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By Elena Schneider | 02/24/2017 10:00 AM EDT


With Kevin Robillard

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)

PICKING A HORSE - "House Democrats invest in Georgia, wait on Montana," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock weathered Trump's 20-point wave in Montana. Republican Greg Gianforte, who lost to Bullock in 2016, is the front-runner for the open House seat, after infuriating some in his own party for failing to appeal beyond his conservative base. But national Democrats can't stop talking about Georgia. The DCCC is sending money to hire nine on-the-ground staffers to help Democrats in Georgia's 6th District. Jon Ossoff, the 30-year-old front-runner to carry Democratic hopes into a special election runoff, has already raised a whopping $1.85 million to replace
Republican Rep. Tom Price in the traditionally red seat. The DNC is following suit, with interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile saying Thursday that the committee will make investments there. Both House special elections looming in Montana and Georgia are uphill battles for Democrats. But their investment choices shed light on the kind of long-shots they're willing to back heading into 2018, buoyed by intense grassroots energy, and looking to challenge the GOP lock on the House of Representatives."

- Key quote ... "Both districts are pretty different in terms of their makeup," said one national Democratic operative. "But one is trending toward us and one is trending away from us, and they're both still very hard." Full story.

CHAIR FARE - "Rick Scott is the heavy favorite to be next RGA vice chair," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "Florida Gov. Rick Scott is the heavy favorite to be the new vice chair of the Republican Governors Association, putting him in line to lead the organization during the crucial 2018 gubernatorial elections. The RGA's 11-member executive committee will vote on a new vice chair Friday in Washington, D.C., according to two sources with knowledge of the executive committee's thinking. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley held the position before President Donald Trump tapped her to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. While sources cautioned there's a possibility the governors go
in a different direction, Scott is likely to take the job. If he does, he'll be the odds-on favorite to take over the chairmanship from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in 2018, when 36 governor's mansions around the country are up for grabs." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 257.

Days until the 2018 election: 621.

Thanks for joining us. You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com and dstrauss@politico.com.

You can also follow us on Twitter, where we tweet about campaigns and plagues. @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin and @danielstrauss4.

RECESS WEEK - "No evidence town hall protesters are being paid," by POLITICO's Elana Schor: "The White House and some GOP lawmakers have dismissed the uproar at town hall meetings this month as the work of ;professional protesters' and 'liberal activists.' The rhetoric suggests that individual protesters are accepting cash to berate members of Congress in public. The reality is a lot less nefarious. Those making the allegation point to links between activist groups organizing the protests and the progressive nonprofits supported by George Soros. But the liberal mega-donor denies any direct connection to the growing tide of anti-Trump protests. 'There have been many false reports about
George Soros and the Open Society Foundations funding protests in the wake of the U.S. presidential elections,' a spokesman for Soros' foundation said in a statement. 'There is no truth to these reports.'" Full story.

- "Takeaways from a week of raucous town halls," by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney: "Republicans stepped away from the Capitol this week and into a PR mess. Aggrieved constituents - organized by a suddenly energetic liberal resistance movement - packed lawmakers' district events in protest of GOP plans to repeal and replace Obamacare. Democrats were quick to circulate footage of the most cringe-worthy exchanges. POLITICO reporters attended nine town halls and interviewed more than 60 attendees, including supporters and skeptics of the hosting lawmakers. At each event, Republican lawmakers wrestled with how to handle hecklers, rabble-rousers and genuinely distressed residents. Here are some
takeaways from the week's unrest: 1. The angst is real 2. The surest applause line: Break with the GOP 3. Moscow on their minds 4. Growing fear of a viral moment." Full story.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE TRACKER - "Zuckerberg group that fought Trump gave to transition," by POLITICO's Tony Romm and Theodoric Meyer: "At the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, the immigration reform group FWD.us took aim at then-GOP candidate Donald Trump and blasted him for pursuing policies that might lead to 'mass deportations.' But months later the nonprofit founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote a $5,000 check to Trump's presidential transition - the latest indication that it's still business as usual for the tech industry in Washington despite the revulsion many Silicon Valley engineers and executives feel toward Trump. Hoping to curry early favor and help shape the incoming
administration, FWD.us joined a handful of tech and telecom companies like AT&T, Microsoft and Qualcomm in funding Trump's months-long transition operation, which raked in roughly $6.5 million through Feb. 15, according to a transition disclosure report filed last weekend and obtained by POLITICO on Thursday." Full story.

TMI? - "This candidate is openly airing his sexual history on his campaign site," by CNN's Doug Criss: "Noah Dyer's campaign website looks like any other political site: A picture of the candidate, a short bio, a page asking for donations. But Dyer, who's running for governor of Arizona in 2018, is unique because his site has one section no other politician probably has ever had -- one highlighting his dirty laundry.Under the tab marked 'Scandal and Controversy,' Dyer lists a full page of what he calls the 'nitty-gritty details' about his personal life. And boy is it personal." Full story.

'40 Under 40' - American Association of Political consultants names leaders: The AAPC released its list of 40 consultants under 40, including 18 Democrats, 18 Republicans and four Independents. Read up on the full list of winners here.

COMING SOON - "Ohio lieutenant governor forms gubernatorial committee," by Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor all but officially jumped into the 2018 Republican primary for governor on Thursday, announcing the formation of a campaign committee named Mary Taylor for Governor. ... The move underscores the broad interest in running for governor in the state in 2018 and increases the likelihood of a crowded field on the Republican side. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, as well as Rep. Jim Renacci, have also taken steps toward running for governor." Full story.

DNC WATCH - Harrison throws support to Perez in DNC race," by POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti: "South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison is exiting the race for Democratic National Committee chair and throwing his support to former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, the second major shakeup of the party leadership race within a week. The deal, finalized as the party's voting members arrive here for Saturday's election, cements Perez's place as the likely front-runner in his tight race against Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison. Ellison won the backing of New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley, another former candidate, over the weekend." Full story.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ - "Bannon vows a daily fight for 'deconstruction of the administrative state,'" by The Washington Post's Philip Rucker and Robert Costa: "The reclusive mastermind behind President Trump's nationalist ideology and combative tactics made his public debut Thursday, delivering a fiery rebuke of the media and declaring that the new administration is in an unending battle for 'deconstruction of the administrative state.' Stephen K. Bannon, the White House chief strategist and intellectual force behind Trump's agenda, used his first speaking appearance since Trump took office to vow that the president would honor all of the hard-line pledges of his campaign. Appearing at
a gathering of conservative activists alongside Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Bannon dismissed the idea that Trump might moderate his positions or seek consensus with political opponents. Rather, he said, the White House is digging in for a long period of conflict to transform Washington and upend the world order." Full story.

- "Ivanka Trump, Kushner publicly silent as White House rolls back transgender protections," by POLITICO's Annie Karni: "Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, seemed to speak for their socially progressive generation last month when they helped to kill a proposed executive order that would have rolled back LGBT protections. But their involvement in that high-profile gay-rights issue - they encouraged President Donald Trump to uphold Obama-era workplace discrimination protections for federal contractors - now serves only to underscore their silence after the White House on Wednesday revoked protections that had allowed transgender students to use the public school bathroom of their
choice." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "To the politicians who have abandoned their civic obligations, I say this: Have some courage. Face your constituents. Hold town halls." -- Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot during a meeting with constituents outside of a grocery store.

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