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08/29/2018 08:03 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

KEY SENATE MATCHUPS SET -- Now it's official: Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) will face Gov. Rick Scott, and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) will challenge Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) in the race to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). Nelson ran unopposed, and Scott easily dispatched businessman Rocky De La Fuente. Sinema and McSally also cruised to victory in their respective primaries, but it was McSally who "had to fight through a grueling, expensive primary against two immigration hard-liners, former state Sen. Kelli Ward and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, with each candidate scrambling to tout connections to the president," Elena Schneider and James Arkin report. McSally
won without President Donald Trump's endorsement.

Sinema, meanwhile, escaped the primary with few negative ads run against her. "Arizona is one of just a handful of opportunities for Democrats to flip a GOP Senate seat, and Republicans acknowledge that Sinema has put herself in a good position to reverse her party's 30-year losing streak in Arizona Senate races," they write. "While Sinema has led in public polls, Republicans argue that she has had an easy run so far." Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) easily won his primary for governor with Trump's endorsement. He now faces Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who upset former Rep. Gwen Graham (D-Fla.) and could become the state's first black governor.

A trio of Central Florida Democrats -- Reps. Darren Soto, Al Lawson and Stephanie Murphy -- fended off challenges from the left. Soto defeated former Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.). "Three more House seats sit atop Democrats' target list, anchored in the suburbs of Miami and Palm Beach County," they note: Former State Department official Lauren Baer vs. Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), former HHS secretary and University of Miami President Donna Shalala vs. broadcast journalist Maria Elvira Salazar in Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's (R-Fla.) district and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell vs. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.). And in Arizona, former Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) survived a bitter primary against 2016
nominee Matt Heinz. Much more on Tuesday's results: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15ef082d7cbef282d79792effd1d9657d446bf9b4865ffe0b0c2163726145332f899d4e704835c948ca

Related: "How Ron DeSantis won the Fox News primary," by Marc Caputo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e1f7d75e7c94554e08b69e50aa7392c40c374a1997f74438a6502f6f84d08261ffb3f478c6fef861c and Steven Shepard's top takeaways: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e198599a2b5c6d5ea28c1c81af5c9c0505883ffe4da61436327c38cdd52ec6b0c6fa9224bbb03af87

IRREPLACEABLE -- Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) seat will be filled. But the Arizona Republican won't be replaced. "As senators went to the floor to pay tribute to the late Arizona Republican this week, there was an overwhelming sense that the Senate had lost a singular figure, the rare lawmaker able to bridge the gulf between the parties and make bipartisan deals," Bres writes this morning. "Especially for Democrats, who rejoiced over McCain's stunning vote in July 2017 to block Obamacare repeal, ... McCain was a godsend. He stood up to Trump in a way that no other Republican could, and they adored him for it."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), McCain's closest friend in the Senate, delivered a tearful tribute on the floor Tuesday -- next to McCain's desk, draped in black and topped with white roses. Graham told reporters that no single person can fill McCain's void. And he challenged his colleagues to work together to accomplish that feat. "The void to be filled by John's passing is more than I can fill," he conceded. "Don't look to me to replace this man. Look to me to remember what he was all about and try to follow in his footsteps." Much more from Bres: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15eea4382f57babb4ec76a5616bb4bbfe7d7bc1f95e45ad546160b8a5dc4743d2a266a6854d2f5ec68c

"Help him where you can. Just don't get sucked into all this bulls---." That was McCain's advice to Graham on dealing with the president. How the South Carolina Republican has balanced his closeness as a friend of two enemies: Trump and McCain: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e4d719786efc8cc9f06f84d4bb92a898c21506a90478c7516a93f71168d9fd41c7f224dead2cddb8b

Related reads: "Paying Respects to McCain at the Capitol? Here's What You Need to Know," from Roll Call's Katherine Tully-McManus: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e66fe6f5f0cc9f93fc5c750e796057096e8803817b94e9c369e72f6c3c0256e9843d1fe9444333e73 and "Inside McCain's surprise eulogy invitation to Obama," via CNN's Jeff Zeleny: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15ebcccf1f3e6ceb47b3067d9db63725360687da197559fc285641d7a61a4323f86e7c5d4838752832d

OUTSIZE INFLUENCE -- McCain's widow, Cindy McCain, will wield enormous influence over who Gov. Doug Ducey taps to temporarily fill McCain's seat. "The governor so far hasn't engaged publicly in the McCain replacement sweepstakes before the senator's funeral on Sunday," Christopher Cadelago, Daniel Strauss and Daniel Lippman report. "Other widows have gotten directly involved in politics after their husbands' deaths... But Cindy McCain has not thought of herself as a political figure, according to people who know her." Still, more than a dozen McCain family friends and Republicans familiar with the search say Ducey wants to avoid alienating Cindy McCain as he seeks reelection. More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e2cc00b9fa0ed57d4554bb8f1972be08b34e299e0d6194d94b9cc9a44627a003e54b1d79ff47f3682

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Aug. 29.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rebecca Morin's report on the late Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) swipe at President Donald Trump in his farewell statement was the winner.

