| | | | |  | | By Sarah Ferris | Presented by Chevron | With help from Nicholas Wu THE DUES DELINQUENTS — House Democrats' most vulnerable members are leaving no campaign coffer unturned in their frantic quest to match GOP super PAC dollars in the final pre-election stretch. Their guilt trips haven't always been subtle: The group of so-called "frontliner" members, comprised of roughly two dozen at-risk Dem incumbents, has coordinated via a giant group text as they pass along an Excel doc with each members' current dues status (more on that later). In the words of one frontliner who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly: "Everyone's on the warpath now to get people to pay their damn dues." It's working. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) — who is running to co-lead the Democrats' messaging arm next cycle but doesn't typically give to DCCC — recently made a $200K contribution to pay his dues in full. This came directly after some frontliners, including Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa), informed Phillips they couldn't support his leadership bid if he hadn't paid up, according to people familiar with the conversations. Phillips flipped a red seat in 2018 that has since turned more blue. Status update: Sixty-eight House Democrats had paid less than 50 percent of their DCCC dues through mid-October, according to an internal dues-tracking spreadsheet obtained by POLITICO. Contributions have increased since that tracker was last updated on Oct. 14 though, as party leaders and frontliners hounded their fellow Dems. Among those to reach their full dues goal in recent days: Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.). Among the delinquent: Many are retiring, such as Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Jim Langevin (D-R.I.). All members of the progressive "squad," including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), were at 0 percent paid. (Important note: This doesn't necessarily mean these members are not chipping in toward Dems' long-shot battle to hold the House — it just means they're not doing it directly through DCCC.) The campaign arm also distributed its own dues report on Monday, though it tracks dues only through September. Also worth noting: Not all Dems agree with the intense pre-election focus on member dues, insisting that the far bigger issue this cycle is the environment. If the House does flip, they say, individual members' checks, or lack thereof, aren't to blame. Still others argue that every dollar counts in a cycle when operatives close to the DCCC have told us they could keep the House with an extra $20 million.
| | | | A message from Chevron: The fuels of the future can come from unexpected places. Find out how Chevron is working with partners to convert the methane from cow waste into renewable natural gas. Learn more. | | | GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, October 24, where your fill-in Huddle host is wondering ( along with Slate ) why khachapuri belongs in the New York Times' election day recipes. 'BAD TIMING' ... PROGRESSIVES' WHIPLASH MOMENT — A big contingent of House progressives gave President Joe Biden his first real pushback on his Ukraine strategy on Monday. Then came the retreat. Within hours, the Congressional Progressive Caucus was out with a clarifying statement declaring that there was no daylight among Dems on the issue. "Let me be clear: we are united as Democrats in our unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for their democracy and freedom," they wrote. Fellow Dems were not pleased: At least one, Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) called on progressives to "immediately retract" the letter. Wild told POLITICO: " I am disappointed that some 30 members of the Dem caucus do not realize how enabling their words have been to Putin." Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter: "This letter is an olive branch to a war criminal who's losing his war." Another moderate Dem put it to us this way: "Bad policy instincts and bad political instincts." Eyes emoji: Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), a top House progressive, said the letter was written in July and he had "no idea" why it went out, calling it "bad timing." Unpacking it: The House liberals were calling on Biden to open up formal diplomatic talks with Russia to "incentivize" an end to Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, citing the increasing risk of all-out nuclear war, as first reported by WaPo . The problem? Ukrainians don't want a settlement, which would likely require them to give up territory to Russia. (Notably, Donald Trump has made a similar argument to the progressives, as our Andrew Desiderio notes.) In their follow-up statement, progressives stress they are open to a range of options: "Diplomacy is an important tool that can save lives — but it is just one tool." Related: Top House Intelligence Republican says GOP might put up a fight on Ukraine funding .
