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By Elena Schneider | 09/15/2015 10:22AM 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)

TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO -- "Democrats confront their own Senate primary problems," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=af1a19a7c99517415ba4a0f65eef1590570a4073a809265a4ecac66242c4e749

HAPPENING TODAY -- The first televised Kentucky gubernatorial debate is tonight at 7 p.m. Republican Matt Bevin, Democrat Jack Conway and independent Drew Curtis are all participating. The debate will take place on the campus of Bellarmine University in Louisville and is jointly hosted by the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Louisville Courier-Journal and two television stations. The debate will livestream on wkyt.com.

-- Sam Youngman at the Lexington Herald-Leader previews the gubernatorial debate, but he also acknowledged, "I have no idea what to expect." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=af1a19a7c99517416a65a26c84b7f3f70bd55f430b69d84192276897d00576a1

VITTER ADDRESSES PROSTITUTION CHARGE, SORT OF -- At a Louisiana gubernatorial forum in New Orleans Monday night, the Alliance for Good Government asked both Sen. David Vitter and Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne (the only two candidates participating) whether they'd violated Title 14 of Louisiana law as elected officials, the New Orleans Times-Picayune's Julia O'Donoghue reports: "Vitter initially said he didn't know what Title 14 was. But he then indirectly acknowledged -- in a frustrated fashion -- what the question might be getting at. 'This question was planted as a gotcha question at me,' he said. 'I've spoken about my past and how my family has dealt with that. ... If that's not good enough for
you, then that's not good enough. But it's good enough for Wendy,' said Vitter, referencing his wife. ... Dardenne implied it was unlikely that Vitter, who taught at Tulane University's law school, wouldn't know what was included in Title 14. 'Title 14. It's the criminal code. ... Any lawyer would know that,' Dardenne said in an interview." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=af1a19a7c9951741b2b2ebb556ff34821ff30c2b72c26071949b78ab53cec2c9

TOOMEY TROUBLE -- "Gun-rights group takes on Toomey," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett: "As Sen. Pat Toomey officially launched his reelection campaign over the weekend, a gun rights group was planning to interrupt the festivities by protesting the Pennsylvania Republican's support for universal background checks. At the last minute, though, Pennsylvanians for Self Protection canceled the protest. A group official said it was scrapped after a Toomey staffer promised the senator would not reintroduce the high-profile gun control bill known as the Toomey-Manchin proposal that stalled in the Senate two years ago. Toomey's aide denied that account, saying no such assurance was made. But the
incident highlights the high wire the freshman senator is walking as he tries to reconcile the signature bipartisan effort of his term with vehement conservative opposition to new gun controls." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ec4aeb6c9646becc74659195aa8aa14da2c727c7323aaa15b020b3a41c278f7a

Days until the 2015 election: 49. Days until the 2016 election: 420.

Thanks for joining us. Email tips to the whole Campaign Pro team at sshepard@politico.com, kcheney@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com and tmeyer@politico.com.

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WAITING FOR ELIJAH -- On Monday, Rev. Jamal Bryant announced he was running for the congressional seat held by Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings. Bryant, the pastor at Empowerment Temple in Northwest Baltimore, is a Democrat and was active during the unrest following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. But it's not clear Bryant is actively challenging Cummings. Bryant told the Baltimore Sun: "All my indicators say [Cummings] is running for Senate." If Cummings doesn't, Bryant said he'd "have a conversation with him because I respect him that much." Cummings, for his part, told reporters he would make an announcement on whether he was running for House or Senate "shortly." "Anybody who
assumes that I will not be running for the 7th Congressional District of Maryland is definitely making a premature assumption," Cummings said later Monday at a press conference. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e4ce55604513629b2c09b3fabfb3df6ff395ccf6dcaa81a78be5b5b7952b13d

DUPED IN ILLINOIS -- Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) both signed on to support a fake health-related technology company, scammed by an Illinois man "waiting to be sentenced over the promotion of a non-existent device named after the fictional doctor on "Star Trek," Bloomberg reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e4ce55604513629e5af0083d93dd84f47177235b10bbd4a3381df44965bdc9c

MEET THE CHAIRMAN -- National Journal profiles the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Chairman Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, who wanted to "consult his mother," before he accepted the job offer. With Democrats at historic lows in the House, they're in need for some enthusiasm, which Lujan brings. Yet "any praise of Lujan's new-and-improved approach to DCCC is seen by some as veiled criticism of his predecessor, Rep. Steve Israel. But members were careful not to explicitly blame Israel for the party's past failures," National Journal reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e4ce556045136297e89631ae400d067c7f94376f1b52053f3d16a41e736bb4c

2016 IN TWO MINUTES - Donald Trump goes big in Texas," by POLITICO's Ben Schreckinger in Dallas: "Donald Trump brought his Texas-sized swagger to a Texas-sized rally of 15,000 people, declaring here on Monday night, "We are really killing it. We are killing it." As his lead in many national and early-state polls continues to grow, Trump gave one of the longest speeches of his campaign and at times spoke of his election to the presidency as if it were a foregone conclusion." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5876d118d254cbd2a2134611dcd43d77684494d4250e555eed684c2f61c131c0

