Georgia’s Senate stunner and a big day for Congress

Presented by SoftBank Group: A play-by-play preview of the day's congressional news

Jan 06, 2021 View in browser   By Olivia Beavers Presented by SoftBank Group There's nothing quite like a terrorist threat on top of a deadly pandemic, sprinkled with violent D.C. protests, with a side of a loyal group of President Donald Trump's congressional supporters trying to upend the 2020 election results. Oh, and let's not forget the other main course: We may soon know who will have the Senate majority. Welcome to one crazy humpday. First the Senate stunner in Georgia… SENATE ON THE VERGE: In a major shakeup, Democrats found themselves on the cusp of taking back the Senate majority early Wednesday morning after years of GOP control -- an outcome that, if successful, will defy many expectations and alter their party's political trajectory for the next several years. At the wee hours of the morning, the Associated Press called the race for Rev. Raphael Warnock, a pastor who has led a church in Atlanta, saying he defeated incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) who is still claiming she has a path to victory. His win makes history: Warnock will be Georgia's first Black senator. THE OTHER RACE … also looks sunny with a chance of showers for Democrats with Jon Ossoff (D) leading with the slightest edge over Sen. David Perdue (R) -- as of Wednesday morning. Ossoff took an early victory lap during a Wednesday morning Twitter livestream at 8 a.m. with an accompanying comment that simply reads: "Thank you, Georgia." And in the video, he also said: "Thank you for the confidence and trust you have placed in me." With 98 percent reported, Ossoff had 51.2 percent of the vote compared to Perdue's 49.81 percent -- roughly a 16,300 vote difference. Under Georgia law, the losing candidate may request a recount if their lead is half a percentage point or less. If Ossoff is able to hold onto his current lead, then he will be the next Georgia senator. If not, Perdue is making clear that he will fight and likely go through the recount process. Perdue's 2 a.m. statement: https://bit.ly/3nlRwC1 IFS AND BUTS: If Ossoff wins, Democrats will be able to flip the Senate to their control with 50 seats and soon-to-be Vice President Kamala Harris as their key tie-breaking vote. But even though that is a bare majority -- a very emaciated majority -- it'll mean Dems have the majority alright. And the timing could not be better for a party that is about to take back the White House. Such a feat will also be game changers for key Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who would control the Senate and what legislation reaches the floor. Schumer has long been working toward this powershift, through recruiting Democrats in various races, drafting Democrats' messaging strategy, and of course, fundraising. While Schumer will certainly face obstacles as Democrats try to pass major legislation in Biden's administration, Democrats recognize that a majority, no matter how slim, will give them power to push their agenda, including passing bigger Covid relief measures like $2,000 stimulus checks and confirming key nominations for Biden's administration. The flip would also create more bust-out opportunities for Democrats who have long lacked the upper hand, while committee leaders can set their own agenda. If Ossoff does not pull ahead above the half a percentage point threshold, or the recount does not go in his favor, then Republicans will cling to power in the Senate. James Arkin and Andrew with the dispatch: http://politi.co/38gEDF6 EITHER WAY, THE STATE OF PLAY: This Senate setup will mean each individual senator has more power because each vote will be crucial -- no room for error for either party. Any one senator could deliver the fatal blow in deciding the fate of key pieces of legislation or important nominations. Though there is likely error to be had. As my colleague Andrew noted, some Democrats don't vote with their party all the time: https://bit.ly/3pX4GXF TRUMP ON THE TICKET: Loeffler's defeat -- and Perdue's possible loss -- will inevitably be tied to Trump. As Tim Alberta, POLITICO's chief political correspondent, noted last night: "Look for dueling GOP autopsies" if Democrats sweep Georgia: One where the GOP establishment says it is a sign they must rid themselves of Trumpism, and another where the MAGA believers say only Trump can lead GOP to victory. https://bit.ly/3hSYflN A message from SoftBank Group: Entrepreneurs of color are vastly underrepresented in the tech industry. That's why SoftBank Group launched a new $100 million venture fund dedicated to supporting and building a community of outstanding Black, Latinx and Native American entrepreneurs. Learn more at https://theopportunityfund.com/.   Now the big congressional action... THE ELECTION OBJECTION: Washington is on edge as Democrats and establishment Republicans confront a group of Trump loyalists who are seeking to challenge the electoral votes that will certify Joe Biden as the next U.S. president. The anti-certification campaign , spearheaded by Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley in the Senate and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) in the House, is all but guaranteed to fail, but such efforts have party leaders worrying that the nation's democratic values will not only be undermined, but that there will be a new precedent of partisan election objections in a nation increasingly divided. The battle goes beyond Democrats and Republicans. In a rare display of absolute disunity, a large group of Senate Republicans are pitting themselves against their 13 GOP colleagues who are supporting the election objections. "Voting to object to the electoral process without a constitutional basis to do so may be expedient and lead to short-term political benefits for some, but would risk undermining our democracy – which is built upon the rule of law