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By Elena Schneider | 03/17/2016 10:00 AM EDT


With Kevin Robillard, Theodoric Meyer, Lauren French, and Burgess Everett

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)

ALARM BELLS RING, ARE YOU LISTENING? - "GOP senators break emergency glass on Trump plans," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard and Elena Schneider: "Trump has begun urging party officials to unite behind him as he moves closer to the GOP presidential nomination, promising to campaign for vulnerable Republican incumbents and expand the party's majorities in Congress. But the GOP's senators, instead of welcoming him with open arms, are furiously developing unique plans to pitch and maintain their own personal political appeal with blue-state voters, separate from the brash businessman and his 62 percent unfavorable rating, which many party strategists believe would poison down-ballot
candidates' chances if Trump tops the Republican ticket. The patchwork, choose-your-own-adventure approach emerging is a marked departure from the GOP's cohesive messaging and national strategies of recent elections."

Key quote ... "A grand strategy would require a one-size-fits all approach, and there isn't one," said Josh Holmes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's former chief of staff. "The grand strategy was to not have a [presidential] candidate who is trailing the Democrat by 12 points." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f55d9c3251bc8ae18d15c2c31b0a27eecfac1b2db6e603793

- Democrats crow: "A trio of top Democrats argued Wednesday that Donald Trump makes it possible for Democrats to win back the Senate and put a big dent in Republicans' House majority. But the chairman of House Democrats' campaign committee wouldn't go as far as saying Trump could put the House majority up for grabs. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f88ddc90deec3a5507c0b60230e76392d15a7e7c492fe4d70

- GOING DOOR BY DOOR - "New GOP super PAC to focus on down-ballot GOTV efforts," by Campaign Pro's Kevin Robillard: "A new super PAC aiming to protect down-ballot Republicans from the aftershocks of a Trump nomination will focus on mail, get-out-the-vote, and social media efforts as opposed to the traditional TV barrage. Conservative Bridge, which aims to raise $15 million by the summer ... plans to use direct mail and social media to make sure GOP-friendly voters actually vote, even if they're disgusted with Trump." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f28c4c3a7b3580952f1703d9ad2816f71132757793983c417

Days until the Arizona and Utah primaries and the Idaho Democratic caucuses: 5.

Days until the 2016 election: 236.

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

You can also follow us on Twitter, where we tweet a lot about campaigns and occasionally about central Massachusetts. @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer and @kyledcheney.

FIRST IN SCORE - House Majority PAC raises $1.1 million in February: House Majority PAC, the flagship Democratic super PAC in House races, pulled in $1.1 million last month, giving the super PAC $7.6 million in cash on hand. House Majority PAC has now raised more than $10 million this cycle. While most of the cash has come from big donors - including a $1 million check from James Simons, a Long Island investor and prominent Democratic donor, in January - the group has more than 33,000 donors so far this cycle and also raised about $1.5 million online through ActBlue, the powerhouse Democratic fundraising platform.

- DCCC raised $7.1 million in February, via POLITICO's Lauren French: House Democrats' campaign committee brought has $37 million on hand after the month after outraising the NRCC, which brought in $6.3 million but has more in the bank so far: $39 million. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f7351dc8a11ead558c9232d773d18912ce1014c3f6164126a

GOING HER OWN WAY - "GOP Sen. Ayotte will meet Obama's Supreme Court pick," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett: "...Ayotte said that while she still opposes moving on a nomination ahead of the presidential race, she would take the time to explain her position to" nominee Merrick Garland. "When the nomination was still conceptual, Ayotte had said she would not meet the nominee. The New Hampshire Republican is gearing up for a close reelection race against New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat that has been hammering Ayotte as obstructionist. Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said he would also meet with Garland."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89fea4633e709d5f19b0330f4fa05bbe4c4d97a6b08f1538c29

IT'S RAINING ADS, POST-PRIMARY (YEAH, THERE'S A LOT) - IOWA BECOMES SCOTUS BATTLEGROUND - End Citizens United PAC airing TV ads urging Grassley to hold Garland hearing: End Citizens United PAC, which backs Democrats who support campaign finance reform, is going up with a new TV ad in Iowa today urging GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley to hold a hearing on President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee. The spot is similar to ones the PAC has aired going after GOP Sens. Roy Blunt of Missouri and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is running for a seventh term and facing several Democratic challengers who see his refusal to meet with Obama's nominee
as an opportunity to beat the otherwise popular senator. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f728f4bcb86b5d1986071bf7e9cc723c0db19c8acbdbf5b67

- GOP nonprofit One Nation is countering with a $140,000, 10-day buy and an ad saying "Grassley says Iowans should have their voices heard first" on the SCOTUS nomination, instead of Obama "jam[ming] through an election-year appointment," POLITICO's Anna Palmer reports. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f0486346eab3eb7c106b4d254c6d0cbcd1603493ee5e6c612

