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By Emily Schultheis (
mailto:eschultheis@politico.com
eschultheis@politico.com ; Twitter: @emilyrs)

With help from Jose DelReal

FIRST IN SCORE-LANKFORD HAS BIG LEAD IN OKLA. PRIMARY: Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn's retirement last month opened up a big opportunity for the deep bench of Sooner State GOP pols-and a new poll finds one prospect, Rep. James Lankford, well ahead of the rest. A survey set for release later today from the GOP firm Harper Polling finds Lankford with 54 percent of the vote, compared with 18 percent for state House Speaker T.W. Shannon and 1 percent for paramedic Jason Weger. (Twenty-seven percent of those surveyed were undecided.) If former Rep. J.C. Watts were to run for the seat, however, the race would be totally different: Watts would lead the field with 40 percent, followed by Lankford with
37 percent, Shannon with 8 percent and Weger with 2 percent. That's in large part to Watts's favorability rating, which stands at 72 percent in the state; just 11 percent view him unfavorably. Lankford has a high approval rating-56 percent approve, compared with 8 percent who disapprove-but about 1 in 5 Oklahomans say they don't know who he is. More on the results:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c2bb9699e1c5d039c6a11bf27fe1eeb43d7dd73bf96a6a801
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c2bb9699e1c5d039c6a11bf27fe1eeb43d7dd73bf96a6a801

BRIDGEGATE FLARES UP AGAIN: This weekend brought yet another fresh round of news in the scandal surrounding New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the George Washington Bridge. Just as things seemed to be calming down a bit for Christie, his former ally David Wildstein claimed that the governor did know about the closures in real time (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c7f4b29fe5d3246d6e5a77f29b6f63a21ba2875c3a2cad6e9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c7f4b29fe5d3246d6e5a77f29b6f63a21ba2875c3a2cad6e9 ). Christie's team responded by denying the claims-and then launched a full-throated defense Saturday afternoon, when his office sent out an email blasting the New York Times for its reporting on the Wildstein claims and calling Wildstein self-interested and unreliable (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cf461b53b419b869a9080703926381d0f5bea86f39bd5e5e5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cf461b53b419b869a9080703926381d0f5bea86f39bd5e5e5 ). "Bottom line - David Wildstein will do and say anything to save David Wildstein," the email said, delving as far back as high school to make its case about Wildstein. As POLITICO's Elizabeth Titus and Maggie Haberman note, the best-case scenario for Christie here is still several months' worth of discussion about whether he did ultimately know anything at the time (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cd4c572d2c3dd1456ebd6cdc85b61ccea99f9c5a0f3cbb8d3
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cd4c572d2c3dd1456ebd6cdc85b61ccea99f9c5a0f3cbb8d3 ). Regardless, a topic that had seemed to be receding is now back in the headlines-and with more documents set to start coming in, expect it to stay in the headlines.

MORE-Christie staffer resigns: "A member of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration who has been subpoenaed in an alleged political payback investigation has resigned. Christina Genovese Renna left the governor's office Friday, the same day former Christie loyalist David Wildstein claimed to have evidence contradicting the governor's account of a lane closing operation, apparently to create traffic chaos as a political vendetta."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c5bd04b33b2314bde573132bd232c5ad13992b8f39c6625c5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c5bd04b33b2314bde573132bd232c5ad13992b8f39c6625c5

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The special election to replace Rep. Trey Radel will be on June 24, with a primary on April 22.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10ccb37266ddcfc21ddf3945ef2a1d3289f14907a164bc8f08c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10ccb37266ddcfc21ddf3945ef2a1d3289f14907a164bc8f08c

As Florida heads into a debate fight night, the Pennsylvania field gets smaller and Hillary Clinton makes a Fox News joke during the Super Bowl, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 274.

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Good Monday morning and welcome to Morning Score. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to
mailto:eschultheis@politico.com
eschultheis@politico.com or tweet them to @emilyrs.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD-

1) What will be revealed next in the Christie debacle?

2) Will either candidate land a punch in tonight's FL-13 debate?

3) Who else announces they'll run for Henry Waxman's seat?

4) Do the latest fundraising numbers narrow the field in any crowded primaries?

5) Will any of the other 2016 prospects weigh in on the latest allegations on Christie?

