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<p><strong>SCORE EXCLUSIVE -- TRUMKA TURNS THE IGNITION</strong>: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will deliver a forceful defense of the Obama administration in a Las Vegas address today, setting up the 2010 campaign as a “choice between the present and the past, between the wrecking crew and the cleanup crew.” Speaking to the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union Convention, Trumka will zero in on the manufacturing issues Democrats plan to push on Capitol Hill in the final stretch of the 2010 campaign, hailing the White House for working with “our friends in Congress and our labor movement … to overturn three decades of bad decisions from Democrats as well as Republicans that let our manufacturing base rust away, that let corporate America bust many of our unions, that let Wall Street write its own rules and that left working Americans with a generation of stagnation.” <br />
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In a litany of criticism directed at the GOP, Trumka will go after House Minority Leader John Boehner and NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions, as well as Republican Senate hopeful Sharron Angle -- “a tea-partying senatorial candidate from this state who wants to abolish Social Security, Medicare and the Department of Education.” “I'm sure you've heard the Republicans called the R's for short and the Democrats called the D's,” Trumka plans to say. “When you're driving your car, you shift to R if you want to move back and to D if you want to move forward. That has to tell you something.” <br />
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As President Obama plans three new campaign trips, Big Coal plans a 527 and drunk driving becomes an issue in Minnesota, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm election. <br />
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<strong>LAST NIGHT -- OKLAHOMA RETURNS</strong>: (1) Republican Rep. Mary Fallin and Democratic Lt. Gov. Jari Askins will face off for the open governor's seat after Fallin won her primary with 55 percent of the vote and Askins narrowly upset state Attorney General Drew Edmondson by less than one percentage point; (2) Democratic Rep. Dan Boren easily beat back a primary challenge from state Sen. Jim Wilson, winning by 50-plus percent; (3) Camp director (and Mike Huckabee endorsee) James Lankford and state Rep. Kevin Calvey will compete in a runoff for the GOP nomination in Fallin's open House district; Lankford finished first with 34 percent to Calvey's 33 percent. GET THE FULL RESULTS at <a target="_blank" href="http://politico.com/2010 ">politico.com/2010 </a><br />
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<strong>BREAKING OVERNIGHT -- DCCC FILLS IN THE MAP</strong> -- The House Democrats' campaign committee has expanded the list of districts it will target with television advertising this fall to a group of 60 that now includes open and Republican-held seats. POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reports that list features districts represented by GOP Reps. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Joseph Cao of Louisiana and Charles Djou of Hawaii, as well as the open seats of Republicans Mike Castle of Delaware, Mark Kirk of Illinois and Mario Diaz-Balart, who's running in a new district this year. <br />
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<strong>MORE:</strong> “The committee is also adding several endangered Democratic incumbents to its list of ad reservations, including Maryland Rep. Frank Kratovil and New Hampshire Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. Also on the list is Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader, a freshman Democrat once thought to be slightly safer than other House Democrats facing tough races. The DCCC also plans to throw money behind Mike Oliverio, who ousted Rep. Alan Mollohan earlier this year and faces a competitive fight for West Virginia's 1st District seat against former state GOP Chairman David McKinley.” <a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/9potts">http://politi.co/9potts</a> <br />
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<strong>PLUS</strong> -- MOVING THE BAR: House Democratic strategists are circulating a memo arguing that the real mark Republicans need to clear for control of the House is 43 seats, NOT the 39 everyone is talking about now, because the GOP won't be able to defend all the districts it holds right now. The memo argues: “Democrats will win at least four Republican seats (the best opportunities include: LA-02, HI-01, IL-10, DE-AL, FL-25). As a result, the real number of seats Republicans will have to pick up to win a majority is at least 43. To win 43 seats, the NRCC would need to put 70 to 80 seats in play. The NRCC have simply not put that many Republicans seats in play and do not have the resources or caliber of candidates to do so.” Read the full memo here. <a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/9sYemL">http://politi.co/9sYemL</a> <br />
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<strong>HOUSE RACE EXCLUSIVE -- VFF FOR ROONEY</strong>: Vets for Freedom, the conservative-leaning, pro-military group, is making a hard push for Michigan congressional candidate Brian Rooney ahead of next Tuesday's Republican primary, hitting 40,000 likely GOP voters with a mailer and airing a radio ad starting Thursday. Both efforts feature the endorsement of John Ellsworth, a voter in the district whose son, Lance Corporal Justin Ellsworth, died in Anbar Province in 2004. “I'm just a typical Michigan dad, but I'm also Justin's dad,” Ellsworth writes in the mailer, urging recipients to vote. “Please stand up for our country's military, stand up for those who have stood up for you -- please vote for Brian Rooney.” Rooney is competing with former one-term Rep. Tim Walberg for the right to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Mark Schauer. Listen to the ad <a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/cD6MYn">http://politi.co/cD6MYn</a> ; and see the mailer here <a target="_blank" href="http://politi.co/cgzRqa">http://politi.co/cgzRqa</a> </p><p><strong>SIMMONS GETS OFF THE FENCE</strong>: Former Connecticut Rep. Rob Simmons ended the coy games Tuesday night and just came out and said it: “I am running for the United States Senate.” The Republican primary candidate, who scaled back his campaign in the late spring after wrestling executive Linda McMahon beat him at the state GOP convention, has been television running ads described as “public service announcements” reminding voters that he's still on the ballot. Simmons cleared up his intentions for the race at a Tuesday evening debate between him and investor Peter Schiff, who's been running against McMahon as a long-shot conservative challenger. Both remain underdogs against the hugely well funded, establishment-backed McMahon. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/a6W9Ve">http://bit.ly/a6W9Ve</a> <br />
