| | | | | |  | | By Zach Montellaro | Programming announcement: Our newsletters are evolving. Morning Score will continue to publish daily for POLITICO Pro subscribers, but will publish once weekly for other readers starting on July 13. There will be no changes to the policy newsletters available to POLITICO Pro subscribers. To continue to receive Morning Score daily, as well as access POLITICO Pro's full suite of policy tools and trackers, get in touch about a Pro subscription. Already a Pro subscriber? Learn more here.
| | | — The Colorado Democratic Senate primary comes to a close after a rough month for former Gov. John Hickenlooper. But that's not the only race we're watching tonight. — President Donald Trump's campaign is suing in Pennsylvania over the state's mail-in voting practices, turning their attention to a state that will be critical to both parties in November. — Insurgents are challenging a few incumbent Democrats in New Jersey, and one could be flying way under the radar. Good Tuesday morning. I'm feeling a bit of an endorsement fatigue, so going forward I'm only going to include them in the most competitive races. Email me at zmontellaro@politico.com if you have strong feelings otherwise! And in the meantime, follow me on Twitter at @ZachMontellaro. Email the rest of the Campaign Pro team at sshepard@politico.com, amutnick@politico.com and jarkin@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @POLITICO_Steve, @JamesArkin and @allymutnick. Days until the New Jersey (presidential and downballot) and Delaware (presidential) primaries: 7 Days until the Maine primary and Alabama and Texas primary runoffs: 14 Days until the Democratic convention: 48 Days until the Republican convention: 56 Days until the 2020 election: 126
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| | | TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT — Another Tuesday, another primary night. It is almost like we have some sense of normalcy returned. (Besides the fact the Campaign Pro team is scattered to the winds and not covering these from our newsroom.) The entire team has five things to watch tonight, but here's a quick breakdown in Score. | 
Former Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper speaks at an event. | Alex Wong/Getty Images | Colorado (first results expected at 9 p.m. Eastern): A real slog of a month is coming to an end for Hickenlooper, who has been getting stung by a swirl of bad headlines and his primary opponent Andrew Romanoff. "But instead of turning into the latest progressive beachhead in the party's primary battles, Hickenlooper looks likely to turn back the challenge and advance to the general election," Campaign Pro's James Arkin wrote on the race. "New endorsements from national and Colorado Democrats across the ideological spectrum have shored up Hickenlooper, along with a financial advantage fueled by heavy-spending allies". And keep an eye on both primaries in CO-03. In the red-leaning district, incumbent GOP Rep. Scott Tipton is facing a primary from a local businesswoman Lauren Boebert. And on the Democratic side, 2018 nominee Diane Mitsch Bush is facing off against businessman James Iacino. In 2018, Tipton beat Mitsch Bush by about eight points. Oklahoma (first results expected at 8:20 p.m. Eastern): The big race we're watching in the Sooner State is the GOP primary in OK-05. The Oklahoma City-based district is expected to be one of the most competitive House races in November, after now-freshman Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn eked out one of the narrowest victories in the country in the midterms. Four candidates have raised a significant amount of cash: state Sen. Stephanie Bice, businesswoman Terry Neese, former state school superintendent Janet Barresi and businessman David Hill. The GOP primary is expected to head to an August runoff; here's our preview of the race from Score last week. Utah (first results expected at midnight Eastern): Utah Republicans will effectively pick their next governor tomorrow, in a race that's likely to go down to the wire. Former Gov. Jon Huntsman and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox have been neck-and-neck in this competitive primary, which also includes former state House Speaker Greg Hughes and former state party chair Thomas Wright. POLITICO's Maya King has more on the race, which pits the undefeated Huntsman name against a state's political culture that may have moved on. And there are two competitive Republican primaries in House seats. In UT-04, Republicans will pick a challenger to freshman Democratic Rep. Ben McAdams in what's expected to be another hyper-competitive race in November. There's also an open primary in the safe red UT-01 to replace Rep. Rob Bishop, who is Wright's running mate. Here's Score's previews of the races from Monday. One wrinkle in Utah: If the races are close, don't expect an immediate call. Ballots that are postmarked by Election Day can be received up until shortly before the official canvas of results, so we could be in for a days-long wait. "Having a close race and having to wait a little for results is not unusual," said Justin Lee, Utah's director of elections, citing the close race in the midterms in 4th District. — We also expect to get a winner in the Kentucky Democratic Senate primary between Amy McGrath and Charles Booker today. It has been neck-and-neck so far in the votes that have been counted so far. | | | | TODAY AT 1 p.m. EDT - A POLITICO TOWN HALL: AMERICA AT A TIPPING POINT: The killing of George Floyd sparked demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice around the world. One month later, join POLITICO Live for a town hall to reflect on the past and reckon with what is next to come. Featured guests include Julián Castro, former secretary of HUD and Democratic presidential candidate; Vanita Gupta, president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Rashad Robinson, civil rights leader and president of Color of Change; and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | THE PROCESS — The Trump campaign is suing in Pennsylvania over the state's mail-in voting. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Lai : The campaign "sued Pennsylvania state and county elections officials Monday, saying mail ballot drop boxes are unconstitutional the way they were used in the June 2 primary election and asking a federal court to bar them in November." The case also argues against counting ballots sent without secrecy envelopes and a prohibition preventing people from being poll watchers outside the county where they live. — In a decision that took more than three years, a federal appeals court reinstated limits on early voting in Wisconsin, banned most voters from having ballots emailed or faxed to them and made it easier for college students to vote, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Patrick Marley. ON THE AIRWAVES — Trump has made massive TV reservations for the fall. His campaign placed at least $95 million worth of reservations across the country, according to data from Advertising Analytics, with a slate of buys set to start on Sept. 8 and run through Election Day. In Arizona, he booked $5.2 million, $32.3 million in Florida, $15.8 million in North Carolina, $18.4 million in Ohio, $16.2 million in Pennsylvania and $7.4 million in Wisconsin. VEEPSTAKES — A pair of progressive groups are throwing their weight behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), urging Biden to pick her as his running mate. POLITICO's David Siders reports that Progressive Democrats of America and RootsAction.org are circulating an open letter urging Biden to pick her. CONVENTION SPOTTING — Officials in Jacksonville, Fla., the new home of the Republican National Convention, issued a city-wide indoor mask order to stop the coronavirus, POLITICO's Marc Caputo reported. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican, "is determined to have the GOP convention take place safely in Jacksonville, and those familiar with his thinking say he wants to do what he can to once again reduce infection rates and rising hospitalizations," Marc wrote. | | | | WINNERS PLAY THE LONG GAME : With so much going on in the present, it is more important than ever to look ahead to how society will thrive in the future. "The Long Game" is a newsletter designed for executives, investors and policymakers leading that conversation. Engage with the sharpest minds on our biggest challenges, from pandemics to environmental justice, climate change to renewable energy, inequality and the future of work. Subscribe today for a nuanced look at these issues and possible solutions. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | | PRIMARY PROBLEMS — We've had our share of high profile primary challenges this cycle. But how about a low profile one? In NJ-08, Democratic Rep. Albio Sires is facing a challenge from Hector Oseguera. New Jersey Playbook's Matt Friedman notes that Sires' campaign has dropped some oppo on Oseguera, and that all of the state's bigwigs have made sure to note their backing of Sires. It is a primary of two fairly weak fundraisers: Sires has raised $353,000 on the cycle, and had just $115,000 in the bank as of mid-June, while Oseguera hasn't even cracked six-figures and had an anemic $17,000 in the bank. The skeptical take, from Monmouth's Patrick Murrary: "Overabundance of caution is the operative angle here because it is such a low turnout district." — And in the state's primary that's attracted a bit more attention in NJ-05: Incumbent Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer and challenger Arati Kreibich met for a debate on WRNJ on Monday. FIRST IN SCORE — ON THE AIRWAVES — VoteVets PAC, the Democratic group, is going up with a big buy targeting Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). The ad features Liesha Petrovich, whose husband Marty is a Navy veteran who has battled opioid addiction. "He hurt his knee and he was prescribed pain killers that the drug companies said were safe. They weren't," Petrovich says in the ad. "How could Susan Collins take money from the very drug companies that were poisoning Maine's veterans?" The group says the ad is backed by a two-week, $1.1 million buy. — Club for Growth Action is up with a new ad in Alabama ahead of the GOP Senate primary runoff. The football-themed ad highlights that Trump has endorsed Tommy Tuberville. MONEY MAN — Tom Steyer, the billionaire megadonor and former Democratic presidential candidate, is returning to the fundraising circuit. Steyer will deploy his extensive email list to raise money for downballot candidates and will soon host fundraisers for candidates that aides expect to bring in six-figures for congressional candidates, I reported. THE DEBATE STAGE — Democrats MJ Hegar and Royce West met for a debate ahead of the July 14 Texas Senate runoff. The Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers Jr. called the debate contentious, with West challenging Hegar's "credentials as a Democrat, sparking an exchange that found Hegar casting her rival as a career, millionaire politician." THE HOUSE MAP — The DCCC added four candidates to its Red to Blue program, which is for its top candidates in offensive target districts: Michelle De La Isla (KS-02), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Dana Balter (NY-24) and Cameron Webb (VA-05). FIRST IN SCORE — DOWN THE BALLOT — Sister District, one of the Democratic groups focused on state legislative districts, announced they've raised $500,000 since the beginning of the year. "With the groundswell of support for the Black Lives Matter movement along with the impact of COVID-19, it's now becoming clear to people across the nation how much of an impact local government has on crucial issues," Rita Bosworth, the group's executive director, said in a statement.
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FIRST IN SCORE — ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Blue Dog PAC, the political arm of the centrist Democratic caucus, is backing Jackie Gordon in the open, battleground NY-02.
CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I guess that makes us even, because I wouldn't support him for president either." — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley responding to John Bolton writing he wouldn't back her presidential bid, per The State. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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