- In Pennsylvania ... Democrat Katie McGinty is out with a new ad attacking GOP Sen. Pat Toomey for refusing to consider Obama's Supreme Court nominee, just hours after Obama picked Merrick Garland for the job. ...It's the latest Senate Democratic TV ad focused on the Supreme Court, following a Senate Majority PAC ad released last week criticizing GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89fc818756d09f8d6d4ea0b888014cf034ad6059198101d4487

- Nationally ... The conservative Judicial Crisis Network will launch an immediate $2 million ad buy to oppose President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee. The outside group is planning a national ad campaign alongside state specific ad buys. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89fa5f2da972f60df1fc9a905e026b5a8616ad7ec455746a202

- In Ohio ... Freedom Partners Action Fund has released new TV and digital ads attacking Democrat Ted Strickland for Ohio job losses while he was governor. The ads, which are the group's first of the 2016 election cycle, are backed by a $2 million buy and come the day after Strickland secured the Democratic Senate nomination in the state. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89fe28f1092a118bad14ef96b96a6a9f394a4daf51d790171b8

- In Nevada ... Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto released another Senate TV ad, highlighting her work to combat human trafficking while she was Nevada's Attorney General. It will air as part of the large TV buy (over $580,000) Cortez Masto's campaign has made covering three weeks of broadcast and cable in Nevada. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f20b678d2c58c71374ceb9341638b08f7806d26de0ae381ed

... But the NRSC and the Senate Leadership Fund are going after the Democrat for several missteps in her ad, "Big Family," including an original misspelling of her first name (which has since been corrected) and a fact check report from the Reno Gazette-Journal, which found that Cortez Masto "did not force multiple banks to pay Nevadans $1.9 billion, as her ad claims. She said it herself: 'I was not part of the year-long negotiation.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89fbb33d07c19d1bf8828128c55ca5f4e79c0424cda03e72b1e

BACKING THE FRONTRUNNER - Reed endorses Trump in NY-23: GOP Rep. Tom Reed endorsed Donald Trump on Wednesday, The Post-Standard reports, becoming the first Republican in a competitive district to back the GOP frontrunner. "Now is the time to unite behind the candidate who I believe will be our nominee, Donald Trump," Reed said in a statement, adding that "it has become clear more Republicans favor Donald Trump than any other candidate." Reed represents New York's 23rd District, an upstate seat that leans Republican but could be competitive in the fall. Democrat John Plumb, a former Navy officer and Obama administration staffer, is challenging Reed. The Post-Standard notes that the
endorsement comes a week after Carl Paladino, the wealthy real estate who won the Republican gubernatorial nomination in New York in 2010, pressed the state's GOP congressional delegation to endorse Trump and "try to preserve what's left of your pathetic careers in government."

NEVADA'S MOST POPULAR RACE LOSES ONE - Democrat John Oceguera bows out of NV-04: Oceguera, former Speaker of the state's Assembly, exited the Democratic primary to challenge GOP Rep. Cresent Hardy, leaving three others. "While our polling indicates that there is a path to victory for me in this race, I am also realistic about the amount of funding needed to make that happen in a competitive congressional race," Oceguera wrote in an email to supporters Wednesday evening. That leaves philanthropist Susie Lee, state Sen. Ruben Kihuen and former Assemblywoman Lucy Flores in the race.

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Ted Cruz's Senate conundrum," by POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Seung Min Kim: " ... Cruz's relationship with his colleagues is now a central paradox of his campaign: He's openly arguing for the party to rally behind him, but Republican senators are plainly wary of going anywhere near him. Those who feel burned by Cruz in the past say he'll only come to them if he decides it's in his self-interest. But senators have their own calculation to make: Whether they can put all the bad blood behind them for someone many of them privately view as even more polarizing than Trump." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89f08586b6ba198a84bbf3ad4d1c7de00df4be34d413ed169f4

- NPR's "All Things Considered" host Ari Shapiro interviews Erick Erickson: "I think that if Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee the Republican party ceases to be the party I was an elected representative of, it becomes a protectionist, anti-immigration party which is something I want no part of. So there is going to have to be the groundwork for a new political party in the country that represents people who typically have been Republican voters in the past." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89fae9f3433e8caa6ee4c0b2c1102fd199f09ff3433e1c56763

- "Supreme Court Showdown Could Shape Fall Elections," by The New York Times' Carl Hulse: " ... But the escalating fight over filling the court vacancy holds the potential to be a confrontation that could also help determine the winner of the White House race, control of the Senate and the ideological balance of the court. It is that rare Washington fight that washes over all three branches of government with the prospect of damaging each of them. ... It is often said in Washington that elections have consequences. But both sides are increasingly seeing the court fight as one with consequences for elections." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d1e6e1964446f89ffaeb8d2c1b3292e9b87b7645ca0758c9055b23596b073800

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I think it's enough." - Donald Trump on why he wouldn't attend Monday's scheduled Fox News debate. The debate was subsequently canceled.

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