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07/18/2016 07:58 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope)

REPUBLICAN CONVENTION KICKS OFF TODAY- Welcome to day one of the RNC convention or what Sen. Jeff Flake described last week as Donald Trump's "coronation." The theme for today's festivities is "making America safe again" with several lawmakers sprinkled throughout tonight's prime-time lineup, along with a random mix of people like Trump's wife Melania and 80's actor Scott Baio.

Lawmakers on tap to speak include House Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul, Reps. Sean Duffy and Ryan Zinke and Sens. Tom Cotton, Jeff Sessions and Joni Ernst. More info on tonight's schedule: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423f389935b65196df6d627e32e0509777db3f9908f32079cb5

Headline du jour: Will Joni (Ernst) love Chachi? http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423177df995b112bc761bf2f5a1719215fea3b3b6124689a801

FLY-FISHING AND FARMING- Not every Republican will be on hand for the week's events. A significant number of GOP lawmakers are skipping the convention all together, including some who are locked in tough election battles staying home to campaign and others who just can't bring themselves to back Trump. "House insiders predict just under 200 Republicans from their 247-member conference will attend. Meanwhile, well over a dozen Senate Republicans are saying 'no, thanks' to the Cleveland festivities," report Seung Min and Rachael.

Summer fun: "Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart jokes he'll be getting his hair done. Sen. Steve Daines will be fly-fishing with his wife instead of joining the Donald Trump coronation. And Sen. Dean Heller says conventions aren't his thing, so he might use the coming week to irrigate his ranch." The full rundown: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423817dfc0d99b74f5652177551ac9c41775cab06648a7c936f

ON SECOND THOUGHT... Most GOP senators in tough races this year are staying far, far away from the GOP convention in Cleveland. And that had been Sen. Ron Johnson's plan too. Turns out the Wisconsin Republican changed his mind after a personal appeal from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. But don't think Johnson will be in Cleveland for long-his spokesman said it's back to Wisconsin after the speech.

Seung Min with more: "Johnson, who is one of the most vulnerable GOP senators on the ballot this year, was announced Sunday as a speaker at the convention. Johnson, a businessman before he was elected to the Senate in 2010, is scheduled to speak on Tuesday night, billed as the 'Make America Work Again' night with speeches focused on the economy." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e4674232c9c59e95a457b332de656fbb77962e82d364b58c3d59c8d

TED TALKS BUT DOESN'T ENDORSE- Sen. Ted Cruz isn't ready to endorse Donald Trump just yet, as he made clear in a sit-down with Glenn Thrush for his "Off Message" podcast, but it is clear the Texas Republican's convention speech will lay out broader ambitions far beyond this election. "'Most wars are not won in a single battle,' said Cruz, who is still paying campaign staff to plan and to create a detailed post-mortem of the 2016 primaries (one thing he's looking at, I'm told: whether his "New York values" quip about Trump was a blunder)." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423ed0c5cae146be0015d409454744435a29259fa0d10f22ba2

WELCOME TO HUDDLE, it's Monday, July 18. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at 2:30 p.m. for a pro forma session. Otherwise, nothing.

AROUND THE HILL-Staffers not answering your emails because they're too busy playing Pokémon Go.

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RUNNING 'SHERIFF RACES'- Vulnerable Senate Republicans aren't running for or against Donald Trump, instead they're taking a much more local approach and it appears to be working in several cases. Burgess and Kevin Robillard: "Three and a half months from Election Day, the GOP can take comfort in polling that shows its most endangered senators outpacing Trump in state surveys."

"Instead of pouring energy into running as a ticket or even actively repelling Trump, most Republican Senate candidates are focusing on local strategies and topics - health care in Arizona, water in Nevada, national defense in North Carolina, and fighting heroin addiction in Ohio."

The money quotes: "We're not running presidential races," said Ward Baker, the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "We're running sheriff races."

