| | | | |  | | By Nicholas Wu | Presented by Chevron | TOSSING UP: We're at the election point equivalent of the infamous ??? on the House schedule. We've got chaos, late evenings and worst-case-scenario type thinking. The race to flip the 50-50 Senate is tightening, with plenty of October surprises, while House Republicans are getting more ambitious and eyeing even bluer districts. Take Georgia, for example, where the surprises keep coming. Another woman stepped forward Wednesday to accuse Republican nominee Herschel Walker of paying for and urging her to have an abortion, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported . Walker denies the claim. Both parties are still assessing the fallout in Pennsylvania, where Democrat John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke more than five months ago, struggled at times during Tuesday night's debate. "Doing that debate wasn't exactly easy," Fetterman said Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh. It's sparking private concerns among Democrats about his decision to debate Republican Mehmet Oz, let alone stay in the race in the immediate aftermath of his stroke, Burgess and Holly report . What's more, former President Donald Trump announced he would hold a Pennsylvania rally on Nov. 5, just days before the election. Fetterman's campaign isn't publicly sweating the pressure, and said it raised over $2 million in the day after the debate. Neither is Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the chair of Senate Democrats' campaign arm. "He's recovering from a stroke and that takes time to recover, but I think the important thing was what he said, it's not how he said it," Peters said. "I have no question that John Fetterman, when he wins, will also be an outstanding senator." Related: Rep. Guy Reschenthaler cautions Republicans against focusing on Fetterman's health by the Washington Examiner's Juliegrace Brufke Let's not forget the chair of House Democrats' campaign arm either: It first looked like something of a troll when Republicans said they would contest Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney's seat in the Hudson Valley, but now they're confident they can win it. Outside groups are coming to Maloney's rescue, and Democrats are funneling more money into the race. But trying to save their own campaign chief is far from where Democrats want to be in the final days of the campaign. As Anna Gronewold, Ally Mutnick and Sarah report , it's the latest instance of a serious GOP surge in bluish districts around the country. Even candidates in relatively safe House seats like Summer Lee, the Democratic nominee in a Pittsburgh-area district, are being forced to heavily invest in TV ads (though she's squaring off against a Republican with the same name as the retiring Democratic lawmaker in the district, which has led to some confusion among voters). As my colleagues report this morning, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) is getting spooked too and is asking her fellow California Dems for help. Her district went for Biden for 20 points, but a recent internal poll showed her up by only 1 point. The allocation of Democratic donor dollars has become an increasingly sensitive topic in recent weeks as party leaders are forced to make tough choices on where and how to spend limited resources. "We need to be clear about where we have opportunities," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) told your fill-in Huddle host in a recent interview. She's pushing for the party to spend more to back Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Washington's 3rd congressional district. "I don't envy the DCCC or anybody who's trying to make these decisions about where to focus limited resources, but I want to make sure that races where we have a real shot at winning — that we don't let that go." | | | | 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 Thursday, October 27, where I am Nick Wu, filling in for our intrepid host KTM. This morning I'm wondering about emailing my parents like Democrats email people.
MENENDEZ INVESTIGATION: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) is under federal investigation again, Semafor's Kadia Goba scooped . Menendez adviser Michael Soliman later confirmed the investigation to our Matt Friedman : "Senator Menendez is aware of an investigation that was reported on today. However, he does not know the scope of the investigation." This latest investigation comes five years after Menendez beat federal corruption charges as part of an investigation into political favors for his friend, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen. Menendez had argued everything he did was out of friendship, not part of a quid pro quo. CHC SPAT: Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) tried to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and was denied, she tweeted Thursday, accusing the group of "bias." It's somewhat of a perennial issue for the Hispanic Caucus and other affinity-based groups on the Hill. Although their bylaws prohibit Republican members from joining the voting bloc, and Republicans have their own group, the Congressional Hispanic Conference, it hasn't stopped individual members from trying to join the Hispanic Caucus anyway. The group similarly rejected Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) in 2017, and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said last year he was blocked from joining the Black Caucus, which doesn't explicitly prohibit Republicans from joining, though its members (who are all Democrats right now) express the importance of shared values. CHC's response: "In 2003, led by Rep. Diaz Balart, GOP Members split from the CHC to form the Congressional Hispanic Conference," said caucus spokesperson Sebastian Roa. "Per our bylaws, the CHC is now for Democratic Members. Rep. Flores' Extreme MAGA values and their attacks on Latinos and our nation's democracy on January 6 do not align with CHC values."' | | | | 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 . | | | | |
RATING THE RACES: With days left until the midterms, we're shifting some race ratings in the POLITICO Election Forecast, Steve Shepard writes . Arizona's Senate race between incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly and Republican Blake Masters moves to "Toss Up" from "Lean Democratic." Pennsylvania's gubernatorial race between Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano moves from "Lean Democratic" to "Likely Democratic" as Mastriano falls behind. Our forecast also moved three House seats – two in California and one in Oregon – towards Republicans as the GOP shows continued momentum in the battle for the House.
