHBACK - "Democrats weigh convention instead of primary in top House battleground," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard on Sept. 13: "Democratic officials in one of the nation's most contested House districts are considering picking their nominee through a convention rather than a primary, a step opposed by all but one of the leading candidates: Virginia state Sen. Jennifer Wexton, the only Democratic elected official in the race against GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock. ... Some Democrats in the district think Wexton, the only candidate with experience running elections in the 10th District, may prefer a more insular convention to a more expensive primary." Full story.

2018 WATCH - "Wolf starting to look like 'two-term Tom' as 2018 approaches," by the Associated Press' Marc Levy: "Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf likely has wrapped up his biggest first-term fights with the Legislature's huge Republican majorities and his record is largely set a year before voters decide whether to give him a second term. He now heads into the 2018 election year with political winds at his back. Wolf's polls currently resemble those of former Gov. Ed Rendell's, the Democrat who won a second term in 2006, rather than former Gov. Tom Corbett's, the Republican who Wolf beat in 2014 to make the first Pennsylvania governor to lose re-election and the original 'one-term Tom.'" Full
story.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Did he go visit them in jail? Did you go visit them in jail? If you went to visit them in jail then I would say, 'Thank you.'" - LaVar Ball, explaining why he isn't thanking President Donald Trump for freeing his son.

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