Democrats bank on millennials

With Elena Schneider and Zach Montellaro

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro's Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races — and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day's most important campaign news — sign up for Campaign Pro today. (https://subscriber.politicopro.com/proinfo)


PROGRAMMING NOTE: Morning Score will not publish on Monday, May 28. Our next Morning Score newsletter will publish on Tuesday, May 29. Please continue to follow PRO Campaigns issues here.

MILLENNIAL VOTE — “Democrats pin midterm hopes on millennials” by Campaign Pro’s Elena Schneider: When Colin Allred, a 35-year-old former NFL linebacker-turned-congressional candidate, addressed two dozen student volunteers at a rooftop restaurant last week, he promised them that he knows millennials are more than avocado toast-eating social media obsessives. 'People think millennials just tweet … and complain, but you all are living proof that that’s not true,' Allred said. 'You are the best part of this party.' Allred — the newly minted Democratic nominee for a competitive House seat here — is part of a swell of young Democratic House candidates hoping to inspire higher turnout among fellow millennials in the midterm elections, when youth voting rates typically decline. Sara Jacobs in Southern California and Abby Finkenauer in Iowa are vying to be the first women ever elected to Congress in their twenties. Illinois’ Lauren Underwood, 31, and Ohio’s Aftab Pureval, 35, have already won primaries to take on sitting GOP incumbents this fall. ...

"Millennial candidates often face opponents who question their readiness for Congress, accusing them of resume inflation and dredging up social media posts to drive the point home. Last year in Georgia, Jon Ossoff, now 31, watched as his college antics — footage of him dressed up as Han Solo — resurfaced in an attack ad during a closely watched special election. The spot accused him of 'fighting against restrictions on keg parties' because he was 'just a college kid.'” Full story.

FRIENDLY FACE — “Senate Democratic campaign chairman welcomes help from Clintons in the midterms,” by The Washington Post’s Sean Sullivan: “The chairman of the Senate Democratic campaign arm said Thursday that he welcomes the help of Bill and Hillary Clinton in the midterms, embracing the onetime power couple of the Democratic Party, even as they have become more polarizing figures since the 2016 election. ‘We welcome those individuals and everybody who wants to help,’ said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, speaking of the Clintons and former president Barack Obama. He said he would leave decisions about surrogates to each individual campaign.” Full story.

MONEY MATTERS — “Trump donor to cut off GOP contributions over DACA” by Politico’s Natasha Korecki: “A Chicago-area businessman who has donated more than $1 million to President Donald Trump is threatening to deny contributions to Republican candidates unless they act on an immigration bill before Congress. David MacNeil, who employs more than 1,100 people through his Bolingbrook-based WeatherTech automotive company, told POLITICO in an interview that the issue has grown deeply personal, given that a top employee in his company could face deportation if a deal isn’t reached for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

"MacNeil is the second prominent Chicago-area businessman and GOP donor in a week to cut off or threaten to withhold campaign contributions over the immigration debate. On Wednesday, former Exelon CEO John Rowe told POLITICO he would cut off resources to Republicans who refuse to sign onto a discharge petition that would force a vote on legislation related to so-called 'Dreamers,' while rewarding those who did with contributions and fundraising events.” Full story.

HE’S RUNNING — “Reeling Garrett decides to run again,” by POLITICO’S Alex Isenstadt: “GOP Rep. Tom Garrett told reporters on Thursday that he will, in fact, seek reelection in November — a day after telling associates he was considering retiring. During a rambling, roughly half-hour news conference in Washington, the first-term Virginia congressman said that he told political allies on Wednesday that he might not seek another term and was considering his options. But he said Thursday he decided to run again. 'I’m absolutely, positively running for reelection,' said Garrett, a 46-year-old member of the House Freedom Caucus.” Full story.

Days until the 2018 election: 165

Upcoming election dates — June 5: Alabama, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota primaries — June 12: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia primaries.

Upcoming filing deadlines — Arizona: May 30 — Vermont: May 31 — Alaska, Kansas, Wisconsin and Wyoming: June 1 — Hawaii and Minnesota: June 5 — Connecticut: June 12.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at [email protected], [email protected] , [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @danielstrauss4, @maggieseverns and @jamesarkin.

POLITICO and the South China Morning Post are partnering to expand coverage of U.S.-China relations. Read our note from POLITICO Editor-in-Chief John Harris and Editor Carrie Budoff Brown to learn more.