Related: Rep. Jahana Hayes, GOP rival neck and neck in Connecticut House race: poll by the Hill's Caroline Vakil His August victory gave Democrats hope. Now this congressman needs to win again By our Joseph Spector LEGAL CORNER: Trump's attorneys formally received the Jan. 6 committee's subpoena, Kyle and Erin scooped . Trump hasn't given any public indication whether he'll challenge the subpoena in court. Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan temporarily blocked the select panel's subpoena for Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward's phone records while the full court considers the matter. Investigators want to examine her contacts in the weeks leading up to the attack on the Capitol and see Ward as an integral part of Trump's efforts to assemble alternate slates of electors. Related: Jan 6 rioter gets probation not prison after judge finds autism played a role by Kyle EYES EMOJI: A top Capitol Police intelligence official, Julie Farnam, called out former USCP chief Stephen Sund as he promoted his forthcoming book on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol: "I will call @ChiefSund out every chance I get. He's not going to paint himself as a hero. I know the truth and I will scream it," she said . Sund, who resigned after the attack, has said intelligence failures were partly to blame. Farnam, who's now the #2 intelligence official, has said the issue was not the lack of intelligence but the lack of action on the intelligence. MCCARTHY CLEAN-UP: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told top Republican lawmakers his remarks about Ukraine not getting a "blank check" in a future Congress were taken out of context, CNN's Kylie Atwood, Jeremy Herb, Katie Bo Lillis and Melanie Zanona reported . The outlet quotes a GOP lawmaker familiar with McCarthy's thinking as saying the leader meant his comments to say "we're gonna be accountable to the taxpayer for every dollar we spend," rather than saying they would not spend money on Ukraine. The dustup over McCarthy's comments could indicate some potential speed bumps for future rounds of funding for Ukraine, especially as some within the House GOP express concern about sending more aid. | | | | A message from Chevron:   | | |
TIME TO DEBATE: We're in the closing days of campaign season, which means it's debate time. In the swing New York's 22nd Congressional District (where Biden won by 7.6 points), Democrat Francis Conole and Republican Brandon Williams sparred in a debate hosted by syracuse.com. It looks like it got pretty heated. Conole's opening statement attacked Williams for living outside the district and for his positions on abortion; Williams, in turn said his positions had been misrepresented and even called Conole "incredibly rude" during the debate, syracuse.com's Mark Weiner reported.
Speaking of debates: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) turned down a nationally televised debate hosted by Fox News with independent Evan McMullin, the Salt Lake Tribune's Bryan Schott reports. McMullin had accepted the invitation. A spokesperson for Lee's campaign told the Salt Lake Tribune the pitch from Fox News Host Bret Baier had involved either a joint appearance with McMullin or one-on-one interviews, and that they'd only agree to a separate interview. McMullin's campaign showed the outlet an email suggesting a "debate or town hall," with no mention of one-on-one interviews. IS FLORIDA STILL A SWING STATE? That's what our Matt Dixon and Gary Fineout are asking this morning . Florida Democrats are bracing for a bad election night, they report, with key races slipping away from them and national organizations and donors all but abandoning their candidates. Steve Schale, a veteran Democratic strategist who still runs a super PAC that supports Biden, was blunt: "I don't see how we get to 50 percent" of the vote tally by the end of election night. Related: Trump to hold rally in Florida with Rubio — but not DeSantis by our Matt Dixon and Gary Fineout | | | | 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 . | | | | |
QUICK LINKS:
Why MAGA Worshiper Blake Masters Has Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly on the Run by the Daily Beast's Sam Brodey Blake Masters, GOP Senate challenger, getting late boost from $3.7 million Super PAC ad buy by the Arizona Republic's Alison Steinbach Inside the Dem's elaborate attempt to woo TikTok influencers by the Washington Post's Taylor Lorenz Fetterman's debate performance reveals a divide about disability by the Washington Post's Amanda Morris | | |
Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) welcomed a granddaughter
The Capitol Christmas Tree's chariot is ready Evan McMullin likes McMuffins Sen. Mitt Romney's Deer Valley ski lodge is for sale , listed for $11.5 million TRANSITIONS Rachel Harvey is now the Progressive Policy Institute's congressional policy fellow, supporting the office of the New Democrat Coalition. Rachel was previously a legislative assistant for Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.). Maria Comella has started the strategic comms and issue advocacy firm Comella & Co. She most recently was head of public affairs and brand at CLEAR, and has served in senior leadership roles for Govs. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) and Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) and on multiple presidential campaigns. Robert Smith is joining Platinum Advisors' government relations team. He previously was a managing director at Mercury Public Affairs and is a Joel Hefley, Wes Watkins and RNC alum. TODAY IN CONGRESS The House is out. The Senate convenes at noon for a pro forma session. AROUND THE HILL There's a Brew Competition for Hill staff on Dec. 7 hosted by the American Homebrewers Association. Registration closes on Nov. 4. | | |
MONDAY'S WINNER: Vicki DeLeo correctly answered that Vermont is the only U.S. state that has never elected or appointed a woman to Congress.
TODAY'S QUESTION, from your fill-in Huddle host: What are the four spices in Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Please send your answers to nwu@politico.com. GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning Follow Nicholas on Twitter @nicholaswu12 | | | | A message from Chevron: Energy demand is growing. Meeting that demand calls for innovation. That's why at Chevron, we're working with partners to convert the methane from cow waste into renewable natural gas. Through our partnerships, we expect to increase our RNG production 10x by 2025. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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