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By Kyle Cheney

With Sandhya Raman, Steven Shepard and Ben Schreckinger

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. (
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POLITICO EXCLUSIVE -- "4 GOP hopefuls expected to attend Koch event," by Kenneth P. Vogel: "Four leading Republican presidential prospects are expected to appear this weekend in the California desert before an exclusive gathering of rich conservatives convened by the Koch brothers' political operation, several sources tell POLITICO. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida, and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, received coveted invitations to speak to the vaunted network assembled by the billionaire industrialist mega-donors Charles and David Koch, the sources said.
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2016 SENATE DEMS -- Steyer gets specific on bid to succeed Boxer: POLITICO Pro Energy's Andrew Restuccia reports that in conversations with supporters in recent days, billionaire Tom Steyer described a pledge to only serve one six-year term if he doesn't accomplish a series of lofty policy goals related to the environment, education and the economy. According to a source close to Steyer, the billionaire's policy goals include imposing a national climate change policy on par with California's landmark climate law that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The source said Steyer also hopes to expand public education and rework the tax code to 'make sure that the wealthy are taxed
so that they are paying their fair share,' the source said. Steyer has not yet decided whether he will run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2016, but sources said he is expected to make a final decision this week.

-Duckworth nearing Senate bid: Roll Call reports that Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) will make her decision about running for Senate -- and attempting to take out incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Kirk -- "sooner rather than later." Duckworth told the outlet that her decision would come down to whether she's the right voice for Illinoisans and whether it's the right decision for her family -- including her two-month old child.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e211cd1f33a07be19ed2d29636a3ba8507d2ae330543d1d459e4eb650de7de83
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e211cd1f33a07be19ed2d29636a3ba8507d2ae330543d1d459e4eb650de7de83 ; ICYMI, Campaign Pro's 2016 Chessboard, Illinois edition:
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-Also on POLITICO, "Tea party reeling," by Katie Glueck from Myrtle Beach, S.C.: "Five years into its existence, the tea party is a movement adrift, interviews with conservative activists at this weekend's South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention show. Its members are at odds over what went wrong in the 2014 election and on how to move forward in 2016; there's even disagreement over how to define success ... Perhaps, suggested Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.)., the tea party's recent struggles are just the nature of a sprawling, loosely defined grass roots effort. 'The tea party gets [factionalized] in primaries a lot because the tea party is just really a large group of average Americans who
believe in limited government, free markets and are frustrated with big government,' said Duncan."
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GOP DEBATE CIRCUIT -- "RNC rolls out 2016 debate schedule," by James Hohmann and Alex Isenstadt, from Coronado, Calif.: "The Republican National Committee announced Friday that it has sanctioned nine presidential primary debates, starting this August in Ohio and continuing through March 2016, with the potential to add a few more ... One of the most interesting nuggets of the schedule is that no state gets more than one sanctioned debate. In cycles past, most of the debates happen in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. In addition to Ohio, this time there will be debates in California, Colorado, Wisconsin and Nevada.
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-The tentative schedule: 1. Fox News, August 2015, Ohio; 2. CNN, September 2015, California; 3. CNBC, October 2015, Colorado; 4. Fox Business, November 2015, Wisconsin; 5. CNN, December 2015, Nevada; 6. Fox News, January 2016, Iowa; 7. ABC News, February 2016, New Hampshire; 8. CBS News, February 2016, South Carolina; 9. NBC/Telemundo, February 2016, Florida; 10. Fox News, March 2016, location TBD; 11. CNN, March 2016, location TBD; 12. Conservative Media Debate, date TBD, locations TBD

POLL POSITION -- "Poll: Run, Hillary. Run, Mitt." by David Cohen: "Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney are the would-be candidates that Americans most want to run for president in 2016, while solid pluralities would prefer that Chris Christie and Rick Perry sit this election out, according to a new CBS News Poll released Sunday. The poll also indicates that a number of potential 2016 contenders remain largely unknown to the general public, or, at least, are being met with a smattering of indifference.
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As Martin O'Malley lands a teaching gig and Dems struggle to recruit on Staten Island, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: daily news, notes and essential information for the 2015 and 2016 election cycles.

Days until the 2015 election: 287; Days until the 2016 election: 658

Thanks for joining us. We're eager for your news and feedback. Email us at
mailto:kcheney@politico.com
kcheney@politico.com or find us on Twitter at @
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kyledcheney .

2016 GOP POLITICO QUICK HITS:

-"Cruz to Republicans: 'Lighten up a little,'"by Katie Glueck from Myrtle Beach, S.C.: "Sen. Ted Cruz was in rare form at a tea party convention here on Sunday, dinging the Republican establishment but also cracking jokes and even whipping out an apparent Russian accent."
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"Ben Carson mocks 'political class,' by Katie Glueck from Myrtle Beach, S.C.: "'Our founders wanted to make sure there was no such thing as a political class,' Carson said. 'A select, small group of people out of which we consistently pull our leaders. That hasn't worked so well for us.' When a POLITICO reporter sought to clarify to whom he was referring, a friend of Carson's ushered him onto an elevator."
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-Graham seriously exploring White House bid, by Patrick Temple-West: "Asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" if he had started polling voters about his chances in 2016, [Sen. Lindsey] Graham said he is not polling, 'but we set up a testing-the-waters committee under the IRS code that will allow me to look beyond South Carolina as to whether or not a guy like Lindsey Graham has a viable path.'"

