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12/13/2018 10:00 AM EDT

By ZACH MONTELLARO (zmontellaro@politico.com; @ZachMontellaro)


Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Score is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Campaigns subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. To learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services, click here.
THE TOPLINES
TOTAL REDO? - Could there be a new primary in NC-09? It depends on the fate of a bill passed by the the state legislature with bipartisan support. More details from The News & Observer's Lynn Bonner: "The requirement for a complete do-over in the 9th District is part of wide-ranging legislation that restructures the State Board of Elections and keeps information about campaign finance investigations secret. ... If there is a new election, the voter ID law that the legislature passed last week would not be used."

The bill, which also would overhaul the state board of elections, needs to be signed by Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, to take effect. A spokesperson for Cooper didn't signal which way the governor was leaning. "North Carolinians deserve honest and fair elections and the Governor is reviewing this legislation carefully," Cooper spokesman Ford Porter said, per NCInsider's Colin Campbell. Both chambers are controlled by Republican supermajorities, so if Cooper were to veto the bill, the GOP could override him and enact the legislation. (Both supermajorities were broken by Democrats this election, but those lawmakers won't be sworn in until next year.)

McCready has already started to prepare for the special election. He's done a handful of media appearances this week and has also tweeted out a fundraising link, telling supporters "we need to be ready" if there's another election. Harris has remained largely silent. Meanwhile, The Charlotte Observer's Ely Portillo and Tim Funk took a deep dive on Harris' rise on the religious right.

Good Thursday morning. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) are running ... into each other on the streets of D.C. Email me at zmontellaro@politico.com or DM me at @ZachMontellaro.

Email the great Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com, jarkin@politico.com, and lbarron-lopez@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @PoliticoScott, @DanielStrauss4, @JamesArkin and @lbarronlopez.

Please never email and unfollow Elena Schneider (eschneider@politico.com; @ec_schneider), because she is leaving the Campaign Pro team to cover the 2020 presidential race for POLITICO (we'll miss you!).

Days until the 2019 election: 327

Days until the 2020 election: 691
IN THE TRENCHES
PRESIDENTIAL BIG BOARD - Add another name that is officially "exploring" a run - former HUD Secretary Julián Castro. He launched an exploratory committee and said he'll make an announcement in the new year. POLITICO's Matthew Choi: "Castro said he would make an announcement about his plans on Jan. 12 in Texas after traveling the country and consulting with voters to hear their concerns." And mere hours after the announcement, Castro had already picked up his first congressional endorsement ... from his twin brother, Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Castro (the representative) told The Dallas Morning News' Todd Gillman and Tom Benning that he expects to be
heavily involved in his brother's campaign. Campaign Pro chief Scott Bland pointed out that Julián Castro and Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) are now tied in the invisible primary, with each having an endorsement from one current member of Congress.

- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said she was "seriously considering" a presidential bid on MSNBC.

- And billionaire megadonor Tom Steyer's team is posting anonymous job listings on LinkedIn ahead of his potential campaign. BuzzFeed News' Ruby Cramer: "The listing invites 'highly skilled political professionals' to apply for key roles on a 'national campaign team' for a 'high-profile political campaign based on the West Coast.' ... Aleigha Cavalier, a spokesperson for Steyer, confirmed that the posting came from their team, but said that [he] has yet to make a decision about a presidential campaign."

SITTING IT OUT - George Soros, another Democratic billionaire megadonor, plans on not backing a candidate in the primary. CNBC's Brian Schwartz: "'He doesn't plan to pick a horse in this race' Michael Vachon, Soros' chief spokesman, told CNBC in an email after being asked where his boss stands on the growing list of possible Democratic candidates for president."