THE TWISTS AND TURNS OF THE CANADA-U.S. TRADE RELATIONSHIP. POLITICO Pro Canada, launching Sept. 12, will provide news and analysis on the impact of U.S policy to the Canada-U.S. economic and trade relationship. Pro's binational reporting team will deliver must-read policy intelligence for business and policy professionals with cross-border interests. Learn more.

RESISTANCE MOUNTS TO RENAMING RUSSELL -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) continued pushing his resolution to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). But even that faces opposition from some Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) notably hasn't endorsed the proposal. In fact, he didn't even mention it Tuesday when he announced the imminent creation of a bipartisan "gang" to determine how best to honor McCain. Possible tributes McConnell floated included renaming the Armed Services Committee's meeting room after him and placing his portrait in the chamber's Reception Room.

"I'm sure the Senate will find a way to honor him," Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said. "But I think the way he'd want to be honored is just as a person who did his best." Sen. Lindsey Graham was also cautious about endorsing the renaming of Russell. "I'd name the Capitol after him if I could. But I don't know," said Graham, who told reporters he'd have to consult McCain's family. Sen. Richard Russell (D-Ga.) supported white supremacy and filibustered the Civil Rights Act. But, "Nobody's perfect," Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) noted. More from Elana and me: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15ea9c5f5a37e0750ad223b8e75c94dc296af3c351718ee07a755b4bf1902409285b84bc61d190afb68

MCCONNELL CONTINUES RESHAPING JUDICIARY -- Senators reached a deal to quickly confirm seven federal district court judges before they ended their workweek Tuesday. So the McConnell-led Senate has confirmed 60 judges to the courts, including 33 district court judges, 26 appeals court judges and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. "They will shape U.S law for generations, as most are in their 40s or 50s," Bloomberg's Sahil Kapur reports. And more are on the way. "In August alone, the Senate confirmed another 15 judges -- with eight more locked in for next week," said Don Stewart, McConnell's deputy chief of staff. "These are judges who will be in place for decades."

A Senate Democratic aide said party leaders allowed the votes to move forward because Republicans had the votes to confirm the nominees and the move allowed vulnerable red-state senators to go home to campaign. But activists aren't satisfied with Senate Democrats' lack of resistance. "Mitch McConnell is in the middle of stealing the federal courts for conservatives, and Democrats continue to bring a butter knife to a gunfight," said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice and a former spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). "It is hard to think of a more pathetic surrender heading into the Kavanaugh hearings." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e13e53a2ce8400a354b6a8af4b4f91ae3aa2a34d62f23b469ee5d016f1ba4e1d0ff3f78915fe1b9bb

TRUMP'S ELECTION OUTLOOK -- President Donald Trump told evangelical leaders this week that Democrats would "overturn everything" Republicans have accomplished -- "quickly and violently" -- if the GOP loses control of Congress this fall. "Mr. Trump painted a stark picture of what losing the majority would mean for the administration's conservative agenda," reports The New York Times' Michael D. Shear, who obtained audio of the president's remarks. "They will end everything immediately," Trump said. "When you look at Antifa and you look at some of these groups, these are violent people."

"The blunt warning -- delivered to about 100 of the president's most ardent supporters in the evangelical community -- was the latest example of Mr. Trump's attempts to use the specter of violence at the hands of his political opponents and to fan the flames of cultural divisions in the country," Shear writes. "Mr. Trump acknowledged to the evangelical leadership that his conservative base may not turn out at the polls in big numbers for Republican congressional candidates because he is not on the ballot in November." "I think we're popular," Trump said, "but there's a real question as to whether people are going to vote if I'm not on the ballot. And I'm not on the ballot." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15ecd0a348da396f95505664bd26ef548d728d687a7d7447e2cd7b49ce5704a35feea5198585b504b5b

