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07/25/2016 07:50 AM EDT


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

With assistance from Seung Min Kim

DNC LEAK CASTS CLOUD OVER DEM CONVENTION-The Democratic National Convention kicks off tonight and while it's sure to be all party unity and rah-rahing around Hillary Clinton on stage, expect the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz following a massive email leak showing efforts to undermine Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign to cloud the mood behind the scenes and dominate press events, at least for today.

What's next: DNC Vice Chair Donna Brazile will serve as temporary chairwoman through the election. Brazile's contract with CNN-she frequently appears as a commentator-has been temporarily suspended.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN-- It turns out high-ranking Clinton campaign officials had been looking for a way to oust Wasserman Schultz since late last year but were rebuffed by President Obama's team, who didn't want the hassle of cleaning up the mess, report Glenn Thrush and Gabriel Debenedetti. "It's been a huge problem for the Clintons, but the president just didn't want the headache of Debbie bad-mouthing him... It was a huge pain in the ass," a former top Obama advisor told them.

Quiet on the Clinton front: "Clinton campaign officials declined numerous attempts by phone, email and text to respond to this story. But the Clinton campaign was very much involved in the DNC chair's defenestration." Don't miss their story with lots of behind-the-scenes goodies: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb2453d5f355e7e11c5f9cbfd89aff8723836341eb473c7b235aa

TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE: Even with all the DNC email drama, the big show must go on. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and first lady Michelle Obama will be tonight's headliners as festivities officially get underway in Philadelphia. More from the AP: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb2453f2cbbf0101ec196c48afbfa0bcad7a0cee74cd6857341c7

A little on edge: While some Democrats are nervous about Sanders big speech tonight, many party leaders said they were confident the quick ouster of Wasserman Schultz would quell rebellion in party ranks, report Burgess and Seung Min. "There will be some amount of hand-wringing over the next day. Sen. Sanders will have a role to play in this as he talks to his delegates," said one House Democrat attending the convention. "I don't expect a Ted Cruz moment." Their story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245782234061016cacd5865bae6598190e91addf0d1aa8c9fab

Sanders: 'Not a great shock'- "There's no questions in my mind and I think no question to any objective observer's mind that the DNC was supporting Hillary Clinton and was at opposition to our campaign. So I'm not quite shocked by this. And that is why many, many months ago, I made it clear that Debbie Wasserman Schultz should resign, should step down," Sanders told CNN's State of the Union Sunday. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb2451eb6ae9a4d460e034f621e0eb2c860e3d34fc21c021b7cd3

'Lock her up'- Sanders supporters were chanting 'lock her up' in reference to Clinton during a Philadelphia rally on Sunday. The Wall Street Journal: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245156088c01a3e60cd7bff6bc85dd5c2a95cd3438823ba6133

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU TWEET: "Wasserman Schultz's abrupt fall from grace was a bitter and ironic twist for the once-powerful chairwoman who just last week gleefully needled her Republican counterpart when the GOP convention briefly erupted in chaos. 'I'm in Cleveland if you need another chair to help keep your convention in order,' Wasserman Schultz tweeted to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus," report Daniel Strauss and Marc Caputo.

Hamilton tickets anyone? Critics of Wasserman Schultz including Democratic donor John Morgan, who clashed with her over an effort to legalize medical marijuana in Florida, seized on the emails. One thread from DWS requesting seven tickets to the popular Broadway show Hamilton drew particular ire: "The only thing that surprised me is that she was trying to find seven tickets. I can't believe she has seven friends," Morgan said. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb24548f56cc79b2f49fdf89cbcfc8ef48d44777b03420f050c62

WE'RE STILL ROCKING RECESS, it's Monday, July 25. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Congress, on and off the Hill.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets in a 12:30 p.m. pro forma session.

AROUND THE HILL- A little Wham! to get you through the Monday doldrums: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245facddb2f380a14543372ff6bdeafad4c61ae9e00619853f2

YES WE KAINE- The big headline heading into today's convention kickoff was supposed to be Clinton picking Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate. While that's been overshadowed by the DNC email leak, Kaine was still bringing down the house during his official introduction Saturday in Miami. Gabe and Burgess from the Sunshine State: "The appearance of Kaine and Clinton together as a ticket for the first time showed precisely why she picked him: He's perfectly comfortable playing second fiddle to the nominee and won't go rogue."