SPEAKING OF TEXAS -- "Perry's out but his super PAC's not quite done yet," by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney: " The ghost of Rick Perry's presidential campaign may haunt his erstwhile rivals for the Republican nomination. Though the former Texas governor folded amid fundraising turmoil, supporters running a well-funded super PAC supporting his candidacy are considering whether there's an outlet for as much as $13 million they had in the bank when Perry dropped out. ...Austin Barbour, a senior member of the PAC's leadership, said he's still discussing options with the group's lawyers. 'I think it is fair to say that we don't yet have a full understanding of what the law allows for,' Barbour said in
an email. "Once we understand that we can talk with our donors about options.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5876d118d254cbd2309316b516c7d9adfa76a762327ae25b818e4381c533f2fa

BACK ON WALL STREET -- "Wall Street is growing increasingly terrified that Donald Trump - once viewed as an amusing summertime distraction - could actually win the Republican nomination for president," reports POLITICO's Ben White in New York. "The real estate billionaire, who took another populist shot on Sunday by ripping into lavish executive pay, continues to rise in the polls. Would-be Wall Street saviors like Jeb Bush are languishing in single digits. The belief that Trump's candidacy would quickly fade is now evaporating in a wave of fear. ...Trump is not entirely without Wall Street support." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5876d118d254cbd21834bedde2529ad15db376a839b428468eb292bacec0f443

-- "Walker stumbles with anti-union message," by POLITICO's Brian Mahoney: " Scott Walker is doubling down on his anti-union message. But GOP voters don't seem to be listening. ...He pledged elimination of the National Labor Relations Board. He promised a national "right to work" law freeing workers from mandatory payments to unions that bargain collectively on their behalf. ...But one of 2016's biggest surprises is that the anti-union message isn't selling, either for Walker or for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another GOP candidate who's built much of his campaign around his willingness to face down union bosses. Unions don't seem to loom especially large as a problem to rank-and-file
Republican voters. Trump's economic populism may also be undermining the anti-union message." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5876d118d254cbd20ed41c4f06b47d3eb9b7f8ce6e864a204dc54f1340ca0ccf

-- California Republicans aren't happy with Walker either, slamming him for his last-minute decision to cancel as the keynote speaker of the state party's convention next weekend, and the "latest sign of a candidacy in chaos," POLITICO's Shane Goldmacher reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5876d118d254cbd2d5de9da313e3adfc4c7a857b753f4fe28b08efe96bfddbf5

BEHIND ENEMY LINES -- "Sanders asks Liberty University students to challenge income inequality," by POLITICO's Daniel Strauss in Lynchburg, Va.: "Bernie Sanders delivered a plea to the students at Liberty University, the Christian school founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, to question the morality of income inequality in the United States, as he took his populist message to an unlikely audience. Sanders ... at times got enthusiastic applause. He did not back off his populist, strictly liberal message, opening his remarks by voicing his support of gay marriage and abortion rights." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5876d118d254cbd2808e0a3f43b68f559b159a050bf81aab47a7212060e5d3b7

BUSH SUPER PAC HITS THE AIRWAVES -- "Big ad buy for Jeb Bush to start airing in Iowa," by the Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs: "Right to Rise USA has already booked $5.89 million in advertising to aid former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and more is expected. The PAC doesn't intend to let up, except for occasional holiday breaks, until the caucuses on Feb. 1. ... The debut TV advertisement in Iowa for Bush shows a faceless outline of a candidate, then says this governor helped create 1.3 million jobs, cut taxes by $19 billion, vetoed billions in spending, and took on the teachers' unions. 'The state was Florida. The governor was Jeb Bush,' says the narrator in the 30-second ad, called "Real
Results.' ... The Iowa push is part of a $24 million campaign Right to Rise is launching in three early states through the end of 2015, [Mike] Murphy said. ... Separately, a 60-second Web-only ad that goes after Trump also starts Tuesday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e4ce55604513629bd4404443605bc115ee1ae8ea715b6dd9ff6832dfcc45496

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., is toying with the gubernatorial race, as he does at least twice a year." -- Joel Connelly at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, who called out Reichert in a story about the upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e4ce55604513629e5d0f4aadd1f4b519dbbff1062e291ce08f142e28cffb2f3

DEBRIEF INTERVIEW WITH STAN COLLENDER: What's at stake in the budget showdown on Capitol Hill? The renowned budget expert tells us how the protracted negotiations hurt government agencies, weighs the consequences of a government shutdown and fills us in on which key players he's watching right now. Find out on this week's Debrief video from The Agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=af1a19a7c9951741eee6076b94915e5ee7d6ffe475dcec167415cfaf119a392e

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