HER GAVEL - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi struck a deal with rebels in her caucus, promising term limits for leadership (including herself) in exchange for their votes on the House floor, all but assuring her the speaker's gavel. POLITICO's Heather Caygle, Rachael Bade and John Bresnahan: "The proposal will come up for a vote before Feb. 15. Even it it fails, Pelosi has promised to abide by the rules as if they were enacted, limiting her tenure to a maximum of four years. The proposal limits the top three Democrats to three terms in their current leadership posts. The leaders have an option to pursue a fourth term but must win two-thirds support of the caucus to do so. Currently only a
majority is required."

IT BEGINS! - If you're an early state operative, the 2020 race has already begun. POLITICO's Natasha Korecki: "It's a mad, end-of-the-year rush of political traffic in the early presidential states, where prospective 2020 contenders are scrambling to hire top-flight talent before it's picked clean, and hoping to make an impression before an expected explosion of campaign announcements in January."

NEVER TOO EARLY - Who is ready for some 2020 House ratings? I hope you are! The fine folks at The Cook Political Report are out with their first edition of battleground districts. The breakdown, per Cook's Dave Wasserman: "Our initial ratings show Democrats with a head start in 219 races, Republicans with an advantage in 196 seats and 20 Toss Ups. Of the 20 Toss Ups, 16 will be held by Democrats in January and four by Republicans." Here's all the battleground districts (anything not listed is a safe seat).

ONE SMALL STEP - The Senate voted to reverse a Trump administration rule that would allow some political nonprofits to not name some donors. POLITICO's Marianne LeVine: "In a 50-49 vote, the Senate approved a resolution from Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that would block the recent Treasury Department change to IRS forms allowing political nonprofits to avoid listing some donors. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined every Democrat in support of the measure. ... The measure is unlikely to be taken up by the GOP-controlled House".

REVENGE OF THE AG - Democrats now have a majority of attorneys general seats across the country. But Republicans have a plan to shift the balance again. Campaign Pro's Daniel Strauss: "[I]n many of the most competitive battleground states last year, Republican AG candidates out-performed the top of their ticket, even when Republican gubernatorial candidates won. ... [T]he Republican Attorneys General Association is looking to a trio of races in traditionally red states to turn the momentum back in their favor. These states - Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana - will all have competitive gubernatorial races as well, and Republican Attorneys General Association officials say lessons from
2018 will play a key role as they try to even up the partisan balance of AGs around the country in 2019."

NEXT IN CHARGE - Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) will be the chair the New Democrat Coalition's PAC, NewDemPAC, for the 2020 cycle.

NEXT UP - Manny Sethi, a Tennessee surgeon who had previously spoken at a Trump rally, is debating a 2020 Senate run. The Nashville Post's Stephen Elliott: "Chip Saltsman, a former Tennessee Republican Party chair who said he is friends with Sethi, said the two have discussed a possible Senate run, but Saltsman added that he encouraged Sethi to run only if Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander decides not to seek reelection in 2020, when the incumbent would be 80 years old. 'As I see it, there is no vacancy,' Sethi told the Post. 'Lamar Alexander is my friend and a great friend of Tennessee.'"

- Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who lost reelection, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Chuck Raasch she'll never seek public office again. She did promise to stay involved in politics, but said she'll "never make another phone call, asking for money."

NOPE - Rep.-elect Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who is a doctor, promoted a bunk conspiracy theory that vaccines could lead to autism diagnoses. "I have committed to people in my community, up in Montgomery County, to stand on the CDC's desk and get the real data on vaccines. Because there is some concern that the rise in autism is the result of the preservatives that are in our vaccines," he said, per the Nashville Tennessean's Natalie Allison.

WHAT'S NEXT? - After losing his reelection bid, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) is considering launching a consulting firm. The Wall Street Journal's Byron Tau: "Mr. Rohrabacher, who has represented a California district in Congress for three decades, has told senior staff and other acquaintances in recent weeks that he plans to form a company called R&B Strategies with top aide Paul Behrends, according to people familiar with the matter."

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Have some humility and find the humor in things because people are gonna be mean." - Outgoing Rep. Ryan Costello's (R-Pa.) advice for new members.

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