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By Kevin Robillard | 07/21/2017 10:00 AM EDT


With Zach Montellaro

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)

DEBATE SEASON - Gillespie, Northam spar over Trump ahead of first Virginia governor debate: Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie are set for their first debate on Saturday at the Virginia Bar Association conference. The focus will be on Gillespie's ties to President Donald Trump, and it's actually a conversation Gillespie wants to have as much as Northam. Trump is unpopular in the state, with approval ratings in the mid- to high-30s. But in the last week, Gillespie has embraced Trump in a way he never did even during the GOP primary. "Having a governor who can work with a Republican House, a Republican Senate, President Trump, Vice President Pence, the Trump
administration - I think is an asset for us in Virginia," Gillespie said on Monday, prompting attacks from the Northam campaign. The Gillespie campaign fired back, saying that Northam put attacking the president ahead of the best interests of Virginia. Gillespie told radio host John Fredericks that he would be willing to campaign with the president. And earlier this week, Virginia GOP Chair John Whitbeck tweeted a photo of Democrats' "Trump-Gillespie" signs and said: "Thank u @RalphNortham & @vademocrats for this GOTV. Do we have to report as an in-kind? #MAGA."

- The Gillespie campaign, meanwhile, has continued their attacks on "No-Show Northam." The latest iteration came after Northam's campaign agreed to three debates - Saturday's, a Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce debate in September and an October debate in Southwest Virginia. "Lieutenant Governor Northam's accepting of only three debates is not just insulting to Virginians, but also a clear indication of the shadow campaign he intends to run, ducking the tough questions and the biggest stages," Gillespie campaign Chris Leavitt said.

- Also expect: Northam will push Gillespie to take a firmer position on GOP proposals to repeal Obamacare.

CASH RACE - FIRST IN SCORE - DSCC raises $5 million, has $17.2 million on hand: The DSCC raised $5 million in June and ended the month with $17.2 million in the bank, a spokesperson said. The NRSC has yet to release its numbers.

SHOW ME SOMETHING - Missouri Senate race starts with Democratic web ads attacking Hawley: The Missouri Democratic Party is out with two digital ads attacking not-yet-a-candidate Josh Hawley, the state's youthful GOP Attorney General. The first 15-second spot uses Hawley's own words against him, featuring footage from a 2016 ad where he attacks politicians for climbing the ladder and using their jobs to get better ones. Watch it here. A 30-second spot attacks Hawley for requesting more money for his office during a state budget crisis that forced cuts to aid for seniors. Watch it here.

- "Four ex-U.S. senators urge Hawley to run for Senate next year," by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kevin McDermott: "'We are convinced that you would be more than an additional vote for a functioning Senate," states the letter, signed by all four of Missouri's surviving Republican ex-senators: John Ashcroft, Kit Bond. John Danforth and James Talent. The letter touts Hawley's background as a constitutional scholar, and slams McCaskill as part of the Democratic "resistance" the letter blames for 'dysfunctional' gridlock in the Senate." Full story.

- "Mizzou prof with Greitens ties ponders a run at McCaskill's Senate seat," by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kevin McDermott: "Aaron Hedlund, 33, says he has been talking with Republican leaders in Missouri and Washington about running. 'I've been encouraged by many people to do it. I'm giving it very serious thought,' said Hedlund, who stressed the need for a 'free-market conservative' approach to 'getting things done.' In addition to his role as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Missouri at Columbia and as a former researcher for the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, Hedlund was an unpaid adviser to Greitens during last year's gubernatorial campaign
and during the transition in January." Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 109.

Days until the 2018 election: 473.

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

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

THE ISSUES -"Josh Mandel sides with 'alt-light' blogger over Anti-Defamation League," by Cleveland.com's Andrew Tobias: "In a tweet Thursday, Ohio Treasurer and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel expressed support for a prominent California blogger whom the Anti-Defamation League included on a list of figures the league believes are associated with the 'alt-right' movement. The Anti-Defamation League this week included the blogger, Mike Cernovich, on a post called 'From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate.' The post is a primer describing leading figures in the 'alt-right' movement, which the ADL said is a modern form of white supremacy and anti-Semitism. Cernovich, and another
writer, Jack Posobiec, were included in the section describing the 'alt-light,' which the ADL considers a related, but less explicitly racist faction of the loosely affiliated movement." Full story.

- Mandel's statement from spokeswoman Erica Nurnberg: "As the grandson of Holocaust survivors and as a Marine who defended our freedom, Treasurer Mandel believes the ADL is dead wrong for creating hit lists on American citizens. Of all organizations, the ADL should know that making target lists of people based on their political beliefs is a dangerous practice and slippery slope."

