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05/30/2018 07:55 AM EDT


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

TRUMP BOOSTS BLACKBURN -- Tennessee Republicans are hoping President Donald Trump's visit will pay dividends to Rep. Marsha Blackburn's (R-Tenn.) Senate campaign. Trump invited Blackburn on stage at his Tuesday rally in Nashville, where he knocked Democratic challenger Phil Bredesen -- or, as Trump called him, "Phil whatever the hell his name is." In addition to touting his 2016 run, the president cast Blackburn as a vote to keep Tennesseans' communities, schools and country safe. "We need Republicans and we need to get out and vote for Marsha," Trump said.

The campaigner-in-chief also claimed Bredesen, a former governor, would "be an absolute, total tool" of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and "MS-13 lover" Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House minority leader, if elected to the Senate. "Bredesen has staked his campaign on strength with independents and crossover appeal with moderate Republicans, hoping the goodwill lingering from two popular terms as governor can build a winning coalition in a state where Trump remains well-liked," James Arkin and Matthew Nussbaum report. "But Blackburn and Republican allies want to blunt that strategy by painting the former governor as a centrist in name only who, despite his rhetoric, will stand
in the president's way when it matters." Blackburn and Bredesen are running to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) as both parties fight for control of the Senate. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010969439c685db068e8260a2089d7c92c9963f25cba3c514d3a0919afa92ab08ca6e50c7cd2e86244787

MEANWHILE, IN NORTH DAKOTA -- Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) is probably feeling good about her reelection prospects, despite the president winning the state by 36 points over Hillary Clinton in 2016. "As the election year kicks into high gear, Republicans have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump's ongoing flirtation with the freshman senator," Alex Isenstadt and Burgess report. Heitkamp was the only Democrat in attendance last week when the president signed a bank deregulation bill. The freshman senator's ties to the president includes a Trump Tower meeting about a Cabinet position, a ride on Air Force One and an invitation to join him on stage in North Dakota.

All of the above gives Heitkamp "fodder to portray herself as a presidential ally," they write. But Trump's relationship with Heitkamp has been a blow to Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), whom the president persuaded to challenge Heitkamp this fall. "Trump aggressively recruited Cramer to give up his House seat to take on Heitkamp, and his actions since have left some of Cramer's closest allies feeling snubbed. They note that while Trump has savaged Democratic incumbents ... and visited a growing list of states to pump up Republican Senate hopefuls ... he has yet to make a campaign appearance with Cramer. Nor has the attack dog-in-chief attacked Heitkamp." Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe836200109646dd4664a644c96045538cf4dedaac2686f68ff16c09f79f8241e5bbfeb400a3e7e56332a43697eb

SANCHEZ BRACING FOR BACKLASH -- Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) did the unthinkable last fall: The No. 5 Democrat and top-ranking Latina publicly called for a change in House leadership. That move could cost her this fall. "Sánchez gave voice to frustrations that most members are only comfortable expressing privately, and lawmakers say they're watching closely to see whether she pays a price for speaking out," Heather reports. "What happens to Sánchez also has significant implications for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and its influence over leadership. She's not the only prominent member of the group who might want to move up in the ranks where few slots, if any, might be
open."

If Democrats win the House, the longtime Democratic leaders are expected to continue their reign. But a successful outcome in the midterms could put DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) in the mix for a promotion. Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) are also mentioned in the leadership mix. "Interviews with 20 Democratic lawmakers and aides indicated an overwhelming sense that Sánchez will face a challenge for her leadership post this fall," Heather writes. "But opinions were mixed as to whether she's built up enough loyalty within the caucus to beat back a potential opponent." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe836200109613b0b1e30079f41e8eea490f0aed89cf61c4c6d0374e5a8593889476b050749fe4578b436f50b639

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this May 30.

TUESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Rachael, Alex Isenstadt and Kyle's report detailing allegations from former aides who say retiring Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) and his wife treated them like servants was the winner.

MIDTERM TRUMP: ALL SUMMER '18 -- Tuesday was a preview of what's to come this summer: The president is expected to prioritize red states with competitive Senate races for his midterm campaign stops. "The strategy is intended to take advantage of his star power among core Republican supporters while minimizing his exposure in states with competitive congressional races where his polarizing presence could help motivate Democrats as well as independents and moderate Republicans," The New York Times' Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin report. "Mr. Trump's appearance Tuesday in Nashville was an example of how he plans, for now, to campaign where he can have an immediate
effect because of his ability to either fund-raise or draw local news media attention."

Next stops include North Dakota, Montana, Missouri, Indiana and West Virginia. Democrats are defending a seat in each of those states, all of which the president won in 2016. The plan "does not include immediate plans to go to Florida, Michigan, Nevada or Ohio, although those states could be added to the president's itinerary as the November contests draw closer ... and his schedule is likely to fill out with well over a dozen stops each month," they write. "White House officials, who have pushed to keep Mr. Trump from getting involved in primary races, said that the focus on the six red states before primaries have taken place will give him a chance to bloody the Democrats there while
Republicans are still settling on their nominees." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010967a2f0a42677b557d92b5629f313fc9f928015a62b7244a2dac9dc3769c76f568c4180863966a0b0e