What he brings to the table: "People close to Clinton and her political circles acknowledge that the choice wasn't about winning any one state or a single constituency - ensuring no single group felt slighted was just as much of a concern. 'It's the old adage, you pick the best player available. There's not one thing they desperately needed,' said former South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. 'He satisfies a lot of constituencies: Latino voters, African-American voters, and independents who are trying to make a decision.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245cd7672f3846151c8950c769b27e11622399ed0bf31bfb13c

Kaine-sanity: How the Virginia Democrat stacks up against GOP running mate Mike Pence: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245eabd07a3c72abd8db095f0e323b8dbcd7dacbff4c42a0c9f Kaine's shape-shifting on TPP: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb2452735185d319481f6e80a31e564dc11df894e5d2c644bfdbf and Kaine's GOP fan club: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245e779099b361fbf6a57b8a965251efe65bdada5821442e4e0

TWEETS DU JOUR: Manu Raju (@mkraju): CRUZ favorability drops sharply post-convention. Pre-convention: 60% of GOP voters had positive view; just 33% have one now, per CNN poll

- Simone Pathe (@sfpathe): Clinton on @60Minutes: "Who knows, maybe we can take the House back?" Kaine: "I think the House is going to remain in Republican hands"

WHAT IF KAINE BECOMES VP? Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe would get to pick Kaine's temporary Senate replacement, who would probably serve for about a year before a special election in 2017 only to have to run again for a full term in 2018, reports the Washington Post.

The ideal candidate? Someone "able to raise tens of millions of dollars in back-to-back years, excite the liberal base, inject diversity into a largely white, male 2017 ballot - and leave no state or congressional seats in Virginia vulnerable to Republican takeover." Read the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb24594f1c2c405413824ee79e283308e19d7616274684dcb83f6

Connolly doesn't tip his hand: Seung Min caught up with Rep. Gerry Connolly, considered by many to be on the short-list for Kaine's Senate seat, over the weekend. "I just honestly feel it's way too early to be having that conversation. We got to win an election this November. It is entirely the prerogative of the governor to appoint a replacement for 10 months." Then he added: "I do love what I do."

IMMIGRATION REFORM IN 2017? Not looking good- "Three years after legislation to overhaul the nation's immigration laws passed the Senate, Democrats and Republicans could hardly be farther apart on the issue - a chasm brought into sharp relief by the parties' competing presidential platforms and by the rhetoric at the GOP convention here this week," Seung Min reports from Cleveland.

Wide divide: "The deep partisan split over immigration casts heavy doubt that Congress could pass a comprehensive immigration overhaul early next year with a new occupant at the White House and a newly-minted Congress." The story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb245b6805e309b67795fa2437e474475e589719f178c83f8fcce

COULD THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES TIP THE SENATE? With some voters looking beyond Clinton and Trump-two of the most disliked presidential candidates in modern times-to an independent option, Burgess looks at any potential down-ballot impact: "Top strategists in both parties openly admit they're perplexed about how third-party and independent voters will cast their ballots in Senate contests and battleground House races."

The states to watch: "Most ominously for the two major parties, a handful of disenchanted voters in just one state could determine Senate control and which party will oversee the confirmation process and priorities of the Senate under a new president, particularly in places like Nevada and New Hampshire."

"In Nevada, there's the infamous 'none of the above' option that could drain support from Rep. Joe Heck or former Democratic Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, and in New Hampshire a third-party conservative is openly running as a spoiler that could hurt the chances of Sen. Kelly Ayotte." Read more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=01b6902d58bcb24510755c5d100ffe78405d6e20dc0a7d198316b5d3d490cd87

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Eli Schechner was the first to correctly guess that 1912 was the last time pre-2000 that the GOP convention didn't have a keynote speaker.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Eli with today's question: Before Tim Kaine in Virginia and Mike Pence in Indiana this year, when was the last election year in which both vice presidential candidates had previously served as governors of their home state? The first person to correctly answer this question will get a mention in tomorrow's Huddle. E-mail: hcaygle@politico.com.

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