The Hawley caucus under construction

A play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news

Nov 04, 2022 View in browser   By Katherine Tully-McManus MADE IN HIS IMAGE — Sen. Josh Hawley has got high hopes for a new, Republican-controlled Senate with two would-be allies in his corner. The Missouri Republican doesn't walk in lockstep with the GOP conference or Senate leadership and he's betting that two Senate hopefuls he's backed can shift the institution in his direction. Flipping the Senate majority isn't enough – Hawley wants to build a voting bloc of like-minded senators alongside Blake Masters and J.D. Vance. "They do sound different than your … typical Republican candidate. And I think that's a feature, that's not a bug," Hawley told Burgess in an interview this week. "For folks who are like, 'Oh, I don't know about these guys, maybe they're too different.' Oh, no. They're not. They represent voters now." This weekend Hawley hits the trail for both, today in Arizona for Masters, Ohio for Vance on Saturday and circling back to his home state to campaign for Missouri GOP candidate Eric Schmitt on Monday. Their campaigns drew criticism, even from within the GOP, for taking hardline positions on abortion, border security and Ukraine aid that are more palatable in a primary than broadly popular for a general election and for not doing enough fundraising (the big cash from GOP megadonor Peter Thiel helped.) But Hawley sees these as features, not bugs. The candidates' unwavering positions, even in the face of criticism from within the party, gave him confidence that they "are going to have some backbone when they get to Washington, and are not going to be co-opted." "This is just the opening, the warm-up, in terms of the criticism that they'll get if they stick to their guns. And they've shown me that they can," Hawley said in an interview. More on Hawley's vision for a reshaped Senate GOP, plus what policies they'd be pushing , from Burgess.   NEW AND IMPROVED POLITICO APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. With a fresh look and improved features, the sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don't miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. Already a POLITICO app user? Upgrade today! DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID .     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, November 4, where there's just a few days until election night. Do you know what your snack lineup is? HUDDLE'S WEEKLY MOST CLICKED: You were eager to see the kind of awkward photo op of President Bill Clinton doing some paperwork at the Grand Canyon. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 19, 2022. | Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo SECRET SEPTEMBER MEETING — Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) saw his colleague Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) posturing for a bid at the top Democratic leadership role and requested a meeting with the Democratic Whip and elder statesman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.). There was an emergency confab on Sept. 1 in the Capitol (although Jeffries had offered to fly to South Carolina, whatever would work best for Clyburn). "The younger lawmaker wanted to gently make sure [Clyburn] knew of Schiff's quiet campaign – and to even more gently warn Clyburn about the risk of splitting votes between them and opening a path for the ambitious Californian," Jonathan Martin writes in his return to POLITICO. "Jeffries need not have been alarmed. 'There's nothing I would ever do to impede the progress of our up-and-coming young Democrats and I see him as an up-and-coming young Democrat,' Clyburn said in an interview about Jeffries. 'He knows that, I didn't have to tell him that – but I did.' … The South Carolinian's reassurances — his most pronounced to date and downright blunt in the diplomatic parlance of leadership races — are likely to prove the linchpin for Jeffries's all-but-certain campaign." Read more from JMart's look at the secret meeting about the future of Democratic leadership . Related read: " A quiet race to succeed Pelosi is underway in San Francisco ," by Jeremy White PRIMETIME WHIP DRAMA — There's a primetime drama going down within the House Republican Conference, involving a young staffer, a powerful Fox News host, an anonymous quote and the race for GOP Whip. Let's tune in. The House GOP's campaigns chief Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), who has expressed interest in the whip job in the next Congress, has found himself on the wrong side of both Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump Jr., which is not where you want to be when battling it out to win the conference's vote for GOP whip. Weeks ago, an anonymous Republican told The Daily Beast that Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), another GOP whip candidate, hired 25-year-old Buckley Carlson, the son of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, to sweeten relationships with key party players. Accusations soon swirled that the blind quote had come from Emmer's camp. The offending quote: "Deep down, he dies to be liked by the Establishment. He hires Tucker Carlson's son, a 24-year-old kid, to be his communications director." "For some House Republicans of all persuasions who remain undecided, the kerfuffle underscored concerns about Banks: that he would sic Trump world on any member who clashes with him and his allies have distracted the conference from the midterms," reports Olivia. But many GOP lawmakers, including some of the Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus, shrugged off the quote and the surrounding drama as a non-factor in the race. Some are waiting for the other shoe to drop. To this point, Tucker Carlson has not gone after Emmer publicly, though he has privately accused Emmer of going after his son. But if he decides to go public, it could wreak havoc on the race and the conference's calculations. Olivia breaks down the drama and where more than a dozen House Republicans stand . TURNING TOWARDS TULSI  — They used to call Tulsi Gabbard a dangerous socialist with a soft spot for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad. But now a reshaped Republican party is clamoring for time with Tulsi on the trail. "The GOP's unapologetic embrace of Gabbard is particularly conspicuous as its leaders try to dispel the notion that they're not tough enough on Russia amid a sharp internal divide over aiding Ukraine. It also comes as questions mount over whether a Republican-controlled House would continue to approve funding for Ukraine's defense and humanitarian needs," writes Andrew. Andrew has more on the future of "America-first" foreign policy and aid to Ukraine . MEANWHILE IN KYIV... Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) met with families in Ukraine's capital Thursday and promised continued humanitarian support for the battered country as winter approaches. The AP's Sam Mednick has more from Kyiv . CLINCHING THE OPRAH VOTE — The woman who made Dr. Mehmet Oz a household name and daytime television mainstay is backing his opponent John Fetterman for Senate, an endorsement months in the making . GREENE AND GLENN MAKE A SCENE — Sorry, a show. Far-right broadcaster Brian Glenn says he is filming a reality television show featuring Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). "I'm assisting in a new reality style series that shows her in real life, not fake news. Coming in 2023. #LifeWithMTG" he tweeted, in response to a story from The Daily Mail chronicling the pair spending time together in Georgia while Greene campaigns for reelection. MR. MOLOTOV SENTENCED — The man who in July confronted Capitol Police officers near Union Station wielding two Molotov cocktails was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Thursday. Bernard McCutcheon, 26, threw one of the Molotov cocktails at the officers while trying to light it. HUDDLE HOTDISH Thune on the run… literally. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) takes a jog with a reporter and a camera crew. They talked about politics and his high school record for the 800 meter, all while breathing hard . QUICK LINKS  National head winds catch up to 'political unicorn' Mark Kelly in Ariz. , from Hannah Knowles at The Washington Post Cherokees Ask U.S. to Make Good on a 187-Year-Old Promise, for a Start , from Simon Romero at The New York Times Jerry Moran's campaign paints him as above politics. Is that possible after Trump? From Daniel Drsrochers at The Kansas City Star Why key House members skip many votes , from Manu Raju at CNN With the House possibly poised to flip Republican, where does that leave the all-Democratic Mass. delegation? From Tal Kopan at The Boston Globe TRANSITIONS  Kara Fesolovich is now deputy press secretary for the office of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. She most recently was a press assistant for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL That Friday feeling. TRIVIA THURSDAY'S WINNER: Nabarun Banik correctly answered that The average number of House seats lost by the president's party in midterm elections since World War II is 26. (Bruce calculated 25.8 but we're gonna round up here.) TODAY'S QUESTION from Nabarun: Who is the longest serving current member of Congress who is up for re-election in 2022 The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to ktm@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus   DON'T MISS POLITICO'S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, "At a Crossroads: America's Defense Strategy" on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America's national security. REGISTER HERE .       Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.