COMEBACK ATTEMPT - Former Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who has been exploring a run for AZ-02, will announce Friday that she's officially in the race to take on GOP Rep. Martha McSally next year. Kirkpatrick ran for Senate in 2016 and lost to GOP Sen. John McCain after representing GOP-leaning AZ-01 for three nonconsecutive terms. Republicans running against her frequently invoked the need to check former President Barack Obama's power as a reason for voters to oppose her, and in Kirkpatrick's announcement, she mirrors the message. "We need a leader in Congress who can be a check on Donald Trump," her statement reads. "My current representative Martha McSally has not only supported him,
but she was one of the ringleaders behind repealing the Affordable Care Act."

INTERNAL POLL - GOP Rep. Luke Messer's prospective Indiana Senate campaign is out with an internal poll showing him tied with Rep. Todd Rokita in a primary, with each earning 23 percent, Attorney General Curtis Hill drawing 4 percent and State Sen. Mike Braun getting 2 percent. In a head-to-head, Messer has 27 percent to Rokita's 26 percent, with 48 percent undecided. The poll also tested Rokita's early attacks on Messer. OnMessage's Wes Anderson and Kayla Dunlap write: "In short, the Rokita attacks simply fail to sway Indiana's GOP primary electorate. In fact, if he's not careful, they could come back to bite him. In a head to head on Messer's decision to move his family to Washington DC,
80% backed Messer saying that children deserve a 'full-time father' who lives in the same house while only 9% said it made him too much of an 'insider.'" Read the polling memo here.

CHANGE OF HEART? - "Paul LePage [says he] may seek U.S. Senate seat after all," by the Maine Sun Journal's Steve Collins: "Speaking to a Portland radio station Thursday morning, the governor said he's getting pressure to reconsider his decision to steer clear of the 2018 contest. U.S. Sen. Angus King, a first-term Maine independent, has only one challenger to his re-election bid so far, Republican state Sen. Eric Brakey of Auburn. LePage said Brakey is 'a great guy and a good person,' but his campaign hasn't yet caught hold with voters. If Brakey 'doesn't start resonating pretty quick' with the public, LePage said, he may change his mind and jump into the race after all." Full story.

TURNOUT TALK - The Voter Participation Center is out with a report suggesting 40 million Americans who voted 2016 won't vote in 2018. The conclusion is based on research from Lake Research Partners. It also concludes two-thirds of those who drop out will be part of "members of the Rising American Electorate. The RAE dropoff is projected to be particularly pronounced in key 2018 battleground states, such as Arizona, Nevada, Florida, and Ohio." Full report.

DAILY WAR EAGLE - "Trip Pittman neck-and-neck in Senate race fundraising with Mo Brooks, Roy Moore," by AL.com's Howard Koplowitz: "State Sen. Trip Pittman's U.S. Senate campaign raised nearly $250,000 in the second quarter of the year, according to the south Alabama lawmaker's campaign finance report provided to AL.com. Pittman, an elected official and businessman, also loaned his campaign $50,000 the report showed. His fundraising puts him among the top tier of candidates; former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks both reported $300,000 in donations, while incumbent Sen. Luther Strange raised $1.8 million in the second quarter alone." Full story.

TRANSITIONS - Texas Gov. Abbott announces campaign senior staff: GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced a slew of hires for his freshly-launched campaign for reelection. Norway Hill's Dave Carney and James McKay will serve as general consultants, WPAIntelligence's Chris Wilson and Byron Allen will do research and analytics, and SRCPmedia's Paul Curcio and Erik Potholm will handle media consulting. John Jackson will manage the campaign, with Richard Costello working as political director. Sarah Whitley will be finance director, with Sydney Wallace serving as deputy finance director -- both have worked for Abbott since 2013. Ryan Bonifay will serve as data director, after working as data
director at the North Carolina GOP. Jordan Root, who has also worked for Abbott since 2013, will serve as digital director and Hilary Bombard will be deputy digital director. Matt Hirsch, the governor's communication director, will take that role on the campaign, with press secretary Josh Wittman also moving over from the governor's office. Former Libre Initiative spokesman Alex Trevino will also serve as a spokesperson.

- FIRST IN SCORE - Missouri Democratic Party hires communications director: Meira Bernstein, who was press secretary for New Hampshire Sen. Maggie's 2016 run, will be the Missouri Democrats' communications director, as the state prepares for another big Senate race in 2018.

- Bullock, fresh off forming federal PAC, hires Lopach as chief of staff: "Montana Gov. Steve Bullock named former DSCC executive director Tom Lopach as his new chief of staff," Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss reports. "Bullock's office announced the appointment today. Lopach served as the executive director of the DSCC in the 2016 campaign cycle under chairman Jon Tester. Lopach was Tester's Senate chief of staff from 2010 to 2014." Full story.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate." - Attorney General Jeff Sessions on if he plans to resign or continue serving as attorney general.

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