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By Emily Schultheis and Jose DelReal

With help from Elizabeth Titus

POLL PUTS PRYOR AHEAD BY 3 IN ARKANSAS: Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor is holding onto a small lead over GOP Rep. Tom Cotton in the highly competitive race for his seat, according to new polling numbers released by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and conducted by the Democratic firm Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. Pryor takes 48 percent in the poll, compared with 45 percent for Cotton and 7 percent who were undecided. A memo from the pollsters also notes Pryor's 83 percent support among African American voters, and if he can consolidate that support he could raise his overall percentage by one point. These numbers are the latest public polling to show Pryor leading: a Talk
Business-Hendrix College poll also had him leading by 3 points, and one from Opinion Research Associates had him at a much higher 10-point lead. Full toplines weren't available, but see the polling memo here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1e3a89a3b87ff182549a7a1f8ed4ac6fb7838ab880be488de
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1e3a89a3b87ff182549a7a1f8ed4ac6fb7838ab880be488de

BREAKING THIS MORNING - NUNN RAISES $2.4M: Georgia Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn raised $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2014, her campaign announced this morning, bringing her total raised this cycle to $5.7 million. No word on her cash-on-hand, but this is far more than any one GOP candidate in the race has raised at this point - and will be a big help now that Nunn has gone up on TV for the first time.

NEW FUNDRAISING NUMBERS IN THREE DISTRICTS:

COMSTOCK TOPS $750K IN VA-10: GOP state Del. Barbara Comstock, part of a GOP firehouse primary to replace retiring Rep. Frank Wolf in Virginia's 10th District, raised more than $750,000 in the first quarter of 2014, her campaign will announce this morning. Her official total was $761,354 - and of her 1,119 donors, 685 gave $199 or less. She'll report having $520,000 on hand. Comstock managed to get support from GOPers ranging from Mitt Romney to Citizens United, and her fundraising totals reflect that.

COSTELLO BRINGS IN $344K: Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello, the lone GOP candidate for the race to replace retiring Rep. Jim Gerlach in Pennsylvania's 6th District, brought in $344,000 in the first quarter, his campaign told Score, and has $307,000 on hand. The seat is one that Democrats hoped to make competitive in the wake of Gerlach's retirement. But a top Democratic candidate, Mike Parrish, exited the race last month, and Sabato shifted the race from "Toss-Up" to "Leans Republican" last week. Costello will face Democratic Dr. Manan Trivedi in the general election.

STEFANIK BAGS CONSERVATIVE ENDORSEMENT AND $268K: Former Bush aide Elise Stefanik, running in a competitive GOP primary for Democrat Bill Owens's seat, will announce that she raised $268,000 in the first quarter and has $350,000 on hand. The news comes shortly after the state Conservative Party endorsed Stefanik over fellow GOP candidate Matt Doheny in the race (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1d88cbcbe06433935ef2429ab8de884116afdcce7c5ce8d24
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1d88cbcbe06433935ef2429ab8de884116afdcce7c5ce8d24 ).

THE HILLARY QUESTION - DOES SHE PLAY IN '14? Over on the POLITICO homepage this morning (and last night for Pros), POLITICO's Maggie Haberman looks at Hillary Clinton's plans to get involved in the midterms - and notes that it may be a while before she does. That said, Bill Clinton is making his presence felt on the campaign trail: "Sources close to the former first lady say she's likely to campaign in some capacity for Democrats in the run-up to the election, when they believe her involvement would pack the most punch. ... Clinton's approach has strategic logic: The sooner she campaigns, the easier it will be for Republicans to sully her as a partisan. ... His spokesman, Matt McKenna,
confirmed that Bill Clinton's personal chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, has coordinated appearances including a [Alison Lundergan] Grimes fundraiser, a Senate Democratic retreat visit and other upcoming trips, including to the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Michigan. Bill Clinton is also expected to host a DGA fundraiser, as well as one for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic fundraising sources said. ... And Bill Clinton is slated to host an event later this month for Maryland Democratic Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who is locked in a competitive primary for governor." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c14e474b982a20f6843e6b04880a9e8731fa706a6aabbbc88d

As Tom Cotton wants debates, Neil Abercrombie raises some questions, and some Colorado candidates get knocked off the ballot, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the 2014 midterms.

