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By Elena Schneider | 01/14/2016 10:02 AM EDT


With Theodoric Meyer and Kevin Robillard

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)

FAILURE TO DISCLOSE - "Ted Cruz didn't disclose loan from Goldman Sachs for his first Senate campaign," by the New York Times' Mike McIntire: "As Ted Cruz tells it, the story of how he financed his upstart campaign for the United States Senate four years ago is an endearing example of loyalty and shared sacrifice between a married couple. ...But the couple's decision to pump more than $1 million into Mr. Cruz's successful Tea Party-darling Senate bid in Texas was made easier by a large loan from Goldman Sachs, where Mrs. Cruz works. That loan was not disclosed in campaign finance reports." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04bcba21e66572abf98604385640fb198522acf59f5fd462cd5

WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE - "Hillary Clinton's Iowa deja vu," by POLITICO's Annie Karni: "...With three weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, the Clinton campaign is finding itself in an unpleasantly familiar position. They are watching the polls tighten uncomfortably - a 13-percentage-point drop nationally in the last month - as they go on the attack against an authentic, inspirational candidate with a clarion message and momentum on his side. ..."I'm getting a little PTSD on the whole Iowa thing," said one 2008 veteran. "It's a little troublesome to watch. The whole lack of enthusiasm, someone gaining momentum on her - that's the troubling thing." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04b05384f4f9a4a248f79a64683274afe58ac71cce4931abea1


FIRST IN SCORE - Zopp raises $314,000 in fourth quarter - Andrea Zopp, Rep. Tammy Duckworth's chief rival for the Democratic nomination in the Illinois Senate race, saw a sharp dropoff in her fundraising in the fourth quarter. Zopp raised about $314,000 in the fourth quarter, according to her campaign, compared with about $440,000 in the third quarter. That's a fraction of the $1.6 million that Duckworth's campaign said she raised in the fourth quarter. Zopp's cash on hand dropped from $816,000 at the end of the third quarter to $714,000 at the end of the year. Duckworth has $3.65 million on hand heading into the March 15 primary. GOP Sen. Mark Kirk, whom Zopp will face if she triumphs in
the primary, raised more than $1 million in the fourth quarter and has $3.8 million in cash on hand.

IDENTITY CRISIS - "New Hampshire GOP battling itself ahead of 2016 elections," by Campaign Pro's Theodoric Meyer: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04b6a274521ecce143bb39ce925f8c15b1f1e88464e8927efe2

Days until the Iowa caucuses: 18. Days until the 2016 election: 299.

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 Peyton Manning's sarcasm: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @theodoricmeyer and @kyledcheney.

MORAN HAS $3M ON HAND FOR KANSAS RE-ELECT - Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran raised just over $750,000 in the fourth quarter, giving him $3.1 million on hand as he heads into 2016, a total his campaign boasts is the most of any Kansas incumbent senator in history at this point in the cycle. "The outpouring of support over the past year is indicative that Kansans know and trust that Jerry Moran puts Kansas first. He is bringing conservative, commonsense policies to our nation's capital and is grateful for the consistent support," Moran's deputy campaign manager, Elizabeth Patton, said in a statement.

DUNCAN UP WITH 'CHICKEN' AD - In North Carolina's 2nd District, Republican challenger Jim Duncan is out with his first television ad buy ahead of the March primary, airing in Greensboro and Raleigh markets on "mostly cable," as a part of a $30,000 initial buy, according to the campaign. The ad shows Duncan, a businessman challenging GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers, alongside baby chicks, saying, "here's the thing about professional politicians, they're chicken," and going on to highlight his outsider, conservative status. Cold Spark Media made the ad. Watch it here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04b734fa432836895d67de7d2a2a30de6d0776d13c0d72882ec

STUTZMAN UP ON THE AIR - Rep. Marlin Stutzman's first TV ad in Indiana's three-way GOP Senate primary is a positive biographical spot focusing on his background as a farmer. ...The ad is airing as part of a $60,000 buy on cable, including Fox News Channel and ESPN, according to a media-buying source. The Strategy Group for Media handles Stutzman's ads. Watch the ad here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9550a577d54fac0357e52f91d134f3217bf0e016c4b83a872138ba85a4a904c2

LOSING FAVOR AT HOME - Democratic Rep. Ami Bera already came under fire from labor unions (who threatened to make an example of him) for his support of the president's trade legislation, now he's facing more trouble at home. The Elk Grove-South County Democratic Club took the "exceedingly unusual step of voting against endorsing the two-term congressman," the Sacramento Bee reported. The group found Bera's votes on trade and halting resettlement programs for Syrian refugees as too conservative. Bera, who won a razor-thin reelection in 2014, picked up a Republican challenger this fall in Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones. But the club's president said members will not likely vote Jones,
but come around to Bera after more "clarification" on his votes. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04bb1f8bc2492ab9a56bf5cf5f6640b6dd153c2b0262db63e93