-Huckabee wants more campaign cash if he runs, by Patrick Temple-West: "While he won't decide on a run until this spring, the former Arkansas governor said money would be essential if he is to avoid repeating his downfall in 2008."''You do have to have a lot of money to be able to not only push your own campaign, but you have to be able to defend your record against all these crazy attacks that will come against you,' Huckabee said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.'"

"Who wants Carly Fiorina?" by Jonathan Topaz: "[E]ven strategists who wonder why she'd bother running admit that, with expectations so low, a Fiorina 2016 campaign would have upsides for her image - as well as for the Republican Party as a whole. Fiorina is positioning herself as a business-savvy outsider with a compelling personal story who can command a stage. If she avoids stumbles, a run could boost her standing in GOP circles; some speculate her real goal is the vice presidency or a Cabinet slot."
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"Romney sounds ready to run," by Alex Isenstadt from San Diego: "Mitt Romney, in a campaign-style speech Friday night to Republican Party brass, confirmed his interest in a third White House run, outlining a three-plank platform and pointedly attacking presumed Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
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WHAT DUKAKIS CAN TEACH PERRY -- "Rick Perry's oil hazard," by POLITICO's Katie Glueck: "More than any other likely presidential contender, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has hitched his political ambitions to the story of his home state's economy ... What Perry doesn't mention is the extent to which Texas' economy rises and falls with the fortunes of the oil industry. And now, plummeting oil prices threaten to complicate Perry's rationale ... The full effect of dropping oil prices on Texas' energy-dominant economy - and questions about how long they'll stay low - may not be known for months, experts say. By then, Perry may be in the midst of a heated presidential primary."

-"Just ask Michael Dukakis, who ran for president in 1988 touting the "Massachusetts Miracle." When the economy there turned south, George H.W. Bush pounced, using that language to mock Dukakis, who went on to lose. 'Clearly one of my strengths was being governor of a state that had come from a terribly deep hole and was doing exceedingly well,' Dukakis said in an interview. '...I certainly wasn't going to hide that under a bushel. At the same time, I want to caution that these things can change.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6b0f8887ad1ba6e293956d27a8318f9d35bb5dd18aa70166992f397f80f92a95
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2016 DEMS -- O'Malley lands Hopkins post: Maryland's outgoing Gov. Martin O'Malley will become a visiting professor at the Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, the university announced today. O'Malley, who is known for his hands-on approach to the nuts and bolts of governance, will teach government, business, and urban affairs, according to a news release. O'Malley also revealed this week that he had completed a manuscript about his time in Baltimore, where he was mayor for seven years, and that he is looking for a publisher. O'Malley, who leaves office Jan. 21, is considering running for the Democratic presidential nomination and is planning to give paid speeches around the
country in coming weeks. His visiting professorship begins Feb. 2.

NAME ID -- A new online poll from Paragon Insights tests the name ID and favorables of the likeliest presidential candidates from either party. The poll found that nearly all of the contenders begin with underwater approval -- though there's a clear partisan split. As for name ID, only Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are universally known. For Republicans, Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee also boast high name ID. Scott Walker, on the other hand, was still unknown to 40 percent of registered voters. Of the three GOP senators likely to seek the nomination, Rand Paul is better known (only 17 percent never heard of him) than Marco Rubio (25 percent) and Ted Cruz (26 percent).
The national poll of 1,707 registered voters, taken from Jan. 8 to Jan. 11,carries a 2.4 percentage point margin of error. The report:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6b0f8887ad1ba6e208dfe6bec78fd466162a17a7ffca39440935cb77f5ef54b2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6b0f8887ad1ba6e208dfe6bec78fd466162a17a7ffca39440935cb77f5ef54b2 ; The crosstabs:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6b0f8887ad1ba6e2421c738400bf078215c6dae00c37810b933454638e371e2d
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LIBERTARIANS ON THE RISE -- Party set records in 10 Senate races last year: Libertarians may be having their moment. The party's nominees achieved record support in 2014 Senate races in 10 states, according to a new analysis by Smart Politics blogger and political science professor Eric Ostermeier: "Overall, voters had the option of voting for a Libertarian candidate in 20 of the 36 general and special elections held last November. These 20 candidates averaged 2.5 percent of the vote with a high water mark of 4.3 percent by Randall Batson in Kansas in the high profile race between Republican incumbent Pat Roberts and independent Greg Orman ... Libertarians made history in Alaska, Arkansas,
Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas."
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CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I have no comment." -- President Barack Obama, when asked Friday about the prospect of his former GOP rival Mitt Romney running for president again.

POLITICO LIVE: SOTU EDITION - Beginning tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET, award-winning journalist Glenn Thrush kicks off POLITICO LIVE to preview President Obama's address, joined by Susan Glasser, John F. Harris, Carrie Budoff Brown, Manu Raju, Michael Crowley and more. Tune in to watch the speech and Republican response in full, followed by POLITICO analysis:
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