GOP’S Houck problem hits a leadership group chat

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

Aug 24, 2023 View in browser   By Olivia Beavers and Daniella Diaz With assist from Jordain Carney Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) clarified that he did not encourage Mark Houck to run for Congress, adding that their only interaction was a greeting and handshake after Houck testified before a House subcommittee. | Getty Images REPUBLICAN LEADERS’ PRIMARY PROBLEMS Conservative anti-abortion activist Mark Houck says a member of House GOP leadership was among the lawmakers encouraging him to primary Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. That same leader wants nothing to do with Houck’s candidacy. Paging the group chat: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) — one of four lawmakers Houck named as supporting his run and the conference vice chair — quickly moved to shut down that suggestion by sending an urgent text message to Speaker Kevin McCarthy, other House GOP leaders and Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), according to two Republicans with knowledge of the conversation. In it, Johnson clarified that he did not encourage Houck to run, adding that their only interaction was a greeting and handshake after Houck testified before a House subcommittee. That text chain then became an informal strategy discussion centered on defending Fitzpatrick, a battleground incumbent, against Houck, who has come under scrutiny for controversial comments about pornography and gender roles. The incident illustrates that House Republican leaders are painfully aware of their slim margin for error come 2024. With only a five-seat majority, they’ll win or lose the gavel in purple districts like Fitzpatrick’s — with many in the GOP strongly believing that only he can hold onto the seat that President Joe Biden won by about 5 points in 2020. In the chat, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of House Republicans’ campaign arm, raised the idea of Johnson endorsing Fitzpatrick — but the Pennsylvania incumbent dismissed the idea, the two Republicans said. But it’s not just Johnson. Houck has named three Freedom Caucus members as people who had “influence” over his decision to run. “I didn’t want to run for Congress. People have been encouraging me … to consider it. I eventually could not refuse it thankfully for the influence of Reps. Jim Jordan, Chip Roy, Scott Perry, and Mike Johnson,” Houck told the Vortex. What Roy, Perry and Jordan have said: Johnson might have taken the clearest private step towards clarifying his stance against Houck, but the member of Republican leadership may not be alone in distancing himself. “I am always happy to talk to friends, like Mark, who stood athwart the tyrannical FBI, but I have not pushed anyone to run or not run. It’s not my job. It’s the voters of PA,” Roy (R-Texas) texted us this week. And while a spokesperson for Perry (R-Pa.) did not respond to a request for comment, one Republican familiar with the matter says they believe Houck “misconstrued” the words of the House Freedom Caucus chair as encouragement for him to run. A spokesperson for Jordan, who heads the so-called government weaponization subcommittee where Houck testified, did not respond to questions about whether the Ohio conservative encouraged Houck to run. — Olivia Beavers   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, Aug. 24 where we hope you’re not too hungover from your GOP debate drinking game. CROSS-PARTY CARPETBAGGERS A number of 2024 Senate candidates in competitive races have a carpetbagger problem. Every Senate candidate is required to have a residency in the state they’re running to represent, but voters don’t typically take kindly to someone who moves there shortly before announcing a run, or contenders who primarily spend all their time in D.C. It became a sticking point for Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz last cycle, when opponents lambasted the celebrity doctor for not actually living in Pennsylvania. Some say it cost him the race, though that’s up for debate. This cycle comes with a slew of new candidates with somewhat questionable ties to the states where they are either running or likely to run for Senate. Republicans: David McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO weighing a 2024 Senate bid in Pennsylvania, has a residence in Connecticut where he spends a lot of his time, according to the Associated Press. He’s likely to run as a Republican candidate for Sen. Bob Casey’s seat, who is up for reelection in 2024. Mike Rogers, a former congressman from Michigan, left the state for Florida after retiring from the House in 2015. Most recently, he told PBS in 2023 that he voted in Florida in the 2022 midterms because he had some “business opportunities” in the state. He’s looking to run in the Republican primary for Michigan's open Senate seat left by retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.   John Tuttle, the Vice Chair of the New York Stock Exchange, has a summer home in Michigan, but spends most of his time out of the state. He’s also looking to run in the Republican primary for the state’s open seat.  Sam Brown, who is running in the Republican primary for the Nevada Senate seat held by incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen, used to live in Texas and moved to Nevada in 2018 to run for office. Jeffrey Gunter, who is running for Senate in Nevada, was registered as a Democrat in California, POLITICO reported this month. He is considering a run in the Republican primary for the Nevada Senate seat held by Rosen. Matt Rosendale, who is considering a Senate run in Montana, is a native of Maryland. He currently serves as a House member for Montana and is looking to run in the Republican primary for the Senate seat held by Democratic incumbent Jon Tester.  Democrats: Lucas Kunce, a Marine veteran, lived in D.C. until he started running for office in 2022. He is originally from Missouri and is running as a Democrat against incumbent GOP Sen. Josh Hawley.  Hill Harper, who is challenging Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) for the Senate in the Michigan Democratic primary, appears to have ties to the West Coast, where he works as an actor, instead of Michigan.  Did we miss anyone? Let us know in email if there are any other candidates running for election in 2024 whose residency is in question. — Daniella Diaz GOP TO REVIVE DEBATE OVER COMMITTEE LIMITS? When a group of House Republicans convenes to fill Rep. Chris Stewart’s Appropriations seat, they could also revive a months-long dormant discussion: Changing the conference rules limiting how long a member can hold the party’s top spot on a committee. Members of the Republican Steering Committee—tasked with assigning most of the conference’s committee slots—warned late last year that they could ultimately enact a rules change in the wake of debating whether or not to give Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) a waiver to run for the education and labor gavel. (The group did end up granting Foxx the waiver, and she now wields the committee gavel, but there were concerns at the time that Republicans might be inadvertently setting a precedent.) The issue then fell out of the spotlight once Republicans took the majority and grappled with governing with thinner than expected margins. But one member of the Steering Committee told us that the group re-convening to decide Stewart’s replacement could be a forum for resuscitating the discussion about a potential rules change. Why it matters: Currently, Republican members are limited from serving more than three consecutive terms as ranker or chair of a committee. And the conference is facing the reality that (absent retirements) they will have several current committee chairs hitting that limit at the end of this Congress and potentially asking for a waiver. — Jordain Carney HUDDLE HOTDISH Flashback: This sounded very familiar last night at the GOP debate when we heard it too. QUICK LINKS  House Judiciary Committee expected to launch inquiry into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, from Annie Grayer and Melanie Zanona Who won, who lost and who fizzled in the first Republican debate, from POLITICO staff TRANSITIONS  Avery Blank is now counsel for the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee supporting Chair Gary Peters (D-Mich.). Abigail Hills is now press secretary for Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.). She most recently was a staff assistant for Luna. Justin Discigil is now senior political director with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia PAC, focusing on comms and digital ahead of the state legislative elections. He previously was chief of staff for Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas). Taron Henton is now a confidential assistant in the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. He most recently was the State Farm communications intern for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo). Stephen Simonetti has been promoted to be deputy chief of staff for Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.). He most recently was senior adviser for Tenney. Megan Grosspietsch is now deputy director of scheduling at EPA. She most recently was a director of scheduling for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO APP: Stay in the know with the POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. 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. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS – DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL Quiet. TRIVIA WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: Joe Bookman correctly answered that the last (and only time) that both major party presidential nominees were incumbent members of Congress was in 2008 with then-Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. TODAY’S QUESTION from Joe: Who was the youngest person to serve in the House? At what age did they serve? Bonus: They took the seat of what future President? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to huddletrivia@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela.   Follow us

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