| | | | |  | | By Katherine Tully-McManus | | 
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) arrives for a press conference after a Senate Democratic Caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 28, 2022. (Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO) | NOT THIS AGAIN… — Democrats are touting the wins they racked up, even with the narrowest of majorities in the Senate. But no one really wants to endure another 50-50 Senate. And yet with so many battleground races sitting neck-and-neck, POLITICO currently rates control of the chamber a toss-up and the chance of another evenly divided upper chamber is very possible. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) may have said it best in a chat with Marianne last week: "Lord … obviously we would prefer it to having less. But we'll feel like it's the myth of Sisyphus or something," he said, referring to the Greek mythological tale of a man doomed to push the same stone around. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Kaine added, will feel like "I've been trying to roll a boulder up the hill, and it's rolled back on top of me." Schumer won't be squashed yet, though. In a statement to POLITICO, the majority leader said: "This 50/50 Senate was one of the most productive the Senate has ever seen, so if that's the case again next Congress we'll aspire for the same." Under pressure: The 50-50 split has heightened the pressure on Democrats, who have no margin for error and no room for natural political disagreement within their caucus. Another 50-50 Senate would sink progressive dreams of killing the filibuster and the more broadly held goal of codifying the abortion protections from Roe v. Wade. But the tallest order might simply be governing if Republicans win the House. Schumer and House Minority Leader (and speaker-hopeful) Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) don't exactly have a robust working relationship. And many of the bipartisan accomplishments this Senate has delivered, haven't had the backing of the House GOP. "It's going to be a struggle," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said of a potentially divided congress. He's hoping "it doesn't result in gridlock." Marianne and Holly Otterbein dig into the races that could decide the Senate's margins and what a second round of an evenly split Senate could look like . GOP LOOKING FOR A COMEBACK IN COLORADO — Next week, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Republican challenger Joe O'Dea face off in two debates, in a sleeper race where Republicans are eyeing a tough-but-possible pickup opportunity. "To pull off a victory in Colorado, Republicans will not only have to turn out their waning base, but win over unaffiliated voters who have heavily favored Democrats in the years since former President Donald Trump took office. And even though O'Dea has maintained that the 2020 election was legitimate, he's working to prevent Democrats from linking him to the GOP's more extreme wing," writes Natalie Allison . | | | | 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 Monday, October 17, where we're exhausted already at the prospect of another 50-50 Senate. WARNOCK IN TWO WORDS — "Warnock is a man in two worlds: the spiritual and the political. The connection with his congregation in the first role is clear during the service. It's in his other role — as U.S. senator — that some Black political strategists worry that Warnock has not elicited the reaction he'll need from Black voters in order to earn a full term in the chamber," writes Eugene Daniels. Eugene visited Warnock's congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church and might make you feel like you're right there in a pew . From pulpit to lectern: Warnock Hammers Walker in Senate Debate, Gesturing to an Empty Lectern , from Maya King at The New York Times THE TAX MAN COMETH? — Republicans are leaning into the Internal Revenue Service as a boogeyman into the leadup to the midterm elections, hammering the $80 billion Democrats recently pushed through for the agency. Attack ads and speeches overstate how many enforcement agents the administration plans to hire and frame the IRS' target as the American everyman, ignoring Democrat' promises to focus on the highest earners. "They will come after you," says one spot running against Rep. Cindy Axne (D-Iowa). Brian Faler digs into the IRS ads and the distortion of reality they are dishing to voters . DEBATABLE — Tonight's Senate debates include Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Republican J.D. Vance facing off in Youngstown, Ohio at 7 p.m. In Utah, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) faces independent Evan McMullin at 8 p.m. Mike Lee has plenty of praise for… Mike Lee. He wrote a third-person op-ed in The Salt Lake Tribune: "Senator Lee has remained committed to advocating for limited government and fiscal responsibility throughout his career. His work is motivated by a deep reverence for our nation and the values that make it great." McMullin, in contrast, wrote his submission in the first person . DEADLY COOPERATION — Russia attacked the Ukranian capital of Kyiv this morning, using explosive Iranian drones aimed at the city center. Just this weekend Iran had denied supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, saying Tehran "has not and will not." But the evidence points to Iran ramping up shipments of attack drones and short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. This morning's attack included Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones , named because it flies toward its target and explodes on impact. There hasn't been much public chatter from Congress on Iran's increasing involvement in the Russian attacks against Ukraine. But the news is just hours old, so we're keeping an eye out for lawmaker responses to this development. STATUS UPDATE — Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) was discharged from the hospital on Friday after staying overnight for tests and observation. Speaking of Leahy… This anecdote from his memoir, relayed by Garrett Graff on Twitter, is fascinating: Unnamed joggers from the Intelligence community approached Leahy while he was out running and influenced his vote on the Iraq war. The thread . HUDDLE METRO SECTION — Let us know if you're a Capitol Hill commuter who's opted for the water taxi during the recent Metro mess.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today . | | | | | | | | Eric Swalwell… matchmaker? Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is joining a taping of a popular dating podcast Ask a Matchmaker with Matchmaker Maria today at 4 p.m. It's tri-caucus staff associations week… That means a schedule packed with panel discussions (today, 2 p.m., HVC 200), resume reviews (Tuesday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Rayburn 2237) and a law school fair (Wednesday, 6-7p.m. on Zoom). QUICK LINKS New Generation of Combat Vets, Eyeing House, Strike From the Right , from Jonathan Weissman at The New York Times Far-Right Republicans Face Tough Races in Swing Districts, Testing McCarthy , from Annie Karni at The New York Times How obscure government documents foreshadowed divorce for Kanye West, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Madison Cawthorn , from Dave Levinthal at Insider Republicans outraise Democrats in battle for South Texas congressional seats , from Patrick Svitek at The Texas Tribune. TRANSITIONS Rich Davidson is now director for strategic communication at the Atlantic Council. He previously was comms director for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). TODAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are out. AROUND THE HILL The depths of recess.
| | | FRIDAY'S WINNER: Michael Ryan correctly answered that Sen. Dean Barkley, a Minnestota Independent who served less than 60 days, sponsored a bill that became law to help establish a "living memorial" to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone and his wife through the creation of an immigrant community center in St. Paul, Minn. Barkley was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Wellstone, who was killed in a plane crash. The Senate was only in session for eight days that Barkely served, but he managed to write, introduce and pass the measure. TODAY'S QUESTION: In total, how many women have been elected or appointed to Congress? 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 | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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