| | | | 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 . | | | | | THE BIG NIGHT IS HERE.. OZ VS FETTERMAN — It's the first, and probably only, televised debate between Pennsylvania's Senate contenders, Mehmet Oz and John Fetterman. The two will spar for one hour on the big stage, marking a pretty high stakes moment for Dems in what they see as a must-win race. But Fetterman's team has been doing some expectation setting amid his stroke recovery. "We've been preparing, and it's certainly going to be a challenge, without a doubt," Fetterman told the Philly Inquirer . Here's how the paper describes his challenge: "Fetterman, who has recovered well physically from his stroke, according to doctors, still struggles to understand some spoken words and occasionally retrieve words when speaking." Related: " Democrats deploy Biden and Obama to lock down Pennsylvania " via Axios. MORE CAMPAIGN $$ NEWS.... DCCC REINFORCEMENT ARRIVES — Dem text threads lit up on Monday with news of their campaign chief, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, getting a much-needed $600K cash infusion from the party group. Allies of Maloney, who holds a swing district, still believe he can hold the seat, but he's needed outside help to dig out from a giant GOP cash gap. More Dem cash is likely on its way. Noteworthy: With other at-risk Democrats sensitive to the party's money woes, DCCC officials personally informed many frontliners before the Maloney buy went public. More from Ally Mutnick & your Huddle host. Related: " DCCC appears to be bailing on Malinowski " via New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein. CRIME WAVE ON THE AIR WAVES — The GOP is warning of rising murder rates and fentanyl. Democrats are accusing their rivals of trying to imprison women who seek abortions. Both parties are zeroing in on crime in the final two weeks of the election — a two-front battle designed to rattle independents and suburban women in swing districts. There's another theme, too : GOP attacks over progressives' now-muted call to "defund the police." (And it's getting plenty of attention, with the House GOP's main super PAC running $12.1 million in ads on crime/policing issues alone since July, according to AdImpact.) Dems dismiss the GOP ads on violent crime, as well as "defund," as scare tactics. "It's cynical, because the people producing those ads know it isn't true. They also know that fear works," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who's been running ads promoting his policing bona fides. But GOP candidates say Dems aren't realizing the anxiety at home. "Whether it be killings, violent crimes — they've all increased. Our leaders are well aware of it. You can see it with your own eyes," said Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a GOP candidate and former mayor who's the brink of flipping a blue seat in the Portland, Oregon, suburbs. More from your Huddle host.
| | | | A message from Chevron:   | | | GRAHAM SHIELDED FROM SUBPOENA — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas temporarily halted a subpoena from a Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury seeking Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) testimony in its investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the Peach State. But this doesn't mean it's the end of the line for the grand jury's attempts to get Graham's testimony. As our colleague Kyle Cheney points out, it's not all that unusual for the Supreme Court to have halted the subpoena while reviewing Graham's appeal . PALIN'S 'PERSONAL GRUDGE' — Sarah Palin has already declared she'll support Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) over Nick Begich, her fellow GOP rival, as the three of them again vie for that House seat on Nov. 8. And it's a personal grudge that could cost Republicans the seat, per this Sam Brodey dispatch from Anchorage. (Did someone say "Murkowski-Palin-Peltola political love triangle"??? Oh yes, there's a pic. ) BTW, it's not just Palin who's not on Team Begich. Twitter thread from ex-Rep. Don Young comms. FAREWELL TO THE FRINGE: Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) denounced Geoff Young, his party's nominee against Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) as a "clown" after Young called Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin "2 of the best leaders in the world today." Young, who has a history of making controversial statements, stands little chance of winning the safe Republican seat, and the Kentucky Democratic Party and Gov. Andy Beshear have said they won't support him.
| | | FUNG'S DEM "ENDORSEMENTS": Supporters of the Rhode Island GOP's prized candidate Allan Fung have sent mailers touting some unlikely Democratic "endorsements" — including a quote from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). And yes, one of those quotes is from a story by your Huddle host. Click for pic . TURNING OVER: The cubicles for defeated or retiring House lawmakers to use in the lame duck session have been set up, per a tipster who sent us a picture . Lawmakers who aren't coming back next year will have to clear out their offices after Election Day, and they'll be in a limbo of sorts: they still have to vote on bills, but they'll be operating with skeleton resources and staff.
| | | | LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today . | | | | | TRANSITIONS Joel Herberman has been promoted to be legislative correspondent for Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.). He most recently was a staff assistant for Langevin. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House holds a pro forma session at 11 a.m. The Senate is out. AROUND THE HILL Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds a photo-op with Israeli President Isaac Herzog ahead of a bilateral meeting.
| | | MONDAY'S WINNER: Peter Roff correctly answered that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Emily Dickinson were both famous 19th century poets whose fathers were members of the House. TODAY'S QUESTION, from our Ally Mutnick: What are the five universities that produced both a president and a Super Bowl winning quarterback? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Please send your answers to Andrew Desiderio at adesiderio@politico.com. He will be your fill-in Huddle Host tomorrow. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning. Follow Sarah on Twitter @sarahnferris
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