GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, November 3, where your host is already planning her election night snacks. RASPBERRY RIPPLE — Over the summer, Republicans were sweating some lukewarm candidates, fretting over scandals and watching Democratic spending tick upwards. But now, just days before the polls close, Republicans like the view much better. Burgess, Natalie Allison and Marianne report this morning that the GOP is on firmer ground in the final days of the midterm election season "thanks to a late-game spending surge and a deteriorating national environment for Democrats." A Republican senator, who was granted anonymity to candidly assess the party's chances, said the hoped-for red wave "might be a red ripple" with just enough oomph to flip the Senate, but barely. But Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) was willing to go on the record with her prediction: "We're going to get the Senate next Tuesday." Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, warned about last minute shifts. In recent midterms, late breaking races are "going to go in the direction against the current president" and it's "the exception when it doesn't." Come for the creative ways Republicans are describing their expectations, stay for a smart wide-angle-lens view of Senate contests heading toward Election Day . MANCHIN UPS THE ANTE ON NDAA — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) wants to get his energy permitting legislation attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, one of a handful of must-pass bills expected to move through Congress in the lame duck session. "I've tried to put it in the continuing resolution, and I'm working now on getting it in the National Defense Authorization," Manchin said in remarks at Stanford's Global Energy Forum, where he appeared remotely. The Senate started debate on the NDAA in mid-October and is expected to take it back up later this month. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, but especially Republicans, aren't thrilled with the prospect of packing unrelated legislation into the already-massive annual defense policy bill. But Manchin's wish is not Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) command. There are other bills the permitting plan could hitch a ride on, including the omnibus government funding bill. POLITICO's Josh Siegel and Debra Kahn have more on Manchin's maneuvers . More Manchin: West Virginia's Mooney runs for Congress but aims at Manchin , from Leah Willingham at The Associated Press CONFIRMATION: CANADIAN — David DePape, the man accused of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) husband with a hammer, is a Canadian citizen who lacks authorization to be in the U.S. The Washington Post has more on how DePape's immigration situation could play out . Demanding answers: House Administration Committee chair Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) is demanding answers from Capitol Police about "security protections for Members of Congress, particularly those in the presidential line of succession." USCP on Wednesday acknowledged that the cameras at Pelosi's residence were "not actively monitored" during the home invasion as officers would do if she were home. The five-page letter marked one of the first public attempts at oversight of the two brand new satellite offices the Capitol Police set up to assist in security outside of D.C. in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. More from Nicholas and your Huddle host on Lofgren's accountability push. MURRAY PLAYS DEFENSE — Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is facing a surprisingly tough challenge and is concerned about Democrats' enthusiasm level heading into election day. "If they just — 'Oh, Patty's fine, she always has been' — that's when elections get really tight," Murray told The New York Times' Emily Cochraine in Seattle . "Because we need Democrats to vote." "Should she win a sixth term next week, Murray will be the fourth most senior senator and in line to be the top Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee that controls government spending. But her re-election hinges in large part on voters … putting aside their frustrations with a national party that has fallen short of some of its most expansive policy ambitions and casting a vote for Ms. Murray, whom many of them have come to regard as a fixture who will be there no matter what." PROGRESSIVES FACE OFF — There's a Dem vs. Dem rematch underway in California's 34th Congressional District in Los Angeles and the two contenders are trying to prove their progressive credentials to voters, who will end up with a Democrat either way. "To avoid being the first incumbent Democratic congress member to lose to a same-party challenger in Southern California in 10 years, [Rep. Jimmy] Gomez, 47, must persuade enough voters that working inside the party is still effective. To pull off a win, his rival, [David] Kim, 38, must sell enough voters across racial lines on 'co-governing' with activists," writes Jeong Park in The Los Angeles Times . Why this is happening: Both Kim and Gomez advanced out of the primary, which allows the top two vote winners to compete in the general election, regardless of party. In California this cycle, there are six (!) Dem-on-Dem general election races for Congress. I'M FEELING OLD — But that isn't Maxwell Alejandro Frost's problem. He is on track to be the first Gen Z member of Congress after next week's election. He won a Democratic primary over the summer in the safe blue seat of Florida's 10th congressional district. Lissandra Villa Huerta from The Boston Globe spent time with the activist on the campaign trail . He might not be alone: Karoline Leavitt, 25, is another Gen Z contender who could come to Congress in the new year. She's challenging Rep. Chris Pappas, a New Hampshire Democrat, in a hotly competitive race. FEED ME ME MORE OF THIS — Couldn't get enough of this A-hed from The Wall Street Journal's Kristina Peterson on candidates' food quirks, gaffes and groceries. "From state fairs to pizzerias, candidates have a history of choking on the campaign trail," she writes .
| 
Comments
Post a Comment