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By Elena Schneider | 03/01/2017 10:01 AM EDT


With Daniel Strauss and 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)

ADDRESS TO CONGRESS - "Trump hits the reset button," by POLITICO's Eli Stokols: "For 60 minutes and 14 seconds Tuesday night, President Donald Trump abandoned the dark rhetoric and narrow vision that have long defined his politics and offered an aspirational message stocked with bold promises for the country in his first address before a joint session of Congress. While Trump still offered some charged language - including his use of the term 'radical Islamic terrorism' - the speech was notably less confrontational than his 'American carnage' inaugural address. ... Not an official 'State of the Union' address, Trump's first speech to Congress was an attempt to stabilize his administration
and improve his standing with the public, which views Trump more unfavorably than any other president after only a month in office. Beyond showcasing a more presidential posture to the largest national television audience he's had since his inauguration, Trump also sought to set out some shared goals for the Congress that will largely determine the nature and scope of his eventual accomplishments." Full story.

- "Handicapping Trump's huge promises," by POLITICO's Austin Wright and John Bresnahan: "POLITICO's take on what's a pipe dream and what could actually happen." Full story.

GUV WATCH - "Democratic governors urge focus on jobs," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "The nation's Democratic governors think they can make giant gains in 2018 if they stick to one message: jobs, jobs and jobs. And while that might disappoint liberal groups who want progress on everything from transgender rights to immigration to the environment, the governors say they have good news on that front, too: Those things are about jobs, too. In interviews on the sidelines of the recent National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C., a slew of prominent Democratic governors - including several who may harbor presidential ambitions - said the party needs to sand down the sides of
its message and focus on how it will help create high-paying jobs." Full story.

- IN FLORIDA - "Gillum tells supporters he's running for governor in 2018," by POLITICO's Marc Caputo and Matt Dixon: "Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum will officially announce his candidacy for governor on Wednesday, making him the first major Democrat to join what might be a messy and crowded primary in 2018. 'This is an improbable journey but a wholly possible one,' Gillum told a group of supporters on a conference call Tuesday, noting he was in New York lining up donors and supporters. 'There is a moment here for clear and authentic voices to break through.' At 37, Gillum is one of the youngest candidates to run for governor. He might be the only African-American as well." Full story.

- IN OHIO - Tim Ryan opts against gubernatorial run: Ryan's move shrinks the bench of potential Democratic candidates running for governor (in contrast to a deep and already-active bench on the Republican side). Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray is still in the mix of Democratic names, while both former Rep. Betty Sutton and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley have now said they are considering campaigns. And one Democrat has already pounced since Ryan's decision not to run: state Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni, who told Cleveland.com that he would run for governor and formally announce Wednesday.

- GOP strategist Chip Englander emails Score: "In Ohio the Democrats' cupboard is totally bare. Tim Ryan is the latest in a long line of dropouts [and] it's no wonder the party is now looking into the third tier for someone, anyone to run."

- IN MARYLAND - Jealous looking at Maryland gubernatorial bid: "Former NAACP leader Ben Jealous is considering a challenge to popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in Maryland in 2018. Jealous, a Democrat who ran the NAACP from 2009 to 2013, confirmed his thinking in a text message to POLITICO." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 251.

Days until the 2018 election: 615.

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 chokers. @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin and @danielstrauss4.

Playbook Interview with Nancy Pelosi - Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joins Playbook Co-Authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman for a live Playbook Interview that will provide intelligence and insight around the congressional agenda and Washington in the first 100 days of the new Administration and beyond. Friday, March 3 - Doors at 8:20 a.m. - The Newseum. RSVP: here.

THOSE ROWDY TOWN HALLS - "NRCC chairman: 'Bullying' protesters won't hurt us in 2018," by POLITICO's Rachael Bade: "The rapid spread of town hall protests against House Republicans has some lawmakers quaking at the thought of reelection. But Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), who was just tapped to run the House GOP conference campaign arm, insists he isn't sweating the demonstrations. The NRCC head is betting the protests won't hurt Republicans in 2018, calling agitators 'a vocal minority ... actively trying to build a movement' but failing. 'Organic movements don't happen 10 days into a new administration,' Stivers said during a recent interview, skeptical of the grassroots nature of what's
happening. 'It took the tea party movement months and years to get to that level of frustration.' ... He predicted that the GOP base would revolt against them, giving Republican cover as they plow ahead with Obamacare repeal." Full story.