DEBATE NIGHT IN FLORIDA: The Tampa Bay Times raises the curtain for tonight's debate between Florida 13th candidates Alex Sink and David Jolly (and libertarian Lucas Overby), offering some key questions and things to watch: "This is a race with big-money television ads: Republicans trash the Democrat and Democrats smear the Republican. So how can the candidates make it believable when they say they want to work with everyone? And how does a Libertarian make the case that he can prove effective with both major parties? ... Who wants to talk most about 'Obamacare?' ... Immigration reform, including a possible path to citizenship, is a much-debated topic in Congress that hasn't gotten much
play locally. If the issue comes up, are the candidates prepared? ... It will be interesting to see if any candidate weighs in on issues at other levels of government - such as the statewide medical marijuana initiative, or the plan to promote light rail and expanded bus service in Pinellas. ... It's a debate sponsored by the AARP, so a Social Security discussion is a lock. But can candidates get beyond platitudes? Yes you want to protect it, but how, exactly?"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c35b5b9e7f1205a35dc795c36b01b0699d91e0baf80c47088
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c35b5b9e7f1205a35dc795c36b01b0699d91e0baf80c47088

FIELD NARROWS IN PENNSYLVANIA: The huge Democratic field to take on Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett is about to get smaller. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski, one of eight Democratic candidates for governor in Pennsylvania, is holding an 11 a.m. joint press conference today with fellow candidate and State Treasurer Rob McCord. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported over the weekend that Pawlowski is planning to drop out, and he'll likely endorse McCord at today's press conference. Pawlowski's bid has thus far failed to gain traction, especially in a crowded field that includes McCord, Rep. Allyson Schwartz and wealthy businessman Tom Wolf. In a field as big as this one, there were always going to
dropouts well before the May 20 primary-and Pawlowski is unlikely to be the last.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10ca7d70d9484bab0e7a5e9f85096b1343ac34f1a8922b6f92a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10ca7d70d9484bab0e7a5e9f85096b1343ac34f1a8922b6f92a

FILING DEADLINE IN VIRGINIA-AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR: The filing deadline for the race to take on Democratic Sen. Mark Warner was this Saturday, and four people submitted their paperwork to the state GOP: former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie; retired Air Force pilot Shak Hill; Anthony "Tony" DeTora, a senior policy adviser to a member of Congress; and Chuck Moss, who owns a small network consulting business. Howie Lind, a Navy veteran, exited the race last week; and state Del. Ben Cline, who had been considering a bid, didn't end up filing paperwork. The field as it is means Gillespie is the strong favorite, though he'll still have to get through the party convention on June 7.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c845cf11f403c7a79113e91c85963e160adcbcc74c438e07c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c845cf11f403c7a79113e91c85963e160adcbcc74c438e07c

FROM SATURDAY NIGHT-THE OTHER LANDRIEU WINS: "Boosted by a drop in the city's murder rate and an endorsement from President Barack Obama, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu won a landslide victory Saturday in his bid for a second term. ... Landrieu had 64 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting in Saturday's election."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c8b51fba958ece9b9b6319992da21ad7feeba1ea517f36b83
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c8b51fba958ece9b9b6319992da21ad7feeba1ea517f36b83

THE FUNDRAISING BIG PICTURE-Here are some of the best takes on the state of the money landscape as we head into 2014:

THE 2016 MONEY OUTLOOK, via POLITICO's Ken Vogel, Byron Tau and Tarini Parti: "Political outfits associated with 10 top presidential prospects in each party raised at least $86 million last year for committees that could help launch or support campaigns the minute they announce, according to a POLITICO analysis of recently filed campaign reports and interviews with the prospects' allies. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is headed to Dallas this week for a reelection fundraiser with rich Texas Republicans at the mansion of billionaire real estate titan Harlan Crow. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas invited Foster Friess to be his guest at last week's State of the Union. Rick Santorum met last month in the
Northern Virginia offices of his political guru John Brabender with top advisers, several of whom are on the payroll of his political outfit Patriot Voices. And Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who recently started a nonprofit that can accept unlimited donations, last week some of the right's most prolific donors at a Koch brothers' retreat in the California desert. Many of the biggest Democratic donors and top campaign operatives are aligning behind Hillary Clinton. But that hasn't stopped prospective rivals from assembling their campaign-style operations and working the circuit, including Martin O'Malley, who recently hired a top New York fundraiser to solicit big checks from Wall Street."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c2a5f62c3265918dd6fc7cc6dddc73597316dfe1d61fe215f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c2a5f62c3265918dd6fc7cc6dddc73597316dfe1d61fe215f

TOP 10 MONEY LOSERS, via POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt and James Hohmann: Rick Allen (GA-12) ... Joe Baca (CA-31)... Lindsey Graham's challengers (SC-Sen) ... Joni Ernst (IA-Sen) ... Ed FitzGerald (OH-Gov) ... Art Halvorson (PA-09) ... Katrina Pierson (TX-32) ... Amy Stephens (CO-Sen) ... John Tierney (MA-06) ... Mead Treadwell (AK-Sen)
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c421ad9de38699519a6755b86e1f90870f6f481cd90e6ef63
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c421ad9de38699519a6755b86e1f90870f6f481cd90e6ef63 .