"We've got some great goddamn candidates," Sen. Jon Tester, chairman of Senate Democrats' campaign arm, said. The story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423c95ba07c714bdd2a64dd3bd3340162fbc6d10f784b3f147e

WHAT HAPPENS IF CLINTON PICKS KAINE? Hillary Clinton picking Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate could cause a scramble to fill the Virginia Democrat's Senate seat. More from the Washington Post: "In the event of a Clinton-Kaine victory, state law requires Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) to appoint someone to fill Kaine's Senate seat for about a year. After that, a special election would be held, coinciding with the 2017 governor's race, and the winner would have to run again for a full six-year term the following year."

Names to keep in mind: "Top Democratic possibilities include sitting congressmen such as Don Beyer, Robert C. 'Bobby' Scott or Gerald E. Connolly. Others say Attorney General Mark R. Herring or Brian Moran, a member of McAuliffe's cabinet, would be smart choices." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423175646ee8dafb76454d52752009285a818d0e8e9f60e8daf

CONGRESS RELEASES '28 PAGES'- Lawmakers on Friday finally released the 28 previously classified pages of the 9/11 report that many believed linked the Saudi government to the terror attacks. More from CNN: The report "found that some of the 9/11 hijackers were in contact with and received support from individuals likely connected to the Saudi government." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423d7e82a3d0f03a42af0734ca416b7ae1044a3c070ab9d4e11

BREAKING - Tuesday morning Playbook Breakfast line-up announced. MSNBC's Dafna Linzer, CNN's Mark Preston will join Mike Allen and Hadas Gold in Cleveland. Immediately following, Roger Stone will take the stage with Anna Palmer and Mike Allen. Tuesday morning doors at 8am, POLITICO Hub, 925 Euclid St. (9th and Euclid) politi.co/29UTSpZ

MENENDEZ BRINGS IN $$ FOR LEGAL FUND- "Indicted New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez continues to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars for his legal defense fund, including more than $400,000 in the second quarter of this year alone, newly released records show," report Bres and Seung Min.

"Overall, Menendez -- who is facing a host of federal bribery and corruption charges -- has taken in more than $4 million for the fund since it was opened in early 2014. In turn, Menendez's defense fund has spent more than $3 million, most of it for his high-profile defense team." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423d535129ac284b54dc7e3f35bfe7466a2897e0690e006bb5e

THE PENCE REPORT- In case you missed it, our Congress team had a great look at Trump's VP pick, former congressman and current Indiana Governor Mike Pence, from the Capitol Hill point of view. From Burgess and Seung Min: "Pence pick wins Trump badly needed goodwill in Congress" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e4674237060de57bb4276fc0cecb526d2289ec124728269e7cf6273 And from Bres and Jake: "Pence was the anti-Trump in Congress" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e46742348c5e38dad63857b2bb9d1e91f872cc409c74d4d2605f18a

RACE HEATS UP TO REPLACE PENCE- With Pence no longer in the running for Indiana governor, several folks have already jumped in the race to replace him, including Reps. Todd Rokita and Susan Brooks. More on what that means: "It isn't just the gubernatorial race that's been thrown into uncertainty, so are races for Brooks' and Rokita's House seats in heavily Republican districts in central Indiana and the lieutenant governor's spot. Whoever is passed over for the governor's race can be restored to the ballot for the positions that they withdrew from Friday," reports the Chicago Tribune. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423bce7798ba3d0650c9c1a46cfff4187a1eac130385f4ca011

RYAN BREAKING GOP FUNDRAISING RECORDS- House Speaker Paul Ryan's political arm has raised nearly $38 million since he took the gavel last fall, reports Rachael. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e4674233c7bb7aa4ee85f06e64ebd169f29ebb338e5d4cdf449957d

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Scott McGeary was the first to correctly guess that Mike Pence unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1988 and 1990 before winning election to the House in 2000.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Scott with today's convention-themed question: Who served as a national convention chairman and succeeded the president nominated? The first person to correctly answer will get a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail: hcaygle@politico.com.

HELP ME HELP YOU -- Know any hot gossip, scoops, tips or transitions happening on the Hill? Send 'em my way: hcaygle@politico.com

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=296ab60e1e467423b6f8411b788aeeb98df8f21ee3e1896c2517971bfe83f225

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