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<strong>OBAMA'S GUNS OF AUGUST</strong>: The president plans to make campaign trips for at least three high-value Democrats running in blue-leaning states next month, according to the AP. From the wire: “Democratic officials said Obama will campaign next month for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. Other candidates will welcome him also, party officials said, but details are not ready for release.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aOvC4u">http://bit.ly/aOvC4u</a> <br />
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<strong>COUNTDOWN TO AUG. 10 -- DEAL OR NO DEAL?</strong> One of the two Republicans running for governor of Georgia wakes up this morning to questions about a federal grand jury probe into his business activities. The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that at least one Georgia official, Revenue Commissioner Bart Graham, was called to testify in June about a long-running business relationship between the state and former Rep. Nathan Deal's vehicle salvage company. “Graham, the U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta and the FBI all refused to comment Tuesday. It is not clear whether the grand jury met June 8 or whether Graham testified. ... The AJC reported last year that Deal on three occasions met with Graham to discuss the way Georgia inspects rebuilt salvaged vehicles. Deal's chief of staff, Chris Riley, who is now working on his gubernatorial campaign, used his congressional e-mail account to contact Georgia Senate and Revenue Department staff to discuss the plans and to set up appointments for Deal with officials, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aJUUsd">http://bit.ly/aJUUsd</a> <br />
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<strong>CONSOLATION PRIZE</strong>: Deal picked up support from a former House colleague, Rep. Jack Kingston, who previously endorsed primary candidate Eric Johnson in the first round of voting. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/acEuRr">http://bit.ly/acEuRr</a> <br />
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<strong>CITIZENS UNITED WATCH -- COAL BARONS STRIKE BACK</strong>: Four coal companies, including the controversial Massey Energy, are looking to form an independent group to spend big in three federal races in Kentucky and West Virginia, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. Massey, the International Coal Group and other partners want to target Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway for defeat in his state's Senate race, with Democratic Reps. Ben Chandler of Kentucky and Nick Rahall of West Virginia as the other names on their hit list. From the paper: “The coal industry already has supported [Chandler challenger Andy] Barr and [Rahall challenger Spike] Maynard through individuals' relatively small and legally limited donations. But working together as a 527, the companies potentially could spend millions of dollars on political activity, as long as it isn't coordinated with the Republicans' campaigns.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/c5tpWA">http://bit.ly/c5tpWA</a> <br />
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<strong>ACROSS THE BIG MAP</strong> -- with POLITICO's Tim Alberta: <br />
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-- ABM goes ballistic. The independent group Alliance for a Better Minnesota is on the air with a television ad battering Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer for sponsoring legislation to “reduce penalties for drunk drivers.” The 30-second spot also points out that Emmer “has been arrested twice himself for drunk driving.” The commercial is airing statewide for two weeks, at a cost of some $500,000. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aIU9yd">http://bit.ly/aIU9yd</a> <br />
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-- For Crist and Greer, old habits die hard. Despite having publicly distanced himself from indicted former state Republican Party Chair Jim Greer, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's campaign finance reports show he paid Greer more than $1,500 during the last quarter for “office equipment and furniture.” Crist told the St. Petersburg Times he doesn't know what was purchased. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aGHTj7">http://bit.ly/aGHTj7</a> <br />
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-- Gingrich aids Jenkins. Newt Gingrich endorsed Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins for reelection, calling the primary-challenged GOP freshman a “leader in a new wave of conservative members of Congress.” Jenkins faces state Sen. Dennis Pyle in next week's Republican primary. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/b76s2T">http://bit.ly/b76s2T</a> <br />
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-- Bush tax cuts both ways. The soon-to-expire Bush tax cuts aren't just an issue for Republicans and Democrats to use against each other. In New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, Democrat Ann McLane Kuster is challenging primary opponent Katrina Swett on her past support for the tax cuts targeted to “the wealthiest” Americans. Swett's campaign is disavowing that position, saying that she “supported the tax cuts which went to middle-class families.” The two are competing for outgoing Rep. Paul Hodes's vacant House seat. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cleAC2">http://bit.ly/cleAC2</a> <br />
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-- Strange brew in Michigan. The group calling itself the Michigan Tea Party presented a group of candidates for the fall campaign -- who happen to be running largely in competitive districts where a minor-party conservative might end up being a spoiler for the GOP's candidates. The Free Press explains: “Those districts include the one held by U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer in south central lower Michigan ... and the 13th state Senate district occupied by Republican John Pappageorge [who] narrowly won the south Oakland County seat four years ago with the assistance of a liberal Green Party candidate who presumably siphoned votes away from his Democratic opponent.” Republicans have accused the Michigan Tea Party of being a Democratic puppet group. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aWbfkr">http://bit.ly/aWbfkr</a> </p><br>
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