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By Theodoric Meyer | 02/08/2016 10:00 AM EDT


With Scott Bland, Kevin Robillard, Elena Schneider and Daniel Lippman

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)

MORE FOR YOUR MONEY - "The POLITICO 100: Billionaires dominate 2016," by POLITICO's Kenneth P. Vogel and Isaac Arnsdorf: "The 100 biggest donors of 2016 cycle have spent $195 million trying to influence the presidential election \u2015 more than the $155 million spent by the two million smallest donors combined - according to a POLITICO analysis of campaign finance data. The analysis found that the leading beneficiaries of checks from the top 100 donors were Jeb Bush's floundering campaign for the GOP nomination (a supportive super PAC received $49 million from donors on the list), Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton (super PACs dedicated to her raised $38 million from top 100 donors) and
Ted Cruz's insurgent GOP campaign ($37 million)." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5f937a6fb40db4c9e348562ae16cad2459d3e6c4c3e4671e2981cd284c9f9f46

AFTER THE DEBATE - The narrative giveth, and the narrative taketh away: Marco Rubio ended last week riding a media high after beating expectations with a close third place finish in the Iowa caucuses. But the narrative of the moment can be fickle, and it turned Saturday night as Rubio repeatedly employed the same talking point throughout the GOP debate, and Chris Christie pounced in the last major clash before New Hampshire's volatile Tuesday primary. Trump looks solid in first place, but Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Christie are all in the mix for the second, third and fourth place - and, maybe, a Rubio-like non-victory victory heading out of the first primary state.

- "Marco Rubio knew exactly what he was doing on Saturday night. Marco Rubio knew exactly what he was doing on Saturday night. Marco Rubio knew exactly what he was doing on Saturday night," POLITICO's Shane Goldmacher reported. "The problem was he flubbed it. Rubio awkwardly pivoted four times to a well-rehearsed line that President Barack Obama 'knows exactly what he's doing' as he tried to drill home the idea that he's the inevitable general election candidate - an unforced error that his rivals pounced on and that quickly went viral." politi.co/1ReiAQS

- "Quick poll shows decline for Rubio," by POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt: It's an internal for a pro-Kasich super PAC, and it was conducted in one day, so apply all the usual caveats. "Donald Trump holds a wide lead in the survey, receiving 35 percent. He more than doubles runner-up Kasich, who has 15 percent. In third is Jeb Bush, with 13 percent. Behind Rubio in fifth and sixth place, respectively, are Christie and Ted Cruz. Both receive 8 percent." politi.co/1Q4s7ej

NORTH CAROLINA REDISTRICTING - Federal court throws out state congressional map: A three-judge panel from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina threw out the 1st and 12th DIstricts over racial gerrymandering in a Friday opinion, giving the state legislature until February 19 to draw new districts. "Challengers of North Carolina's 2011 redistricting plan quickly praised the ruling, while legislators who helped design the maps said they were disappointed and promised a quick appeal," the Raleigh News and Observer's Anne Blythe, Craig Jarvis, and Jim Morrill reported. The legislators "issued a joint statement calling the ruling disruptive: 'Should this decision be
allowed to stand, North Carolina voters will no longer know how or when they will get to cast their primary ballots in the presidential, gubernatorial, congressional and legislative elections. And thousands of absentee voters may have already cast ballots that could be tossed out. This decision could do far more to disenfranchise North Carolina voters than anything alleged in this case.'" bit.ly/1NUYGDQ

Days until the New Hampshire primary: 1. Days until the 2016 election: 274.

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 wealthy children lunching: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer, @kyledcheney.

FUN WITH SELF-FUNDING - "Self-funding candidates adopt Trump rhetoric," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider and Kevin Robillard: "Donald Trump has company in his quest to buy political office in 2016. At least 30 House and Senate candidates have already personally seeded their campaigns with a quarter-million dollars or more, according to a POLITICO analysis. That's more than double the number of major self-funders at this time in the last election. And many have followed Trump's lead in message as well as money - spending hundreds of thousands of dollars while brashly touting personal wealth as an antidote to Washington corruption."

- "In Florida, two House candidates in the same district have put up $1 million each - one saying it makes him "beholden to no one" but voters. ... [MD-08 candidate David] Trone has been a huge donor to fellow Democrats over the years, but his Democratic opponents have lambasted him for also giving over $150,000 to Republicans. The businessman waves the criticism off with Trump-like bluntness. Those donations, Trone said, bought him access to push for 'pro-consumer' laws like ones allowing Sunday alcohol sales or the sale of craft beer in South Carolina. 'I've donated to politicians all over the country, and that gets Total Wine and More a seat at the table,' said Trone, who is not
accepting donations larger than $10 for his congressional bid." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe030e26609cbbc1ac29c3de23f612fcd8f6db7b48f1e206d9fa

FINAL FILINGS - Paul's cash on hand for Senate race drops to $1.2 million: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe031def3bcc56a44b2dc77d0728c089d673f7814125e904a61b

- Stutzman raised $344,000 in fourth quarter: politico.pro/1W6dRQn

ON THE AIR - Matthews goes up with TV ad in MD-08: Democrat Kathleen Matthews is going up with her first TV ad today in deep-blue MD-08, focusing on gun violence, an issue that's become central to many Democratic House and Senate races this year. Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe031354654a9f38d3b1092028871899dc038f307a53091a18b4