and separation of powers," said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), who announced his decision Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D) went further: "They have cavalierly supported by their silence or by their active participation [in] the president's false claim – his, in many ways, seditious claim – that the vote was not fair." As my colleagues report: "President Donald Trump's last-ditch effort to overturn the election is already doomed." And Mike Pence appears to be breaking with Trump in what will be one of his final acts as Vice President and simply follow today's procedures (more on that a bit further down) -- though Trump has denied that he will be crossed. Kyle, Melanie, Gabby Orr, and Sarah with the story: http://politi.co/2L6YzkX HERE IS HOW TODAY IS GOING TO DO DOWN...TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK: The GOP certification challenge is expected to suck up all of the oxygen in the Capitol today (and maybe even tomorrow), so your Huddle host wants to give you a sense of the schedule. -At 1 p.m., we are LIVE. The House and the Senate will convene for a joint session to certify the electoral votes for Biden. The Senate will enter the House chamber, followed by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Senate Mike Pompeo. -At roughly 1:05 p.m., Pence will call the joint session to order and then he will hand the certificate of Alabama to the first teller, which the teller will then read and then pass it over to the Clerk to the Parliamentarian. Boom, that's done. -Pence will continue going down the list of states alphabetically. -OBJECTION! At roughly 1:10 p.m. , the election certification process is expected to have its first set of objectors challenge the electoral votes of Arizona with Cruz as the Senate objector. -Here is how this will go down: If an objection is made by a House Republican and a senator has signed onto the objection in writing, then the Senate will withdraw from the joint session. If no senator has signed on, then the state count continues. -Both chambers will separately deliberate for two hours on the matter. -In the House, at roughly 1:15 p.m., members who want to speak for or against the objection will alternate, each getting five minutes to make their statements. -Across the Capitol, the Senate following roughly the same timeline, will also open up its chamber for speeches. -Mitch's Moment: McConnell will be the first to speak. While he's long warned his members against forcing this vote, this speech will be the first time the Senate leader speaks publicly as to why objections are a bad idea. The Senate version of a SMACKDOWN. It will be a big moment for him. As one Senate source told me: This will be a speech worth watching. -At roughly 3:30 p.m., the time for the debate will expire and a vote will be had. Since Democrats and many House Republicans are opposed to this -- the efforts to challenge the election certification are expected to fail as in going down, yelling TIMBER. -The Senate will separately vote on the objections, and then two chambers will inform one another about the results of the vote. Then the two chambers will return to a joint session. -At this point, the timing could be roughly 4:30 p.m. when the next state, Arkansas, is called. So one round of objections could take roughly three, even four hours. -Then, the process will repeat for each objection. -Lastly, at some undesirable hour, Pence will receive a tally of the count, which he will read and then announce the next president and vice president. MCCONNELL'S FORTUNE COOKIE: "Mitch McConnell enters a more challenging era likely to include more GOP infighting" by the Post's Mike DeBonis and Seung Min Kim: http://wapo.st/38hL62H THE SENATE GOP WHIP COUNT: -The 13 senators are planning to contest the election certification: Sens. Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, Steve Daines, Ron Johnson, John Kennedy, James Lankford, Bill Hagerty, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Tommy Tuberville, and Kelly Loeffler -The 14 Republican senators to watch, who have not said publicly what they will do: Sens. Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, Dan Sullivan, Joni Ernst, Chuck Grassley, Rick Scott, Jim Risch, Mike Crapo, Todd Young, Rand Paul, Cindy Hyde Smith, Deb Fischer, Thom Tillis, John Barrasso -The 24 GOP senators who will vote to certify Biden's election win: Sens. Mitch McConnell, John Thune, John Cornyn, Richard Burr, Richard Shelby, Susan Collins, Roy Blunt, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Shelley Moore Capito, Tom Cotton, Ben Sasse, Bill Cassidy, Roger Wicker, Mike Rounds, Kevin Cramer, John Hoeven, Mike Lee, Jim Inhofe, Tim Scott, Jerry Moran, John Boozman -An estimated 140 House Republicans -- if not more -- are expected to participate in the anti-certification effort Related Read: Senate GOP opposition grows to Electoral College challenge by Burgess and Marianne (and h/t to these two for sharing their Senate whip count): http://politi.co/2Mx6wA9 | Majority of Kansas, Missouri congressional delegations will object to Biden's victory by Kansas City Star's Bryan Lowry: http://bit.ly/2Xfppd8   KEEP UP WITH THE PEOPLE AND POLITICS DRIVING GLOBAL HEALTH IN 2021: The pandemic revealed just how critical it is to keep up with the politics, policy and people driving global health. The Covid-19 vaccine is here — now what? What will the distribution look like globally? Our Global Pulse newsletter connects leaders, policymakers and advocates to the politics impacting our global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today.     GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Jan. 6, where there's a new mysterious friend we all want to meet. TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The AP's report on how many more in the GOP are rejecting Trump's bid to undo his defeat was the big winner. VAXX TRACK: ATTENTION HUDDLERS: Your Huddle host is going to start tracking vaccinations on Capitol Hill and I am relying on YOU to help. How is your office deciding who gets a vaccine and who does not? Lottery? Seniority? Vulnerability? Does the lawmaker of that office decide or is it a chief? Are you happy with how the decision to divvy the vaccines were made? Yes? No? Let me know → Obeavers@politico.com   A message from SoftBank Group:   THE NAMER OF NAMES: H/t to Zack Roday, who really named names...giving your Huddle host a list of local reporters to track. Keep 'em coming. CONGRESS' COVID TEST IN DOUBT: Lawmakers and staff at the Capitol have had access to Curative's Covid test since at least November, but now the FDA says is prone to false results, which further scrambles the task of trying to contain the virus and prevent outbreaks on Capitol Hill. More from POLITICO's David Lim and Sarah: https://t.co/f9tRjH3Y9u?amp=1 COVID CAPITOL: Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, is the latest member to test positive for Covid. His diagnosis announcement comes after fellow Texas member Kay Granger announced Monday that she tested Covid positive. Brady says he has had one dose of the Pfizer vaccination and begins treatment tomorrow. https://bit.ly/3ohXp4A GOP SAYS NO MORE, GWEN MOORE: House Republicans are furious that Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), who tested Covid positive, attended the Sunday speaker vote without a negative test to clear her as a health risk. Moore, who announced last week that she had contracted the virus, pushed back days later in a statement that aimed to reassure her colleagues that she has "complied with all doctor and CDC guidelines following my COVID-19 diagnosis and isolation." She argued that her Covid test was on Dec. 23 and she is now "COVID-recovered and safe to work." BUT that's done little to assuage Republicans. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) even went so far as to raise the idea of Republicans offering a motion to vacate the chair of Pelosi over Moore's participation in the speaker vote. The Hill's Juliegrace Brufke has the story: http://bit.ly/3nkH91j BUCK-ING BENNET?: "Republican Congressman Ken Buck is mulling challenging Bennet in Colorado in '22 after fielding a call from Rick Scott, per a person familiar" from NYT's Catie Edmonson: https://bit.ly/3okOS0u CAPTION THIS: https://bit.ly/392MzJ7 MEANWHILE, Dems are circulating a censure resolution after Rep. Louie Gohmert, a man with little-to-no filter over what he says (I.E. this 2018 throwback), after the Texas Republican suggested that a court decision not to force VP Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election served as a call to action for Americans to incite violence in the streets. The Miami Herald's Alex Daughtery with more: http://hrld.us/2XgF4ZQ   STILL NOT TRAVELING? NO PROBLEM. KEEP UP WITH THE WORLD FROM HOME: Our Global Translations newsletter, presented by Bank of America, layers international news, trends and decisions with contextual analysis from the world's sharpest minds. At a time when traveling is a challenge, we bring you information from around the world. For news, insight and a unique perspective that you cannot find anywhere else, SUBSCRIBE TODAY.     TRANSITIONS Kyle Parker has been promoted to COS for Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC). He most recently was Butterfield's legislative director. Alex Nolley is now state press secretary for Sen. Thom Tillis, after previously serving as press secretary for Tillis' 2020 re-election campaign. Madeline Daly is now the LD for Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), after previously serving as senior policy advisor for Hayes. She's been with Hayes since day one (Jan 2019) — first as an LA and most recently as a senior policy advisor. She's also a Blumenthal alum. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House meets at 12 noon on Wednesday for legislative business. At 1 p.m., the Senate will meet in a joint session with the House to count electoral ballots of the 2020 presidential election. The Senate adjourns at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. At 1 p.m., the House will convene for the Joint Session of Congress to count the electoral ballots for the President and Vice-President of the United States. AROUND THE HILL Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) and Michigan's Democratic Congressional Delegation will hold a virtual Zoom press conference at 11 a.m. ET to discuss expected attempts by Republicans to object to the state's Electoral College certification. Reps. Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, Elissa Slotkin, Andy Levin, Haley Stevens and Rashida Tlaib will be joining Lawrence. The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold a full committee closed briefing on "Intelligence Matters" at 10 a.m. TRIVIA TUESDAY'S WINNER: Mitch Davis was the first person to guess that there have been 15 secretaries of Energy since the position was first created and that Ernest Moniz was the only head of this cabinet position to be from Fall River, Massachusetts. TODAY'S QUESTION : From Mitch: Which speaker of the House, who is the longest serving speaker, was a key mentor to Lyndon Johnson and whose hideaway office then-VP Harry Truman found when Truman learned of FDR's passing? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to obeavers@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. A message from SoftBank Group: Entrepreneurs of color are vastly underrepresented in the tech industry. That's why SoftBank Group launched a new $100 million venture fund for outstanding Black, Latinx and Native American entrepreneurs that use technology to reimagine traditional business models and create new ones. We are committed to demonstrating there is no tradeoff between diversity and excellence. Learn more at https://theopportunityfund.com/.     Follow us

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