COULD CRUZ LOSE? -- The Club for Growth is stepping in to save Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) reelection bid. As Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) narrows Cruz's polling lead, the group is preparing to launch a seven-figure TV ad campaign attacking O'Rourke. "In the last five weeks, it's become clear that the race has tightened," said David McIntosh, Club for Growth's president. "Republican officials once saw Cruz ... as safe given Texas' conservative tilt, and in public, they have largely derided O'Rourke's candidacy and public polls showing a close race," Alex Isenstadt reports. "But, privately, they have grown increasingly concerned." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15eaa1283f86223099a08f14c8f6615ddae84a650b3eb40de22be5134d3ac2e9a6dac244fc9f118ba4b

VETERANS GROUP HAMMERS BALDWIN -- Concerned Veterans for America-Wisconsin is launching an $800,000 ad campaign today urging voters to reject Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) this fall. The 30-second spot features veterans criticizing Baldwin over missed committee hearings. "You say you support veterans, but you didn't even show up," a man identified as Mason says. "And we deserve leaders who will fight for us." Dan Caldwell, CVA's executive director, said in a statement that Wisconsin's veterans "need a strong voice for them in Congress." "Baldwin's absence and lack of attention at critical moments shows she is not that voice," he added. CVA says the ad will air over the next two weeks in
multiple media markets around the state. The ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15ee363d8184caf1bc7d5f167ff938acf523e0ea66274708c73891432efcc6ab391c04ec7395c7390b0

DON'T MENTION IT -- Indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) blamed his wife for any potential misuse of campaign funds. After all, he told Fox News, she was his campaign manager. But that was then. Now Hunter says the media should leave his wife, Margaret Hunter, out of it. "It's me they're after anyway," Hunter told 10News. "They want to take me down. That's what they're up to. So let's get this in the arena and have this settled." The couple pleaded not guilty last week to dozens of charges. They're accused of misusing roughly $250,000 in campaign funds and falsifying spending reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e725fddbe12b5c6cb5ccbf60332a8cd5fed925b232a3035c9cb4d8ea395785c524d8296aa933191a2

ELLISON ACCUSATION TAINTS MINNESOTA DEMS -- Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) said voters aren't asking about the domestic abuse allegations against him as he runs for state attorney general. "But that hasn't stopped Republicans from using the controversy to pummel Minnesota Democrats running in congressional and statewide races over their ties to Ellison," David Siders points out, "leveraging the abuse accusation against him to tarnish opponents up and down the ballot." Minnesota Republicans say they plan to hammer Democrats by tying them to Ellison, who denies allegations that he abused his ex-girlfriend. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e0003b8f7958460d17a5fd7f0affe6bd18c14ede68ba5fbc0c14610914183d4b4cff4520bffaebb60

VIRGINIA RACE GETS PERSONAL -- Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer running for Congress against Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.), is accusing a Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)-aligned super PAC of improperly obtaining her entire federal security clearance application and using it for political purposes. Spanberger wrote a cease-and-desist letter to Corry Bliss, the Congressional Leadership Fund's executive director, demanding that the group destroy every copy of the form and agree not to use the information. CLF, however, says it received the document through a public records request. "In an interview, she said that she suspected that the group was trying to exploit a brief time when she
taught at a private Islamic school funded by Saudi Arabia," The New York Times' Michael Tackett reports. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e03f071f67e02bd79d4ba2a12fd83981f5fa305e4f5c32dd6f66a08b1b31a1417221bd8b4820e85cb

TRANSITIONS -- Kyle Campbell is now a legislative correspondent for Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). He was previously a legislative correspondent for Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Vietnam Veterans of America will hold a conference call briefing to announce the introduction of legislation to ensure veterans who were exposed to radiation at Palomares, Spain, in 1966 receive disability compensation for their radiation-related injuries beginning at 12 p.m. The call-in number is 515-604-9869, and the access code is 17682.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) will hold a conference call briefing to discussing voting rights and the Senate's upcoming consideration of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh beginning at 3:30 p.m. RSVP here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=952c97af486ee15e82ca187f5cda83098c5146c830e23fc0c78325e8fa79d9c4c005f79b1597b6225a9b986efccf8c2e

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Sara Bonjean was first to correctly guess that Nicholas Longworth is the only House speaker whose wife, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, was the daughter of a president, Theodore Roosevelt.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Sara: What former House member wore a pair of boots made of human skin to his inauguration as Wyoming's governor, and in what city did he die? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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