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04/26/2016 07:26 AM EDT


By Burgess Everett (@burgessev or beverett@politico.com)

Featuring Sarah Wheaton

BIG SENATE PRIMARIES TODAY: Ah yes, the classic clash of Establishment candidates and those pesky outsiders that just won't go away. In Maryland we've got Rep. Chris Van Hollen, with backing from Annapolis to Prince George's to Baltimore, vs. Rep. Donna Edwards, an upstart liberal contender that would be the second black female senator ever if she were to win election. And in Pennsylvania it's Katie McGinty, a former chief of staff to the governor, trying to ice her late-breaking lead against former Rep. Joe Sestak, a former Navy admiral who ironically doesn't really like taking orders from anyone. It's the most consequential day on the primary calendar yet for the Senate races, with the
Pennsylvania race potentially shifting the battle for the Senate this fall.

The narrative: But the intrigue goes beyond that. In a year of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, today will tell a key tale in whether voters care at all about who party honchos are trying to install in Senate seats. And if Sestak and Edwards win, the party's attempts at unity will determine just how big the insider-outsider connect is on the Democratic side. Sen. Joe Manchin, take it away: "We've been able to function dysfunctionally. Republicans haven't figured it out yet; they want to annihilate [ one another]. We've been able to figure out how to get through this and how to get back together. That's the difference." My story with Rachael Bade:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876ccb6dba2981e7401678adf2bf4c257dc2cad59aaaf4dc81cd7

Joe Biden, aggressive surrogate: Great rollicking write-up on Vice President Joe Biden's work on Monday in Philadelphia for McGinty by Edward-Isaac Dovere. "I hope you'll look her over," Biden said to one couple. "If you don't, Bob Casey and I are going to come to your house." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc84ecdc592862f63228a9689247597c889b9618a2269baa2d

CHEETAHED OUT OF A BIG CAT: Lots of buzz about Sen. Jeff Flake and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce being on the Hill yesterday with an Australian shepherd and a cheetah, but not a ton of access. AP: "The House Foreign Affairs Committee brought a live cheetah to the Capitol on Monday, but news reporters and photographers were initially denied access to the big cat - the fastest land mammal in the world. 'This is a closed briefing,' said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for Rep. Ed Royce." Eventually, the committee doors opened. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876ccf0fb3344ca2bede2b59a49e46dcec112fd0dd3691183ad1f

Here's a great pic of of Flake and the beast: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc337bee3a944479eac53c2deb134bbb3b49507fbc138babdd

#HACTION BEEFS UP: Oh those conservative rabble rousers are GOING HAM this year. Heritage Action is spending more on lobbying than it ever has, per Roll Call, about $170,000 last quarter. "'There was a need to reach out and communicate directly with more offices on the Hill, really the entire Republican conference,' said Dan Holler, vice president of communications and government relations for the group. 'Having a direct line to all those offices is extremely important.'" Republican leaders are trying to contain their excitement. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc8e733c630844a263386e3804b1e6ebb2f5f8429815821ddc

CRUZ'S COLLEAGUES=DELEGATES: In the latest twist over how Ted Cruz's poor relationships with his colleagues could affect his presidential bid, lots of senators and members of Congress are starting to snag delegate spots at the Republican National Convention. And no, they won't commit to Cruz after the first ballot, Manu Raju reports for CNN. "In interviews with CNN, a wide range of lawmakers refused to say how they'd vote once most delegates are free to vote their conscience after a first round of balloting. 'Depending on how some decisions are going to be made, I could be part of helping the delegates as a whole make that decision' of selecting the nominee, [Sen. Thom] Tillis said. 'I'm
legitimately uncommitted.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cccace843c943338bee301639da51febd4c209010fd6d81c1b

GOOD TUESDAY. And welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill, where exotic animals should be on display on a regular basis. Please send tips to beverett@politico.com and follow along on Twitter @burgessev.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House is in at noon and will vote at 6:30 p.m. on some suspensions. The Senate is in at 10 a.m. and will vote at 11 a.m. on a trio of Appropriations amendments.

AROUND THE HILL - At 9 a.m. Sens. Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy will speak about the Supreme Court at 9 a.m. in the Kennedy Caucus Room. At 9:30 a.m. Sen. Barbara Boxer leads a press conference on the Supreme Court steps to discuss how the vacancy affects the environment. At 11:30 p.m. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy holds a pen and pad in H-107. At 12:15 p.m. Sen. John McCain and MMA fighters discuss fighter safety research. At 1 p.m. Rep. Lloyd Doggett will be the keynote speaker at a Center for American Progress event on prescription drug prices at 1333 H St. NW. At 2 p.m. in Hart 902 Sen. Mark Kirk will give remarks at a briefing on Boko Haram and Islamic terrorism.