LEGAL BATTLES - Holder, Elias discuss redistricting cases before Supreme Court: Former Attorney General Eric Holder and Democratic elections attorney Marc Elias struck a confident tone on two racial gerrymandering cases before the Supreme Court, which Elias said he thinks they'll win, in a briefing Tuesday. "I think we have a very good chance of prevailing," he said. The pair - who are both working with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee - also shed light on how the court's potential decisions on cases in Virginia and North Carolina could reshape future map-drawing.

- Elias said Bethune-Hill v. Virginia State Board of Elections will have a "significant impact in defining a central question" in redistricting: Where "race predominated" in map-drawing, do you have to show it conflicted with other traditional redistricting criteria? "If the court decides as I think that it should and as I think the court in Alabama signaled that it would, the use of a racial threshold on a mechanical basis where it is not justified by the facts and circumstances of the individual district is impermissible, that's going to lead to a reexamination of the practices that have taken place in redistricting in other places in the country," Elias said, noting too that Republicans
won't be able to use "the Voting Rights Act as an excuse to pack African-Americans" into districts, thereby "bleaching" the surrounding area to make them more conservative. More from Holder and Elias here.

- Holder: Obama is 'ready to roll,'" by POLITICO's Edward-Isaac Dovere: "Barack Obama is getting closer to making his public reappearance in politics, his friend and former Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday. Holder said he's been talking to the former president about ways - including fundraising and interacting with state legislators - that could help the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which Obama asked Holder to chair last year. 'It's coming. He's coming,' Holder said, speaking to reporters at a briefing for the new group. 'And he's ready to roll.'" Full story.

IS IT 2020 YET - "Virginia governor lives it up on the national stage and hedges bets on his future," by The Washington Post's Gregory S. Schneider: " ... McAuliffe enters his last year in office, prohibited by the Virginia Constitution from serving a consecutive term, with his future unclear. Virginia is right where he likes it, in the spotlight, with the race to replace him this year drawing national attention as a referendum on the Trump presidency. But McAuliffe is vague about his plans - including whether he is considering a presidential bid in four years. It is still a long way off, of course, but McAuliffe has gained national stature after years in the background as the Clinton
family's fixer and fundraiser." Full story.

WATCH THIS (CYBER)SPACE - "YouTube announces cable-free TV subscription service," by CNBC's Michelle Castillo: "The company announced a live and on-demand streaming TV service called 'YouTubeTV' on Tuesday. The subscription, which will cost $35 a month for a family plan of up to six accounts, is expected to launch in the next few months in the U.S." Full story.

- Facebook did a great job on Toomey campaign, Facebook says: Facebook is using its work on GOP Sen. Pat Toomey's successful campaign in Pennsylvania to drum up business, highlighting it as a "success story" in a campaign case study. "This campaign used a made-for-Facebook, audience-specific content strategy to significantly shift voter intent and increase favorability for a US Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, contributing to his re-election," the pitch reads.

- Bridge continues going after Heller and Flake: American Bridge 21st Century is running pre-roll ads on YouTube targeting Nevada Sen. Dean Heller and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, pressuring them to push for investigations of Russia's involvement in Trump's campaign. Watch the ads here and here.

SPECIAL ELECTION FUNDRAISING - End Citizens United donors send $150,000 to Ossoff: End Citizens United members have contributed $150,000 to Democrat Jon Ossoff, who's running to replace Rep. Tom Price's seat in suburban Atlanta. That means Ossoff's campaign has passed the $2 million mark.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ - "FBI once planned to pay former British spy who authored controversial Trump dossier," by The Washington Post's Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman: "The former British spy who authored a controversial dossier on behalf of Donald Trump's political opponents alleging ties between Trump and Russia reached an agreement with the FBI a few weeks before the election for the bureau to pay him to continue his work, according to several people familiar with the arrangement. The agreement to compensate former MI6 agent Christopher Steele came as U.S. intelligence agencies reached a consensus that the Russians had interfered in the presidential election by orchestrating
hacks of Democratic Party email accounts. While Trump has derided the dossier as "fake news" compiled by his political opponents, the FBI's arrangement with Steele shows that the bureau considered him credible and found his information, while unproved, to be worthy of further investigation." Full story.

- PRE-SPEECH - "Desperate for Presidential Leadership, Republicans Find Little," by The New York Times' Jennifer Steinhauer and Emmarie Huetteman: "Congressional Republicans, racked by divisions over health care, taxes and spending, are increasingly desperate for leadership from the White House to unite the party and point the way toward consensus. ... As congressional leaders struggle to clear the first major legislative hurdle of the Trump era - a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act - their talks with the White House, though not infrequent, have failed to advance any coherent, cohesive policy prescription. Repealing the health care law is the Republicans' first step toward
enacting their broader agenda." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet." - President Donald Trump, in his first address to a joint session of Congress.

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