| | | | | |  | | By Zach Montellaro | Presented by Snapchat | Editor's Note: Weekly Score is a weekly version of POLITICO Pro's daily Campaigns policy newsletter, Morning Score. POLITICO Pro is a policy intelligence platform that combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. | | | — Congress has failed to come to a deal on the next round of coronavirus relief, leaving funding for an unprecedented election in limbo with less than three months to go. — National Republicans have denounced Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is in a GOP primary runoff for a safe House seat in Georgia seat on Tuesday, but have done little to actually stop her. — The Congressional Leadership Fund, the GOP super PAC focused on the House, is booking another $45 million in advertising, bringing its total reservation up to $90 million. Good Monday morning. I'm back! Did I miss anything? A big thank you to the whole team for filling in for the week. You can email me at zmontellaro@politico.com and follow me on Twitter at @ZachMontellaro. Email the rest of the POLITICO campaigns team at sshepard@politico.com, jarkin@politico.com and amutnick@politico.com. Follow them on Twitter: @POLITICO_Steve, @JamesArkin and @allymutnick. Days until the Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin primaries and Georgia primary runoffs: 1 Days until the Democratic convention: 7 Days until the Alaska, Florida and Wyoming primaries: 8 Days until the Republican convention: 14 Days until the 2020 election: 85 | | | | A message from Snapchat: Brands from all around the world are connecting with Snapchatters as they drive new behaviors and values. Believing they have responsibility to create the change they want to see in the world, Snapchatters are using their passion to fuel a unique transformation. Meet the Snapchat Generation. | | | | | | SHOW ME THE MONEY? — Talks around another coronavirus relief package have entirely collapsed , with a more than trillion-dollar gulf between Republicans and Democrats and seemingly no breakthrough in sight. The impasse leaves a lot of major question marks for funding for a litany of programs and policies, two with big implications on November: election security funding and the Postal Service. The funding for election administrators represents one of the biggest breaks in negotiations. House Democrats' HEROES Act, which passed out of the lower chamber in May, included $3.6 billion in election security funding that could be used for everything from overhauling mail-in voting systems to securing in-person voting — along with sweeping changes to the American electoral system. Senate Republicans' opening offer included a goose egg in election funding. That has proved to be one of the major sticking points during the negotiations. My POLITICO Playbook colleagues Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman reported on Friday that talks in this department "were nowhere," with Republicans offering $400-$500 million of funding, and Democrats sticking to their $3.6 billion number. There's still some disparate Republican interest in providing some sort of funding for election officials, but it is unclear if any will ultimately come. Last week, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, introduced the EASE Act with some Republican colleagues. It would provide $400 million to election administrators, but there's strings attached here as well: The money is earmarked specifically for in-person voting preparations, voter "list maintenance" and poll worker recruitment (a major speedbump! ), and also bans "ballot harvesting" — which Democrats typically call "community collection." (And, needless to say, a GOP bill passing out of the Democratic House is unlikely.) The fate of the USPS is also on shaky ground with no large coronavirus package. Here, however, there was some level of agreement, even without a larger deal. Anna and Jake noted on Friday that $10 billion in funding over two years for the Postal Service was "pretty much buttoned up," pending final language. But in the midst of this, there is a "sweeping overhaul" of the USPS in the works by new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, The Washington Post's Jacob Bogage reported, with 23 "postal executives" being "reassigned or displaced," as congressional Democrats continue to sound the alarm about major changes and cuts being made to the country's mail carriers. — In the absence of a deal, President Donald Trump has laid out some executive orders on unemployment benefits, a payroll tax cut and more that have been derided as Democrats (and some Republicans) as unconstitutional — but that's not all he's considering. POLITICO's Antia Kumar reported that the White House is considering some executive action to try to curb mail voting, although it is unclear what it'd look like or what the constitutional basis for it would be. | | | | POLITICO'S "FUTURE PULSE" - THE COLLISION OF HEALTH CARE AND TECHNOLOGY : There has been a surge of virtual health care visits due to Covid-19, but what is the future of telehealth beyond the pandemic? What does the struggle with Covid screening tests say about remote care? From Congress and the White House, to state legislatures and Silicon Valley, Future Pulse spotlights the politics, policies and technologies driving long-term change on the most personal issue for voters: Their health. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | VEEPSTAKES — Potential VP picks have been hitting the fundraising circuit hard for Joe Biden, as his pick for running mate looms. POLITICO's Elena Schneider tallies up the money would-be hopefuls have raised, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) topping the field at more than $7.7 million and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) raising $5 million. Since March, one-in-five of Biden's fundraisers has been attended by a woman on the shortlist, raising more than $20 million. "They're all trying to show off their fundraising abilities, and the advantage definitely goes to the more established candidates with broader bases," Doug Herman, a California-based Democratic consultant, told Elena. "These are all folks who are auditioning for a spot, and this is a box that needs to be checked and they all need to demonstrate they can do it." — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer traveled to Delaware last week to personally meet with Biden, the first in-person session that's been publicly reported, per the AP's David Eggert. (If you would like to help confirm other in-person meetings Biden may have had with other contenders, drop me a line.) THE PROCESS — The Campaign Legal Center filed a suit in Pennsylvania challenging the state's signature matching program for mail-in ballots, and the lack of a cure process, PennLive's Ron Southwick reported. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, announced last week that it would be up to counties in the state on if they're going to expand mail and early voting in November, the Great Falls Tribune's Phil Drake reported, similar to what was in place for the June primaries. (All counties took advantage of the expansion, The Fulcrum notes.) — The pandemic has piqued interest in online voting, but security experts and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) trashed the concept as not ready for primetime at DEF CON (a hacker conference), Pro Cybersecurity's Eric Geller reported (for Pros). In a keynote address, Wyden called internet voting "the weakest link in our election infrastructure," Eric wrote, even as 31 states offer "remote ballot transmission" to at least some voters. — Nevada lawmakers recently passed a law that would result in all active registered voters in the state being sent a ballot in November, which has drawn the ire of (and a lawsuit from) the president. The Nevada Independent's Michelle Rindels and Joey Lovato published a lengthy Q&A last week with Deputy Secretary of State Wayne Thorley that's worth the read if you're looking for more information on the goings-on there (including the secretary of state's office misgivings on allowing ballot harvesting in the state). — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and county officials are starting another round of flagging "inactive" voters, but LaRose stressed no voter will be removed from the rolls before the November election, The Toledo Blade's Jim Provance reported. — Puerto Rico's primaries for the island's gubernatorial, legislative and local races were thrown into chaos on Sunday, when over half of the island's precincts didn't receive voting material, the Miami Herald's Syra Ortiz-Blanes and Bianca Padró Ocasio reported. Voting will resume next Sunday in some precincts. POLLS POLLS POLLS — A pair of battleground polls from CBS News/YouGov has Biden narrowly leading Trump in two critical battleground states. In Pennsylvania, Biden is up, 49 percent to 43 percent (1,211 likely voters; Aug. 4-7; +/- 3.7 percentage point MoE). And in Wisconsin, Biden leads, 48 percent to 42 percent for the president (994 likely voters; Aug. 4-7; +/- 3.8 percentage point MoE). SAY WHAT? — Kanye West's presidential "campaign" has attracted a curious class of operatives: seasoned Republican hands. New York magazine's Ben Jacobs runs through the various Republican ties to the rapper's bid, and sums it up like this: "The campaign is not serious, but it's not a joke, either. It has aspects of both a vanity project and a Republican ratf---ing operation, but not fully either." (We're a family friendly newsletter.) | | | |   | | | | | | ABOUT TUESDAY — Tomorrow brings primaries in a handful of states, with perhaps the highest profile one in the GA-14 GOP primary runoff between Greene, a QAnon conspiracy theorist, and John Cowan in the safe red seat. And while most national Republicans have denounced Greene, they've done little to actually stop her. POLITICO's Melanie Zanona and Ally Mutnick reported that, of the top three House Republicans, just House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (La.) has been actively helping Cowan, and no outside group has made a significant investment. ON THE AIRWAVES — CLF is booking $45 million in additional fall advertising. Ally reported that the super PAC is laying out that money spread across 40 media markets, in TV digital and mail targets, bringing its total investment on the cycle to roughly $90 million. The buy is a mix of offensive and defensive seats, including defending open GOP-held seats in Montana and on Long Island, with the new reservations including twice as many Democratic seats than Republican-held ones. A big reservation: $2.7 million in Miami, a huge investment on Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez's chances against Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.). PRIMARY PROBLEMS — Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who is primarying Democratic Rep. Richie Neal in MA-01, has been disinvited from future events by groups of state college Democrats, alleging a pattern of "using "his platform and taking advantage of his position of power for romantic or sexual gain, specifically toward young students," POLITICO's Alex Thompson and Stephanie Murray reported. The letter, which was first reported by The Massachusetts Daily Collegian (UMass's student paper), said that Morse had relationships with college students and would contact some on social media and dating apps. (Morse has worked as a lecturer at UMass.) In a lengthy statement issued on Sunday, Morse said he has "never, in my entire life, had a non-consensual sexual encounter with anyone." He said he recognizes "that some students felt uncomfortable with interactions they had with me" and apologized for it, saying that "this is unacceptable behavior for anyone with institutional power." He said he will remain in the race, but said he understood if some supporters or endorsers no longer backed him. | | | | EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED: Policy professionals' work has changed drastically since the outbreak of Covid-19. Read what 700+ policy professionals had to say about this "new normal" in POLITICO Pro's 2020 Policy Insider's Report: "Policymaking During a Pandemic." | | | | | THE SENATE MAP — Republicans have largely abandoned any offensive targets in the battle for the Senate, targeting their resources to defend incumbents. Campaigns Pro's James Arkin reports (for Pros) that GOP groups have booked more than $100 million on TV to defend eight incumbents, but "despite continued confidence in flipping Alabama, Republicans aren't invested to a significant degree in any other state where they have a chance to flip a seat — including in Michigan." MESSAGING MATTERS — Republicans up and down the ballot are running against parts of the Black Lives Matter movement. "Republicans are using two lines of attack: the Trump administration, candidates in safe red seats and right-wing social media channels seek to label the entire movement 'Marxist' and anti-family as they try to energize their conservative base," POLITICO's Laura Barrón-López and Alex Thompson wrote. More: "Republicans running in swing districts and states, meanwhile, are tying their Democratic opponents to activists' demands to defund police departments, while avoiding explicitly mentioning Black Lives Matter. Instead, Republicans running in competitive general election races have focused recent ads on more abstract targets like 'left-wing radicals' and the 'liberal mob.'" | | | | A message from Snapchat: The Snapchat Generation is driving new behaviors and values that are changing the world today, and they're urging brands to join them in taking action.Snapchatters aren't just demanding positive change though — they're getting deeply involved in their local communities. By creating a world where everyone is invited to show up more authentically, Snapchatters are making the stories they share with their friends all the more powerful.While this generation is bringing more positivity into the world, they're also redefining communication as we know it. Snapchatters are using vertical video to connect with each other on a more personal level and discovering new products using augmented reality.As Snapchatters continue to transform the future, brands from all around the world are connecting with them in new and meaningful ways. Meet the Snapchat Generation. | | | SAFE-SEAT SCRAMBLE — Hawaii state Sen. Kai Kahele cruised through the Democratic primary in HI-02, making him the overwhelming favorite to replace the retiring Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in the blue seat come November. And in a "where are they now?" update: Former Rep. Colleen Hanabusa will miss out on the general election from the top-two primary for Honolulu mayor, per Honolulu Civil Beat's Christina Jedra. — Texas state Sen. Pat Fallon won the Republican nomination in the deep red TX-04, in a vote held by party leaders to replace now-DNI John Ratcliffe on the ballot in November, making him the likely nominee. The Texas Tribune's Patrick Svitek has more. THE DEBATE STAGE — There's been a lot of debate about debates in Senate races across the map, but at least one race had an actual debate. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Bullock met for their first debate on Saturday (which was held remotely). The Independent Record's Holly Michels has more on the faceoff. I remain steadfast in my disdain about arguing over a debate schedule. CAMPAIGN CASH — The House Ethics Committee found that now-Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) violated campaign finance rules after her campaign paid her a salary following the 2018 general election, but that her doing so was an error "of bad timing and not ill intent," POLITICO's Max Cohen reported. She was ordered to repay her campaign $10,800. CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I will not be able to attend the campaign rally tomorrow morning. I will be getting a rabies vaccine as a precaution after having been bitten by a bat near the start of this campaign tour!" — Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen on Twitter on Friday. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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