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02/07/2019 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 Campaign 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.
QUICK FIX
- Virginia's Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring admitted to once wearing blackface himself, following Gov. Ralph Northam's earlier admission. And the woman accusing Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax of sexual assault released a detailed statement.

- Former Vice President Joe Biden has talked about his 2020 chances with former Hill colleagues, who think he could announce a run soon.

- Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she isn't ready to endorse a 2020 presidential primary candidate in a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO.

Good Thursday morning. An op-ed from Gary Hart on the 2020 field? Sure, why not. 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.

Days until the 2019 election: 271

Days until the 2020 election: 635
THE TOPLINES
SCANDALS PILE UP IN VIRGINIA - Herring, who had previously called on Northam to resign, owned up to once wearing blackface himself, and apologized. "In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time," Herring wrote in a statement.

"But because of our ignorance and glib attitudes - and because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others - we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup," Herring continued. "In the days ahead, honest conversations and discussions will make it clear whether I can or should continue to serve as attorney general, but no matter where we go from here, I will say that from the bottom of my heart, I am deeply, deeply sorry for the pain that I cause with this revelation." Herring stepped down as co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association.

The woman who accused Fairfax of sexual assault also put out a statement Wednesday. Vanessa Tyson, who is now a professor at Scripps College, said in the statement that what started out as consensual kissing turned into Fairfax forcing her to perform oral sex. "With tremendous anguish, I am now sharing this information about my experience and setting the record straight. It has been extremely difficult to relive that traumatic experience from 2004," she wrote. "Given his false assertions, I'm compelled to make clear what happened." She closed by saying she will not make a further statement. ABC News' Kaitlyn Folmer and John Verhovek reported that Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott, the dean of
Virginia's congressional delegation, found out about the alleged assault from Tyson herself over a year ago.

Fairfax put out a statement after Tyson's, still strongly denying the charge. "Reading Dr. Tyson's account is painful. I have never done anything like what she suggests," he wrote. "Dr. Tyson should be treated with respect. But, I cannot agree to a description of events that simply is not true." The National Organization for Women called on Fairfax to resign, one of the most prominent progressive voices to do so yet, while Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) tweeted: "I believe Dr. Vanessa Tyson." Fairfax retained the same firm that represented Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing amid sexual assault allegations, per WCVE's Ben Paviour.

What exactly comes next remains unclear (POLITICO's Maggie Severns has more from Richmond). Northam privately met with two leaders from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on Wednesday, CNN's Dan Merica reported, another sign Northam is not looking for the exit right now, while Al Sharpton is leading a rally to pressure Northam and Herring, per BuzzFeed News' Darren Sands. But should someone resign, the line of succession could become messy. Here's my breakdown on what Virginia law says - and how there is a conceivable (but implausible) path that a Republican becomes governor because of the way lots were drawn in a tied election after 2017. These scandals all come at a time when
the Democratic Party looked ascendant in Virginia - and now the party's gains could all come crashing down, The Washington Post's Paul Schwartzman reported.
IN THE TRENCHES
PRESIDENTIAL BIG BOARD - Biden has been talking with former congressional colleagues about a potential 2020 run. "On Sunday, Biden spoke by phone with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has said publicly she'd back him if he decides to run. Biden signaled that he was sketching out both a campaign apparatus and spoke with urgency about the race, Feinstein said in an interview," POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle wrote, reporting Biden has spoken with at least five senators and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.

- So far, 2020 candidates have largely avoided commenting on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. But that probably can't last forever. "Behind the scenes, the candidates, campaign aides and consultants are already plotting how to publicly address the scandal that has consumed President Donald Trump. They know the campaign that gets it right could break free from the cluttered 2020 pack," POLITICO's Darren Samuelson reported. "Speaking up could have disastrous ramifications, though."

- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) refused to say that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad is an adversary of America. "Assad is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States," she told MSNBC's Kasie Hunt on "Morning Joe." Gabbard later expanded on her television appearance, tweeting: "Those opposed to Iraq/Libya/Syria regime change wars are called 'dictator-lovers' or 'cozy' with evil regimes. Rather than defend their position, they resort to name-calling & smears."

- Three potential campaign managers took their names out of the running to manage Sen. Amy Klobuchar's (D-Minn.) expected campaign due in part to her reputation for "mistreating her staff," HuffPost's Molly Redden and Amanda Terkel reported.

- 2020ers are tapping California for fundraising, POLITICO's Christopher Cadelago reported.

- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said he'll make a decision on if he's running by the end of a quarter in a CBSN interview.

- Put a pin in former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's aspirations. When asked by CNN's John Berman on if he'll run, he said, "I don't think so. ... I never say never, but at this point in time, I don't think I'm going to do it."

MADAME SPEAKER - The newly reinstalled House speaker sat for a wide ranging interview with POLITICO's Heather, Sarah Ferris and John Bresnahan. She defended the high-profile freshmen. "You can't worry about what the Republicans are going to say about you," Pelosi told my colleagues. "This place is not a place for people who are worried about what the Republicans are going to say about you." She also said she's not ready to endorse anyone in the 2020 presidential primary, telling them she "rarely endorses" in presidential primaries: "The person who wins is the person who has [vision] and connects. So I want to see who connects."

MONEY PROBLEMS - Howard Schultz had invested millions of dollars and owned stock in Capella University, which overcharged the federal government, and also saw a venture capitalist firm he co-founded invest in a "financial firm that housed a unit dedicated to helping the wealthy dodge hundreds of millions in capital gains taxes," Chris reported, noting that the investments were flagged by a critic of Schultz's potential run.

POTUS SPEAKS - Trump will have his first MAGA rally of the year in El Paso, Texas, on Monday, per POLITICO's Nancy Cook.

POLLS POLLS POLLS - A Mason-Dixon poll of the 2019 Mississippi gubernatorial race gives Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood a very slim lead over GOP Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. Hood has 44 percent and Reeves has 42 percent, with 14 percent undecided (625 registered voters, Jan. 30-Feb. 1).

- A new Quinnipiac poll in California tested out the "excitement level" among Democratic voters for potential 2020 nominees, with 60 percent saying they'd be excited if Biden was the nominee. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) came in second at 58 percent and both Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were at 44 percent (452 Democrats and Democratic leaners, Jan. 30-Feb. 4).

SITTING IT OUT - Clyburn said he'll sit out the 2020 Democratic primary. "I have former staffers working in three or four different campaigns. I've got family members who are split," he said to CNN's Berman. "So I'm going to stay out of it." But he said he might reveal who he's voting for the day before the primary.

TRIAL BALLOON - Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is floating his wife, Mary Pat Christie, as a potential challenger to Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill in NJ-11. "She's learned a heck of a lot watching all my mistakes and she wouldn't repeat them, which is really nice," Christie said at a book event, per the New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein.

POOR IOWA - Pour one out for Iowa voters, who are already tired of politicians just less than a year away from the caucuses. "It's absurd," voter Carson Petty told The Wall Street Journal's Alex Leary. "I have stuff in life to deal with."

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You're supposed to make friends with future secretaries of state, not weirdo musicians. It's like, wait, one of the weirdo musicians might run for president," one of Rep. Beto O'Rourke's friends reflecting on O'Rourke's time in New York City as a 20-something, via The New York Times.

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