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07/20/2016 07:41 AM EDT


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

With assistance from Seung Min Kim

TIME TO GET ON BOARD TED- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, along with several rank-and-file lawmakers, have spent the past few days in Cleveland making the case for the Republican Party come November. The range of enthusiasm for GOP nominee Donald Trump varies, with some members choosing to focus more on "party unity" and beating Hillary Clinton instead of Trump's merits. But there's one high-profile lawmaker and former presidential candidate speaking tonight who has yet to endorse the party's nominee: Ted Cruz.

Katie Glueck, live from Cleveland: "Cruz, who will address the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, remains one of the GOP's most prominent holdouts, refusing to back his presidential primary rival even as most other Trump critics have come around - if only with their noses plugged."

Take a ride on the Trump train: "From his Iowa chairman to members of his home state delegation, some of Cruz's top supporters are now on board with Trump. And many hope Cruz hurries up and gets there, too - for the sake of the party, and, some suggest, for that of his own political future." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f4995ac5533fc6cbe9c4e96bfb6311463cf0d28a9df2e8db6cf

CAN'T ESCAPE THE STORM-Several GOP senators in tight races this year have opted to skip the GOP convention but none might be walking a tighter Trump tightrope than Arizona Sen. John McCain. Theodoric Meyer with more: "Trump won Arizona decisively in the primary, and openly rejecting him would be a big risk - both in the general election and in Arizona's Aug. 30 primary, when McCain faces a tea party-aligned former state lawmaker, Kelli Ward."

"But Arizona's eligible-voter population is also more Latino than any battleground Senate state this year, and Democrats there are working furiously to register them to vote against Trump and the rest of his party."

And what about Trump's comments last year, saying McCain was "not a war hero" because he'd been captured in Vietnam? "He's 100 percent offended by it still," said Grant Woods, a longtime McCain fried. Theo with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f4964eca8c8b19257b556ce07c8de16822280acfbd453a0b27a

GOP LEADERS BARELY MENTION TRUMP- Tuesday night "belonged to Donald Trump who was named the Republican nominee Tuesday, so why weren't GOP party leaders and lawmakers mentioning his name? In fact, his likely Democratic opponent came up twice as often in speeches as he did," reports Roll Call. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f495301d035c15ca2cbfb683675df6ffcfc7d823d573607ac71

-Related read: Mitch McConnell booed by Trump Republicans at convention. Sad! The Huffington Post: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f49f008de1dafccb1433b6626d81e6e84eab3267d6a13e1284b

WE'RE ROLLING INTO WEDNESDAY, July 20. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, your play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

HELP ME HELP YOU - Got any good convention gossip, sightings or tips? Send 'em my way: hcaygle@politico.com

TODAY IN CONGRESS - Nothing. Folks are still in Cleveland. Or anywhere but Cleveland, depending on who you are.

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AROUND THE HILL- The U.S. Capitol Historical Society holds a discussion and dramatic reading of the play "HUNT: A Political Drama," which focuses on the blackmail of late-Sen. Lester Hunt, a fierce enemy of Sen. Joseph McCarthy who committed suicide in his Senate office in 1954. The event kicks off at 1 p.m. in Russell 485.

DEM CONTENDERS SKIPPING CONVENTION-It's not just Republicans who are skipping their party's convention this year. Some Democratic candidates in key Senate races will be forgoing next week's Democratic convention, opting to campaign back home. "Campaigns for Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) confirmed to The Hill that the candidates won't attend the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f4931beb6d3b6ad47ba0cf188e7747f0d17a17129cd01b63a1f

PAUL RYAN MAKES PLEA FOR PARTY UNITY-Speaker Ryan used his prime-time speaking spot Tuesday night not to tout the virtues of Donald Trump, whose name he only mentioned a couple of times, but to deliver a sermon on why the party should come together and quickly. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f49a5920a7ec1ed89051a82790394b1b1a911511803879ba7f8

NRSC BREAKS COLORADO SILENCE - In the weeks since Darryl Glenn became the GOP nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said very little about their candidate. But at a briefing with reporters at the GOP convention in Cleveland, NRSC Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Ward Baker, the NRSC's executive director, both insisted that Senate Republicans haven't given up in Colorado, one of their few chances in 2016 to go on offense.

'Senator Gitmo': "I think you know, anyone that won the primary would have very good chance against Senator Gitmo," Baker said, referring to Bennet. Republicans have accused Bennet of wanting to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Colorado. "I believe there will be a clear distinction and anyone running against Senator Gitmo will have a great opportunity to beat him."

But will there be any $$$? The NRSC met with Glenn last week and Baker added that the committee has had a staffer on the ground with Glenn since he won the nomination. But Baker declined to say whether the NRSC will pour resources into the race, saying: "We don't talk about internal strategy."

DUNCAN HUNTER LAWYERS UP- "After months of questions about personal use of campaign funds, Rep. Duncan Hunter's campaign committee has hired a law firm that specializes in political law," reports the L.A. Times. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f49d10a0c3ed23e9eceedbc61977572c96b99e9999813f56024

ELSEWHERE IN PENNSYLVANIA-Trump critic Rep. Charlie Dent will be campaigning with Sen. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania today, far from the bright lights in Cleveland. Roll Call: "Wednesday's rally is being hosted by the Lebanon County Republicans. Dent, who represents a central Pennsylvania district, is chairman of the Tuesday Group, a collection of moderate House Republicans." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f49a88b5e071fdada373a1458fffb748ea774a888342ef8e463

FASHION WATCH- Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue busted out the ol' blue jean jacket on the convention floor Tuesday night. See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f49f88fd5c3f8619bc07f9c6b474fe3afe95631d852b585f6a3

TWEETS DU JOUR- Sen. Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake): .@HillaryClinton now belongs in prison? C'mon. We can make the case that she shouldn't be elected without jumping the shark.

-Jason Noble (@jasonnobleDMR): When @ChuckGrassley is told there is no limit on ice cream scoops, he responds, "Praise the lord." See the pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f4966b0a0d4622861fab399bb58e230657e08676e42d7478a1c

LORETTA SANCHEZ RIPS INTO OBAMA- California Senate candidate Loretta Sanchez isn't happy President Obama and Vice President Biden decided to endorse her rival, Kamala Harris, Tuesday, saying the Democratic leaders should instead focus their energies on beating Trump, not dividing Golden State voters. The Sacramento Bee: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f49abe1a05df301b1e3333abc1e3014efe3222e250be4545b49

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Logan Ferree was the first to guess that "Happy Days are Here Again" was played at the 1984 Republican convention at the request of President Ronald Reagan.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Frank Ballmann brings us today's question: In 1968 at the Democratic convention, a video tribute was played honoring the late Robert F. Kennedy. At its conclusion, a delegate, perhaps angry that Hubert Humphrey had won the nomination without winning a primary, launched into an extended demonstration and sang multiple choruses of a song.

The chair of the convention, who would go on to far greater fame in a very different venue, unsuccessfully tried to gavel the convention to order. Name the song, the chairman, and what job made him more famous to people outside the Beltway. The first person to correctly answer this three-part question will get a mention in the next day's Huddle. E-mail: hcaygle@politico.com.

POLITICO Hub Nightly Lounge - Join POLITICO's Luiza Savage, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), U.S. Justice Action Network's Holly Harris and more for a conversation on criminal justice and sentencing reform in America. Thursday, July 21st -5pm; POLITICO Hub - 925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Learn more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=38ff36e8fdb46f4975300e942abbbc04fe50dc6960dd9a8c71aff5479ce6ad3c

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