Related: "Trump's new midterm strategy: Outrage," by Matthew Nussbaum and Christopher Cadelago: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010969742ac7d330bb073b54bdc1c95632fad7769e32b246b36a87a320f8452ba5f868d506864f58f0b19 and "Trump to appear at fundraiser for allied super PAC," from Alex Isenstadt: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010966da18ac3a209eaf4537ad7aa85da7208094cc224407851a3a49796bdaff42fba31a03eee5170cfe7

OUTNUMBERED -- California Republicans are now outnumbered by independents as the second-largest voting bloc in the state. "Political Data Inc. on Tuesday released its latest count showing that voters registered with no party preference now outnumber Republicans by about 73,000 in California," The Sacramento Bee's Alexei Koseff reports. "The company regularly collects raw voter files from county registrars to maintain an updated database of the state's 19 million voters." The California GOP says the numbers are no surprise. "[N]o party preference doesn't mean voters are becoming Democrats, and we will continue to reach out to all voters," a spokesman said. Paul Mitchell, vice president of
Political Data Inc., also noted, "Registration numbers don't beget turnout numbers." "This is merely one metric," Mitchell said. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010964e82bc98896135fd5acb05fc54db5aee3b1ae1ce5fe3d3636da628560a4ce4b06e249378925082b5

Related read: "California Democrats agonize over House primaries," per Elena Schneider: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe8362001096a16d9cda056c1cb91fc1d3d31946ddd1718190e2d275dc0d15cbae8bb5af41e6aeb787dc239f9ee6

GOWDY SIDES WITH FBI -- House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said last week's DOJ briefing convinced him that the FBI's information-gathering steps were appropriate when the agency deployed an informant to gather information from Trump advisers during the 2016 election. "Gowdy's comments are a significant pushback against the president and his allies who have contended that the FBI's use of an informant amounted to explosive political proof that the Obama administration embedded a spy in his campaign -- an accusation that hasn't been backed up by any available evidence," Kyle reports. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe8362001096367c260ff8d03e18cdcabd07d46ebed348d5465615b8ec8b79d632009df6304fb7ccc31921f90282

BLACK BLAMES PORN FOR SCHOOL SHOOTINGS -- Pornography is to blame for school shootings, Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), who is running for governor, told local pastors in a meeting last week. "It's available on the shelf when you walk in the grocery store," she said. "Yeah, you have to reach up to get it, but there's pornography there. All of this is available without parental guidance. I think that is a big part of the root cause."

"Black didn't clarify what it is about porn that she thinks is leading to school massacres," HuffPost's Jennifer Bendery reports. For her part, Black also attributed the rise of school shootings to "the 'deterioration of the family,' mental illness and violent movies," Bendery adds. "Contrary to Black's take, experts say poor social, economic and cultural conditions are primary drivers of gun violence. Enacting policies to improve those conditions for people, along with reducing access to firearms, would go a long way in stemming mass shootings, they say." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010966a8bf85947330b7f33998a2fbd3119c5058f6a1e8c678840f7abc963fb1386e40fcb01b085796d2a

HAWLEY CREDITS GREITENS FOR FINALLY STEPPING DOWN -- Josh Hawley, Missouri's state attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, said Republican Gov. Eric Greitens "has done the right thing" by announcing his resignation. Hawley, who is running to unseat incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) had called on Greitens to resign in April. Republicans, however, had feared Greitens' refusal to resign would gift McCaskill another Senate term, much like Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" comment in 2012. "Greitens is confronting a swirling legislative and criminal investigation into his conduct," Alex Isenstadt notes, "inquiries that have spanned from invasion of privacy charges involving a former
mistress, to possible campaign finance violations, to alleged misuse of a charity for political donor purposes." More on Greitens: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe8362001096099bf28aca9553c126c72bc195cedbec6d98aed7a9f839c38d16c3e2ce7b87936379378dd3260e12

CHAFEE PASSES ON RHODE ISLAND REMATCH -- Lincoln Chafee was "90 percent there" in April. Now he's at zero, not 100. After teasing a likely Rhode Island rematch against incumbent Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who unseated Chafee -- then a Republican -- in 2006, the former Rhode Island lawmaker suggested the "uphill climb" to unseat Whitehouse in a Democratic primary this year is too steep for his liking. The gap isn't insurmountable, Chafee said, but is indicative "of how much resources are going to be required -- the steeper the climb, the more resources are needed." His absence leaves GOP state Sen. Bobby Nardolillo and former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Flanders as theonly
candidates running to unseat Whitehouse. The candidate filing deadline is June 27, and the state's primary is Sept. 12. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe836200109674d0534147e67f5de3a9a34cb2c5441e464958e803ba2f693736a285f2534cefb5d75426e7e1db14

Chafee told GoLocalProv: "Two of my favorite sayings are, 'Fortune favors the bold' and 'Discretion is the better part of valor.' The latter is true as to my plans. I will not be seeking elective office in 2018." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=c1cafe83620010965828021549bdd90f642e8129c344c6212fbab34b019ebc263cf9dfbcdec01e30040f995eaca0d8d9

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

TUESDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Jayson Spiegel was first to correctly guess that Grover Cleveland is the only president to become married for the first time after getting elected -- and to the youngest first lady ever.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Jayson: Which one-time New York congressman was killed in action in World War I and was also the highest ranking West Point graduate killed in the war? 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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