WEEKEND UPDATE — "How Orlando became the center of the universe for GOP Senate hopefuls," by Natalie Allison, POLITICO: "Mehmet Oz has less than 90 days left before Pennsylvania Republican voters cast their ballots in one of the most contentious Senate primaries in the nation. Every day and every event matters, especially to a candidate like him who only recently moved back to the state. Yet Oz could be found in Florida this weekend along with more than a dozen other Republican Senate hopefuls, aiming to make an impression at the Conservative Political Action Conference." EVERYTHING'S BIGGER IN TEXAS — "Debate between Texas GOP attorney general candidates got heated, even though incumbent Ken Paxton wasn't there," by James Barragán, Texas Tribune: "A debate between Republican Texas attorney general candidates turned into an all-out brawl Thursday as Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman attacked each other, and U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert targeted incumbent Ken Paxton, who declined to participate ." THE KEYSTONE STATE — "No notes, same logo: Dr. Oz's campaign is like his TV show," by Marc Levy, The Associated Press: "Welcome to Oz's campaign for U.S. Senate, where the celebrity heart surgeon and former host of daytime TV's 'Dr. Oz Show' is making his way around Pennsylvania in town hall-style settings that seem very much like the TV studio where he once presided." PARTY PROBLEMS — "Trump tries to recruit Rick Scott for majority leader," by Rachael Bade, POLITICO: "In a recent private meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump made a personal pitch to Senate Republican campaign chief Rick Scott. 'You should run for Senate majority leader,' he told the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to a person familiar with the exchange. It wasn't the first time, either: Trump has repeatedly told Scott he'd be great at the job and should challenge Mitch McConnell." MIDTERM MESSAGING — "Post-ABC poll finds a deeply pessimistic nation, worried about the economy and Biden's leadership," by Dan Balz, Scott Clement and Emily Guskin, The Washington Post: "The poll finds Biden's presidential approval rating at a new low, with 37 percent saying they approve of the job he is doing and 55 percent saying they disapprove. Overall, 44 percent say they strongly disapprove." "Asked whether they would prefer the next Congress to be in the hands of Republicans acting as a check against the president or in Democratic hands to support Biden's priorities, 50 percent of adults say they would rather have Republicans in charge on Capitol Hill while 40 percent prefer the Democrats." — The Republican State Leadership Committee released a pair of videos ahead of the State of the Union targeting Democrats in Colorado and Minnesota over inflation. ON THE AIRWAVES — Save Missouri Values, a super PAC backing Missouri state Attorney General Eric Schmitt for Senate, is up with a new ad featuring Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Cruz, who endorsed Schmitt, delivers a direct-to-camera pitch for the GOP Senate hopeful in the 30-second spot. The ad will begin airing statewide today, with an initial buy of $500,000. — Arkansas Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders is airing a new 60-second ad for her gubernatorial campaign. Sanders, the former White House press secretary, highlights her Arkansas roots in the ad. The commercial ends with a photo of Sanders walking alongside Trump, who has endorsed her in the race. THE TAR HEEL STATE — "NC Republicans seek to differentiate themselves in first US Senate debate," by Avi Bajpai, News & Observer: "Over the course of a little more than an hour, former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker and Marjorie K. Eastman, a combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, took turns going after Democratic President Joe Biden, their opponent Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and each other, as they made their cases for why Republicans should vote for them in the upcoming primary." THE MAP LINES — "Florida GOP splits amid DeSantis' push to upend redistricting," by Gary Fineout, POLITICO Florida Pro: "The main House panel handling redistricting on Friday advanced a new map that gives Republicans an additional two seats. The map also dismantles the North Florida congressional seat now held by Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat from Tallahassee. But the 15-9 vote came with two Republicans voting no along with Democrats and after acrimonious debate." GETTING IN — "Activist famed for Kavanaugh elevator confrontation to run for New York lieutenant governor's race," by Bill Mahoney, POLITICO New York: "Ana Maria Archila, a Queens activist who gained national attention in 2018 for confronting Sen. Jeff Flake in a Capitol elevator to protest Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the Supreme Court, will launch a campaign for lieutenant governor on Saturday." BALLOT BATTLE — "Unlike Texas, new voter ID rules in Georgia didn't cause surge in rejections," by Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Since Texas introduced ID requirements for voting by mail, ballot rejections have spiked before next week's primary election. But preliminary data indicates a similar voter ID law in Georgia might not result in a dramatic increase in absentee ballot rejections here before the May 24 primary." ENDORSEMENT ALERT — California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Democrat Asif Mahmood against Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) in CA-40. DAY IN COURT — "Republicans seek to overturn Colorado's candidate donation limits in federal court," by Sandra Fish, The Colorado Sun: "Two Republican candidates have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to unwind Colorado's 20-year-old campaign donation limits. Greg Lopez, who is running for governor, and state Rep. Rod Pelton, of Cheyenne Wells, who is running for state Senate, along with former Colorado Republican Party Chair Steve House are plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the Secretary of State's Office. They are backed in the case by lawyers for two conservative nonprofits."
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