BOULTON SUSPENDS CAMPAIGN — “ Iowa Democrat Boulton suspends campaign following sexual misconduct report” by Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss: “Iowa state Sen. Nate Boulton announced Thursday he is suspending his campaign for governor just weeks before the Democratic primary, following allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women. ... Boulton, one of the top tier candidates in the Democratic primary competing to face Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, was accused by three women of sexual misconduct in a report published by the Des Moines Register on Wednesday. Boulton did not deny the allegations, initially telling the paper that he did 'not have the same recollection.'" Full story.

AD WARS — Hubbell releases new ad: Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell is releasing a new ad, “Steady,” about how he’s stepped in to help Iowans in crisis. The 30-second ad starts airing Friday statewide. Watch the ad here.

— Thorburn campaign pops new ad in CA-39: Democrat Andy Thorburn released his first of two closing ads in the final weeks of the contested primary, focusing on a rigged political system and urging to “get money out of politics.” Watch the ad here.

— 314 Action weighs in on CA-45: 314 Action is jumping into the contested primary to take on Republican Rep. Mimi Walters, dropping $285,000 to boost Democrat Brian Forde. The group will spend $175,000 on mail and $110,000 on a cable TV ad buy.

— Wexton pops first TV ad in VA-10: Democrat Jennifer Wexton released her first campaign TV ad, on health care and “banning bump stocks.” Watch the ad here.

— House Majority PAC wades into CA-48: “House Majority PAC, the flagship pro-Democratic super PAC, is going on offense in the final week before the all-party primary in California's 48th District, attacking Republican Scott Baugh in an effort to avoid Republicans locking out Democrats in November.” Full story.

GOOD TO KNOW! — “Attention, America: We’ve All Been Saying Gerrymander Wrong,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Reid J. Epstein and Madeline Marshall: “Two hundred years after a cartoonist used Elbridge Gerry’s name to skewer political cartography, Mr. Gerry’s descendants think it’s time people start pronouncing it right. The issue is whether to say ‘gerrymander’ with a soft G, the way nearly everybody does, or with a hard G as in Gary — the way Mr. Gerry himself did.” Full story.

OUR REVOLUTION EXODUS — “Second top official resigns from Bernie Sanders group” by Politico’s Edward-Isaac Dovere: “The tumult at Our Revolution continued raging with the resignation of another founding board member late Wednesday. The decision by Catalina Velasquez, an undocumented immigrant and transgender activist who was co-vice chair of the Bernie Sanders-inspired organization, came during a week of reverberations in the wake of a POLITICO report detailing widespread problems within the group. A number of people have complained about inattention by the group to Latino and immigrant issues. Others have cited open hostility by a woman whom Our Revolution President Nina Turner had tried to make her chief of staff. 'For the past month, we have been fighting divisive narratives targeting immigrants and pinning us against other oppressed peoples,' wrote Velasquez in a letter she posted on Twitter. 'I have faced this with little to no support from the organizational leadership.'” Full story.

ENDORSEMENT WATCH — “Perez infuriates liberals with Cuomo endorsement” by Dovere: “Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has said repeatedly that the national party shouldn’t, and won’t, endorse in primaries. But on Thursday, he stood on a Long Island stage and endorsed Andrew Cuomo, the New York governor who is facing a challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon. The decision to pick favorites in a primary pits the DNC chair against the DNC deputy chair, Keith Ellison. And it has re-opened an ongoing internal fight within the party, while giving critics ammunition to question Perez’s leadership. ... Ellison was not on board with the decision. He was not told in advance about Perez’s decision to endorse Cuomo, a person familiar with the matter said. Asked about Perez backing Cuomo, Ellison said in a statement, 'The Democratic Party should not intervene in the primary process. It is our role to be fair to all contestants and let the voters decide.'” Full story.

ADMINISTRATION SPEED READ — "‘He is not taking this guy’s s—’: Why Trump pulled out of the Kim meeting” by Politico’s Eliana Johnson and Michael Crowley: Past American presidents have approached nuclear talks with North Korea as a matter of delicate statecraft, requiring seasoned experts and long technical briefings. For President Donald Trump, it was just another exercise in what one Trump friend approvingly called 'the art of the deal.' Trump aides and associates cast Thursday’s cancellation of a planned June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a decisive move that showed the president’s sharp negotiating instincts can translate to the world stage. 'He is not taking the guy’s shit,' boasted the Trump friend, who speaks with the president frequently.” Full story.

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There is a troubling dynamic happening where anytime a conservative expresses concerns, they get branded a Never Trumper and are excommunicated from the American right.” — Ian Bassin, the founder of a watchdog group, to The New York Times on some Republicans criticizing President Trump.

Follow us on Twitter Steven Shepard @politico_steve



Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro



James Arkin @jamesarkin



Ally Mutnick @allymutnick