JIM JORDAN HAS A PLAN — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has made nice with House GOP leadership after his early days as a procedural and political bomb thrower. Now he's ready to convert that goodwill into power. His unparalleled sway within the party's base, Trump world and conservative media still give him the tools to undercut leadership. But as the expected chair of the Judiciary Committee if Republicans take the House, he's also working with the leadership that has continually elevated him. In many ways, Jordan is a key figure in determining the path and agenda for a GOP-controlled House. He used to do it from the outside as a "legislative terrorist," as former GOP Speaker John Boehner labeled him. But now he can drive the narrative from the inside. Beyond his role leading key investigations into the Justice Department and FBI and holding the gavel for any impeachment action Republicans pursue, Jordan also has his eye on four legislative avenues for Republicans to wrestle control: the debt ceiling, surveillance reform, funding the government and the farm bill. Our own Jordain talked to Jordan and nearly a dozen other lawmakers about the firebrand's vision for the GOP-controlled House . FIRST IN HUDDLE: DARKNESS ON MAIN STREET — The Defending Main Street super PAC is launching a six figure ad campaign in Nebraska's second district today, targeting Nebraska state representative Tony Vargas, who is hoping to defeat Republican incumbent Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.). The ad buy is dark. "Tony Vargas won't keep us safe," is the general premise, opening with "Predators who prey on children....All of them could be released if Tony Vargas got his way." It's another in a deluge of ads across the country where Republicans are leaning into crime as a central message and placing the blame on Democrats. Watch the ad here . POLITICO ranks the Bacon v Vargas race as a tossup . FLORIDA FACEOFF — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic challenger Rep. Val Demings faced off Tuesday night in their first and only debate before Election Day, where Rubio backed down on a gun control proposal he championed after the Pulse nightclub and Parkland mass shootings. In the wake of those home-state tragedies, Rubio voiced support for a law banning 18-year-olds from buying assault-style rifles. But on Tuesday Rubio said a law like that "doesn't work" and that background checks would not have stopped the shootings. A jury sentenced the Parkland shooter to life in prison last week, opting against the death penalty. Rubio took aim at the bipartisan gun-control legislation that Congress passed earlier this year, calling the law "crazy" and saying that it allowed too many scenarios where guns could be taken or seized by law enforcement. "I think the solution [to] this problem is to identify these people that are acting this way," he said. The pair also clashed over abortion, and Matt Dixon in Tallahassee has more on the debate. ALSO IN FLORIDA: Florida Democrat targeted by DeSantis struggles to stay in Congress , from Gary Fineout TESTING THE REID MACHINE — Harry Reid spent decades building a political machine in Nevada and now it's facing a tough midterm test, a year after his death. Reid, who served as Senate majority leader for eight years, was a master at consolidating resources to fund down ballot races and tapped into the power of casino workers. His machine building led to Democrats holding both Senate seats, three of four House seats and the governor's mansion. But there are concerns that in the wake of Reid's death, the coalitions he built are eroding and the party could lose its grasp on power in the state. "It's up in the air," Ted Pappageorge, head of the casino workers' Culinary Union, told The Associated Press of this year's election. "It's a complete tossup." Michelle L. Price from The Associated Press has more on the future of the Reid Machine . Jon Ralson at The Nevada Independent is tracking the election math with his annual early voting blog, follow along . | 
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