SITTENFELD, STRICKLAND TUSSLE ON GUNS - P.G. Sittenfeld's frequent attacks on his Democratic primary rival, Ted Strickland, hadn't drawn a response -- until today. Sittenfeld's campaign released audio of Strickland sticking to his pro-gun rights stance in March 2015, years after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary school, which Strickland has credited with leading to his change of heart. "I will put my record up against anyone's record when it comes to defending the Second Amendment," Strickland says in the interview. Sittenfeld's campaign argues the clip proves Strickland can't be trusted. But the frontrunner's campaign downplayed the clip. "The video that P.G. Sittenfeld produced today
doe not support any of the charges he is making: it shows former Governor Strickland talking about his past ratings from the NRA and responding to a question that he is not a lobbyist," Strickland spokesman David Bergstein said. Here's the audio in question: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04ba0ef1ea58b2672353b192aef041a7e327287f9ef2dc016e6

FOURTH QUARTER NUMBERS - PA-07: Democrat Bill Golderer raised $255,000 by the end of 2015, ending the final quarter with $230,000 in cash on hand, according to a campaign statement.

NJ-05: Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Scott Garrett, raised $375,000 in the fourth quarter, with $1.3 million in his account, the Record reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04b663b83166b36cb87f7d8aa37f6eeefd517cfdeb89662127f

AZ-09: Dave Giles, the only Republican running against Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, raised less than $3,900 for his campaign in the fourth quarter, according to his Federal Election Commission report. He had about $36,000 in cash on hand.

Missouri: Sen. Roy Blunt raised $1.25 million in the fourth quarter, finishing with $5 million in cash on hand, Campaign Pro reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04b83f64cfdf033ab2f491f04af78bcbba8bbf0bd256c035f42

More Missouri: Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democratic challenger, raised $870,000 in the fourth quarter with nearly $2.1 million in cash on hand, Campaign Pro reported. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9684eafab5c1b04b4c30d7e6729082578c23b84f893075245f8d8974446f15a7

FIRST IN SCORE - STAFFING UP - Sen. Ron Johnson's campaign will announce Thursday that they have hired two senior staffers, Kari Hofer as Wisconsin finance director, and Eric Sherred as digital director. Hofer served as the finance director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin from 2007 to 2010, then as a finance director for the Hawaii Republican Party. Sherred worked on the digital side of Gov. Scott Walker's presidential team.

PRESIDENTIAL SPEED READ - "Waiting for Warren," by Gabriel Debenedetti and Burgess Everett: "The Massachusetts senator's political plans have been the subject of behind-closed-door discussion among Democratic senators, but her colleagues - almost all of whom are backing the former secretary of state, and none of whom are behind the Vermonter - have almost universally decided to keep concerns about her hold-out private. ...So the party-wide consensus about the potential power of Warren's backing in her next-door state - other than Barack Obama and Joe Biden, it's viewed as the one remaining endorsement that could swing the neck-and-neck early state primary - has led supporters of both
candidates to tread carefully around efforts to pressure Warren on a decision." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9550a577d54fac03756638183840be90219d471d0cfb6e1c2a94f800d12709e2

- "Why Cruz decided to take on Trump," by POLITICO's Katie Glueck in Dorchester, S.C.: As Trump closes the gap with Cruz in Iowa while at every turn taunting him over his Canadian birthplace and sometimes questioning his faith, the Texas senator this week kicked off a new and much more aggressive phase in his relationship with the national poll-leader. It's a move that many in Cruz's orbit are cheering. ...The tipping point came Tuesday, when after exactly one week of dismissing Trump's questions about his eligibility to run for president, sometimes with jokes, sometimes by insisting that his position as a natural-born citizen was a settled legal matter, Cruz finally engaged more directly.
"You can only allow someone to take shots at you for so long," said a Cruz source not authorized to speak on the record. "The level of silliness just kept escalating and Sen. Cruz just decided it was time to respond." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9550a577d54fac03e0843e597ae2d03261d3e098b25984f8c97caecda6fd7bbb

- FIRST IN SCORE - The League of Conservation Voters announced its first 2016 digital ad buy, totaling $160,000, with a video supporting Hillary Clinton, emphasizing her strong stance on climate change. The ad, which contrasts statements from Clinton and Donald Trump on climate change, will go up on Facebook, targeting Democratic voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Colorado and Virginia. Watch the ad here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9550a577d54fac030a8b78560b663a2f1869bde0ad403113b9987fe29c6b79be

- "Haley's plea for tolerance draws cheers and jeers, revealing GOP divide," by the Washington Post's Robert Costa and Philip Rucker: "...What initially was hailed as a breakthrough for a party struggling to assume control of its image and message - Mitt Romney, the 2012 nominee, said Haley displayed "courage you can count on" - became a fleeting episode that called fresh attention to the establishment's limits to do so. With just 19 days until the kickoff Iowa caucuses, party leaders are tiptoeing around Trump and Cruz - nervous about agitating them and their supporters, fearful that their hard-line views on immigration and other topics could lead to general election defeat, and uncertain
about how to deny either the brash billionaire mogul or the combative senator from Texas the nomination." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9550a577d54fac035fae65660c58d12c0ea873abb0c2c644eec088c77d7c69e5

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'll use this on Harry Reid first," Sen. John McCain said as he's presented with a ceremonial "bulawa," a mace-like weapon from Ukraine, according to an American Bridge video. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9550a577d54fac03d4093eca45693360ce305da11f3a7b1615fc2728526c2786

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