ESTABLISHMENT GOP FUNDRAISING LAGS BEHIND CHALLENGERS: The New York Times: "Groups representing the party establishment, like Karl Rove's Crossroads, are struggling to bring in the level of cash they raised in 2012, when Crossroads spent more than $300 million in a failed effort to defeat President Obama and retake the Senate, leaving donors grumbling that their dollars had been wasted. Meanwhile, insurgent conservative groups like the Tea Party Patriots - emboldened by activists' fury over compromises that Republican leaders have struck with Democrats on federal spending - now have formidable amounts of cash to augment their grass-roots muscle.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c16e075a2aac7c157ca69a118e29541cf8c279bf1b79d5741
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c16e075a2aac7c157ca69a118e29541cf8c279bf1b79d5741

ACROSS THE MAP-Here are Score's top quick takes from races around the country:

SENATE-

-AK-Sen: A pro-Begich super PAC brought in just under $300,000 in 2013.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c3043e1448676f6d2c61290865b08a71edb95235a7610dc5c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c3043e1448676f6d2c61290865b08a71edb95235a7610dc5c

-WY-Sen: Liz Cheney, despite her relative seclusion since she ended her Senate bid, plans to run for office again in the future.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c85e1eefb556903eb1f0895a96f6d12fafd2623e04e658ba8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c85e1eefb556903eb1f0895a96f6d12fafd2623e04e658ba8

-NC-Sen: Physician Greg Brannon is likely to get an endorsement from FreedomWorks in the GOP primary this week:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cadc87454c05dd9a5a37df9ef7fad91fa30f01cabbc3946ea
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cadc87454c05dd9a5a37df9ef7fad91fa30f01cabbc3946ea

-NH-Sen: A WMUR Granite State poll finds Sen. Jeanne Shaheen leading former Massachusetts GOP Sen. Scott Brown in a hypothetical matchup by 10 points.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cde0ec345c99cd930d5ae6afec30bdd9ea283ec7634b61ad5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cde0ec345c99cd930d5ae6afec30bdd9ea283ec7634b61ad5

HOUSE-

-CA-33: Democratic state Sen. Ted Lieu will run for retiring Rep. Henry Waxman's seat.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c528880932c0f46e5968957317bd405a83d3d59b78fc179c6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c528880932c0f46e5968957317bd405a83d3d59b78fc179c6

-More CA-33: Maria Shriver says she won't run for the seat:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c4e66288e28942eb31c4bb618a47bcfeec5624dae848c3b6c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c4e66288e28942eb31c4bb618a47bcfeec5624dae848c3b6c

GOVERNORS-

-KS-Gov first look: The RGA is out with a new video in its "American Comeback" series, this time profiling Gov. Sam Brownback:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c41ebe346fcbea372a42014905e31c556868f8f0fbb8296e5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c41ebe346fcbea372a42014905e31c556868f8f0fbb8296e5

-MI-Gov: GOP Gov. Rick Snyder is out with his first TV ad of 2014, billing him as "Michigan's Comeback Kid":
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c4cdc1d005c07201555c3eb00fd489c2ca2159504f72297ac
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c4cdc1d005c07201555c3eb00fd489c2ca2159504f72297ac

-WI-Gov: GOP Gov. Scott Walker raised more than $5 million in the second half of 2013:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c64df5ff01c29860451487e47fc415a704f90c379df4e0899
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c64df5ff01c29860451487e47fc415a704f90c379df4e0899

-GA-Gov: The DGA has been hitting GOP Gov. Nathan Deal over his handling of the snowstorm that crippled Atlanta last week:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cf1f41c893694516eb4d2e8dc5c4921a631ac7df308f0f826
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10cf1f41c893694516eb4d2e8dc5c4921a631ac7df308f0f826

CODA-QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's so much more fun to watch FOX when it's someone else being blitzed & sacked!" -Hillary Clinton, on Twitter last night during the Super Bowl
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c282edf82ccd059f72313138ebb28b3239fa1645b7d9a9dc8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b1e53c937513b10c282edf82ccd059f72313138ebb28b3239fa1645b7d9a9dc8

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