DAYS UNTIL THE ELECTION: 204.

Good Monday morning and welcome to POLITICO's Morning Score. As always, send your tips, thoughts, and suggestions to
mailto:eschultheis@politico.com
eschultheis@politico.com or tweet them to @emilyrs. You can also get your Campaign Pro news at @politicopro and @promorningscore.

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD -

1) Which candidate left posts the most impressive fundraising number?

2) Will any other endangered incumbents get outraised by their challengers?

3) Which candidates will post disappointing numbers - and hold onto them until the last second?

4) Who else runs for Wisconsin GOP Rep. Tom Petri's seat now that he's retiring?

5) Are we finally done with House retirements for the cycle?

FIRST QUARTER FUNDRAISING TICKER: WV-Sen: Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito raised $817,000 and has $4.2 million on hand ... Democrat Natalie Tennant raised nearly $800,000 and has more than $1 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1cde60bfb7d40b255c4d33cc36c92898764092375649f17f8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1cde60bfb7d40b255c4d33cc36c92898764092375649f17f8 ) ... SC-Gov: Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen raised $563,000 and has $1.72 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c17ad6741dc1b25e51099c69b7c5ba5686432bb1df8766c9a2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c17ad6741dc1b25e51099c69b7c5ba5686432bb1df8766c9a2 ) ... ID-02: GOP Rep. Mike Simpson raised about $420,000 in the first quarter and has $872,000 on hand, according to an FEC filing Saturday (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1af873d0e6aa4f82da4016b7732740be08565faeeb7a70483
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1af873d0e6aa4f82da4016b7732740be08565faeeb7a70483 ) ... NY-04: Democrat Kathleen Rice raised $1.47 million and has $1.3 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c10eb3d993d039259c6ffa0963f02963711a286f32bbd6ee08
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c10eb3d993d039259c6ffa0963f02963711a286f32bbd6ee08 ). MI-12: Democrat Debbie Dingell, wife of retiring Rep. John Dingell, raised more than $500,000 (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c17b06b278c8bf1794b6395abf1df2becb18cd945f7f81be38
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c17b06b278c8bf1794b6395abf1df2becb18cd945f7f81be38 ) ... FL-02: Democrat Gwen Graham raised $485,000 and has $1.4 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c15a6f953791a73fd05fbb5146131a92e326aa2223133821cb
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c15a6f953791a73fd05fbb5146131a92e326aa2223133821cb ) ... AZ-01: Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick raised nearly $325,000 and has more than $1 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c16f244d48c5704a27296c34b428c3eab82fe87f8e812f23f4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c16f244d48c5704a27296c34b428c3eab82fe87f8e812f23f4 ) ... AR-02: Democrat Pat Hays raised $350,000 and has $470,000 on hand; Republican French Hill raised $300,000 and has $710,000 on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1f42b10ac97f1a94cecc748808c5692b224598be5c1e5c056
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1f42b10ac97f1a94cecc748808c5692b224598be5c1e5c056 ) ... IL-17: Democratic freshman Rep. Cheri Bustos raised $403,000 and has $1.1 million on hand (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c15978dc2be436f51eedd169a59cf6f0414b281dc7ed9f6b2e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c15978dc2be436f51eedd169a59cf6f0414b281dc7ed9f6b2e ).

TODAY ON CAMPAIGN PRO -
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c13ffbf2cefa1f5fe7c6658793d17dbc95596fbf79e435f376
LONEGAN TRIES AGAIN IN NEW JERSEY

COLORADO SURPRISE: Republicans who gathered in the Centennial State over the weekend weren't ready to settle their gubernatorial field just yet. Secretary of State Scott Gessler was seen as having a good chance of a solo victory among candidates taking the delegate route to the ballot - but in a result The Denver Post called 'stunning,' he was edged out 34 percent to 33 percent by former state Sen. Mike Kopp, giving them both a spot on the ballot. Three other hopefuls, including state Sen. Greg Brophy, did not clear the ballot threshold. Meanwhile, former Rep. Tom Tancredo has made it onto the ballot via signatures and former Rep. Bob Beauprez's signatures are still getting tallied.
Also at the Saturday gathering, Republicans hoping for a Senate takeover saw a number they liked, 73 percent, in Rep. Cory Gardner's field-clearing delegate victory.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c17a1fe199a6bd221b110aca5d18121f8be05826d2c0e58f65
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c115b652ca81366abfff238c640c7d5c78d05b06948c3217a0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1c6392e43f72671cc531360a5f171d84abf4a822a674b167b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1c6392e43f72671cc531360a5f171d84abf4a822a674b167b