- SUPER BOWL WEEKEND - McCrory airs TV ads touting record, cheering Panthers: North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory released his first campaign ad this weekend, highlighting his accomplishments as governor and rooting on the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. (It didn't do them any good.) Watch the ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5f937a6fb40db4c9de16b2156d8202de98c40680b7c1ea4526db85068653e97c

- Fetterman remakes "Mean Joe Greene" ad: John Fetterman, a Democratic for Senate in Pennsylvania, also nodded to the Super Bowl with a web video in which he reenacts the classic Coca-Cola ad from 1979 starring "Mean Joe" Greene, the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe03bce05ad2aaa3a390beb4f340e426276ca25a93195d136bae

CALLING IT QUITS - Baldacci drops out in ME-02: Democrat Joe Baldacci, a Bangor city councilor and the brother of former Maine Gov. John Baldacci, dropped out of the House race in Maine's 2nd District on Friday, The Bangor Daily News' Michael Shepherd reports. His decision effectively hands the Democratic nomination to Emily Cain, the former state senator who is seeking a rematch with GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin. Baldacci endorsed Cain when he quit the race. Cain consistently outraised Baldacci, with about $552,000 in cash on hand at the end of the year to his $76,000. But Poliquin has raked in far more than either Democrat; his campaign had close to $1.6 million in the bank at the end of the
year.

RISING STAR - "McHenry raises $4.3 million in 2015," by POLITICO's Jake Sherman: Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chief deputy whip, "raised $4.3 million for House Republicans in 2015, a fresh sign of his growing power and influence in the party. McHenry, the chief deputy whip, raised $2.1 million for his campaign accounts and gave and raised more than $723,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee. McHenry raised or gave more than $1.4 million to more than 80 members of Congress, according to a source familiar with his political operation. McHenry allies believe his haul is the biggest ever for a chief deputy whip." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe03e5d122fa89441529dad4003082dd1bcfa479ea7d750b8e6f

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Bush aims to just survive New Hampshire," by POLITICO's Eli Stokols in Manchester, N.H.: The pundits think he's nearing the end. His donors are itching to jump ship. But Jeb Bush thinks he's about to take the first step toward an unlikely comeback. "You don't have to listen to the pundits," Bush told voters here. "In fact, you'll figure it out for the pundits." The Bush campaign enters its last day before New Hampshire votes with the single aim of delivering a top-five performance that justifies pushing south, where they say they believe a better organization and a family rescue plan will drag his candidacy up from the cellar. ... 'Jeb's network in South Carolina
is just as strong as the other three candidates who are likely to survive," said one long-time Bush donor, speaking privately. 'He just has to get there.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe03e6568428c598f308666734c6bf1164c6ee1062aff9050fae

- "Bill Clinton batters and blasts Bernie Sanders," by POLITICO's Annie Karni in Milford, N.H.: "Bill Clinton's milquetoast stump speech touting his wife's biography and her power as a 'changemaker' has transformed into a brutal litany of attacks on Bernie Sanders and the devious campaign the Clintons apparently believe he is running.Campaigning in Iowa ahead of the caucus last week, the former President seemed sent to merely soften his wife's image -- he shared gauzy memories dating back to law school about how everything she ever touched, she made better. But two days before the New Hampshire primary, where Sanders is leading by double digits in the polls, the Big Dog turned into an
attack dog." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe037fa0b3fb3baa6c5cb41f909869cd4435f26508e28d74d2b2

- "New Hampshire set for record primary turnout" by POLITICO's Daniel Lippman: New Hampshire is on track for record turnout in Tuesday's presidential primary, according to officials across the state and a POLITICO review of absentee ballot data. ... New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner ... projected 282,000 ballots will be cast in the Republican primary and 268,000 in the Democratic contest. Gardner's lofty turnout prediction squares with high rates of absentee ballot requests and returns across New Hampshire so far. Absentee votes comprise a fairly constant share of primary turnout in the state, and requests for absentee ballots are up 12 percent in seven of New Hampshire's 12
largest towns, per POLITICO's analysis of figures provided by local elections authorities." politi.co/1of2RFM

- "MSNBC mocks Marco Rubio, as simmering feud spills onto the air," by The New York Times' Ashley Parker and Jonathan Martin in Manchester, N.H.: Inside the feud between Marco Rubio and Joe Scarborough, two Florida Republicans whose careers have taken wildly different paths. Rubio has boycotted Scarborough's influential "Morning Joe" on MSNBC - but Scarborough says it's not personal. "In an interview Saturday, Mr. Scarborough could not hide his disapproval of Mr. Rubio, describing him as 'programmed' and 'risk averse.' And after Mr. Rubio's debate performance on Sunday appeared to validate his critique, Mr. Scarborough took something of a victory lap. 'I've been criticized for saying Marco
looks too robotic, too prepackaged, and too young,' he wrote in a text message. 'But everything I've said alone for months is now being repeated this morning by everyone else in the political world. My critiques weren't personal: they were right.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe0373cd3d59b8c0cde151e1a25db85f33e887e7768441fe4818

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You've got rocks, man! You've got rocks everywhere! You're the Granite State. Your state is named after rocks!" - Chris Christie, who skewered colleges for installing expensive perks like rock-climbing walls - even in New Hampshire, where actual boulders are plentiful. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3495a123b85fe038f2b35cb28c74a00fa8c74e9a4fbafe0c5232a64e1aaec5d

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