REBOOTING THE FIGHT: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Claire McCaskill will revive their push for the Campus Accountability Act to deal with sexual assault. There will be lots of Republican and Democratic senators in attendance at 11:30 a.m. in SVC-200. "Schools all across the country will routinely withhold a diploma if a student doesn't pay his fees. They'll kick a student out for cheating on a test. So where is the urgency when it comes to the violent crime of sexual assault? ... Most colleges are stuck in defensive mode, and won't even admit they have a problem because they're afraid their application numbers will drop or because they just don't take these assaults seriously ... We need to
pass this bipartisan bill, and finally start holding our schools accountable for how they deal with this crime," Gillibrand will say at the event.

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rand being Rand, yo.

PROBABLY TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Isaac snaps this shot of Biden really cozying up to a 93-year-old woman in Philly while on the trail for McGinty. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc41c752ff1ecd76fe2cc7feb02e52334b0197d374a12cd9a7

McCONNELL EYES FIRST APPROPS WIN: The Senate majority leader has set the Senate on course for finishing its water and energy funding bill this week, the first of 12 appropriations bills that McConnell is trying to finish this year to make a point about the Senate being back to work. There's not enough time to do all of them with all the recesses this year, but things are off to a better start than last year when the Democrats spiked a defense spending bill at the jump. "While the funding bill has managed to avoid partisan landmines in the Senate, it's garnered a veto threat from the White House," writes Jordain Carney for the Hill. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc93c8f69ce4b88303d77f0ffdb5f3d0f4f5d70d71378a8d25

COVER ON GUN IMMUNITY: Sen. Bernie Sanders' vote 11 years ago to give the firearms industry broad protections from liability has brought on a Sandy Hook guilt trip ahead of today's Democratic primary in Connecticut. But a new industry-commissioned poll shows broad support for the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. About 7 in 10 registered voters told Harper Polling they back the protections for the "law-abiding manufacturers and retailers of lawful products which get misused." About a quarter supported PLCAA repeal "because the current protection enables manufacturers and retailers to sell guns to people who shouldn't have them, because they know they cannot be sued and don't face
any consequences." More than half of those who voted for Obama in 2012 back the existing law, and those identifying as "strong Democrats." Top lines: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cce50d686eecf442290642d0a772b16125d47fd20eaa24759a

GOP TROUBLE IN COLORADO: The party's preferred Senate candidate, Jon Keyser, failed to qualify for the ballot -- and Sen. Michael Bennet seemed to be walking with a spring in his step on Monday evening. Denver Post: "Keyser fell short by 86 signatures in Colorado's 3rd District, according to the Colorado secretary of state's office, which reviewed his petition. The 3rd District is one of the state's largest and comprises most of western Colorado. Keyser's campaign plans to protest the decision and has five days to do so. The 16,067 signatures he submitted overall allowed him to clear the threshold in the six other districts." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc9c0b2f8805181429aa6681f452072f724ad48004558644d9

EVERYONE IS AN INSIDER! In response to Senate Majority PAC's ad against Sen. Rob Portman hitting him as a "Washington insider," Portman is out with a web ad flipping the attack on Gov. Ted Strickland and calling HIM a DC insider. The spot clips Strickland talking about running for Congress since the '70s and leaving Ohio for lobbying shops, concluding he's "everything that's wrong with Washington." You can watch that here first: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc0cb993056864e3b5409b0f758a0c573a32cb6bb6ccffe7ef

NARAL HITS AYOTTE, ENDORSES HASSAN: The pro-abortion rights group is hitting New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte for not considering Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, with a five-figure ad going up on cable and digital in New Hampshire. NARAL Pro-Choice America is also endorsing Gov. Maggie Hassan. The ad: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc8d487f9e3747550cac29eb2a28202bfb6a4aa06e70c02c2f

SENATORS WRITE OBAMA ON ISRAEL: A group of 83 senators, led by Sens. Chris Coons and Lindsey Graham, wrote to President Obama on Monday to tell him of their plans to boost funding for missile defense programs for Israel and ask the president to reach a new memorandum of understanding with Israel to increase aid. You can read the whole letter here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=f0cb93a03b4876cc6d92bb09f5a2c2c8bd1093dab2aba41f03042fdd5a57d3d7

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Patrick Boland was the first to answer that Pennsylvania's Fifth District is the state's largest congressional district.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Patrick has today's question: Who is the last former senator who also served as secretary of state to win the presidency, and what state did they hail from? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at beverett@politico.com

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