COTTON CALLS FOR MORE DEBATES: Arkansas GOP Rep. Tom Cotton held a press conference Sunday to challenge his Democratic opponent, Sen. Mark Pryor, to a series of five Lincoln-Douglas style debates. "There used to be a time in our politics when voters could look the two candidates in the eye and hear from them directly - that's what I'm inviting Sen. Pryor to participate in today," Cotton said. Pryor spokesman Erik Dorey said the incumbent would debate Cotton "at the appropriate time," and the two campaigns said they'd work together to figure out a format. Usually, the underdog candidate calls for more debates in the race - and while recent polls have given Pryor small-to-modest leads, Cotton
can by no means be called an underdog here. He's raising money, getting help from outside groups, and will have no shortage of media getting his message out to Arkansas voters - so this is an interesting move on his part.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c13f77ba16179df5631ab3d9d1239422ee640b4ce44aa4fd20
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c13f77ba16179df5631ab3d9d1239422ee640b4ce44aa4fd20

ABERCROMBIE CONTESTS INOUYE DEATHBED DRAMA: It's long been the dramatic backdrop for what's likely the most competitive Democratic Senate primary in the country: Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie ignored a deathbed letter from veteran Sen. Daniel Inouye, asking him to appoint Rep. Colleen Hanabusa to succeed him, and instead chose his own lieutenant governor, Brian Schatz. But according to the Los Angeles Times, Abercrombie is now contesting that story: He questioned whether Inouye wrote the letter himself, saying it was "far from being a dying wish," and that the circumstances were "far from the drama ... with which it's been characterized." Peter Boylan, Hanabusa's campaign spokesman, said
Inouye dictated the letter in his final days and that it represents his exact wishes. Inouye is revered in Hawaii, and his preference for who would succeed him plays a big role in the race.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c12a220ce6428e631ba29035d3935da9232ad375c5ebbc3361
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c12a220ce6428e631ba29035d3935da9232ad375c5ebbc3361

2016 ACTION THIS WEEKEND - RYAN IN IOWA, FORUM IN N.H.: The big 2016 news this weekend was in Manchester, N.H., where GOP hopefuls gathered for the Citizens United and Americans for Prosperity Freedom Summit. On the list of those who spoke: Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and Mike Lee. (The New Hampshire Union-Leader has more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1aa464446e5ee9096475307ab2188c1c4fb46d839f70fdc90
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1aa464446e5ee9096475307ab2188c1c4fb46d839f70fdc90 ). And over in the Hawkeye State, Paul Ryan made an appearance - but, per POLITICO's Jake Sherman, he didn't spend the trip doing the kind of fundraising or network-building that would suggest a 2016 bid.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1ce08b57b67bcf592f4780aefed91f0f804a2b626a55583c1
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1ce08b57b67bcf592f4780aefed91f0f804a2b626a55583c1

SPEAKING OF THE GRANITE STATE - If you missed it this weekend, check out POLITICO's Hadas Gold on longtime New Hampshire politics reporter John DiStaso's move to NH Journal, a site owned by conservative consultants:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1ee243c01f619738628f4bfe8f0dd590e58cfcdd50aa551d5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1ee243c01f619738628f4bfe8f0dd590e58cfcdd50aa551d5

LIGHTER CLICK - NAME GAME IN PA: The Allentown Morning Call notes that, in the five-candidate race for governor, there are three communications directors named "Mark" and two campaign managers named "Mike" - sometimes confusing for those of us covering the race!
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c153c0367b4c251f988fb77db12810648ed71c076729b8195f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c153c0367b4c251f988fb77db12810648ed71c076729b8195f

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'You never predict the ninth inning in the first inning ... and as a Mets fan, you don't predict the ninth inning in the ninth inning.' - DCCC Chairman Steve Israel on why he can't predict which party will hold the House after November
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1ab89b30d76cf24443628aee37058170a8e86061e1263eae2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=32cf3a91fab452c1ab89b30d76cf24443628aee37058170a8e86061e1263eae2

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