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By Lauren French (@laurennfrench or
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lfrench@politico.com )

With assists from Burgess Everett, Seung Min Kim and Anna Palmer

HAPPENING TODAY ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS, ELECTIONS & KEYSTONE: It's a busy day back in the Capitol - though all the work is focused on next Congress (or getting one of two people elected to the next Senate session). Let's start with a rundown of the elections we're going to see today.

The race for the Republican Study Committee - The RSC will elect its newest chairman this afternoon in a race that pits a conservative leader against a more establishment-backed candidate. Rep. Mick Mulvaney has the support of Rep. Jim Jordan while Majority Whip Steve Scalise is a close friend of Rep. Bill Flores. It's expected to be a tight race with both members making last-minute pitches to committee members about their vision. Mulvaney, who spoke to your Huddle author last week, said he will have spoken with nearly every RSC member between Election Day and this morning to remind them his positions and answer any lingering questions.

Flores, according a source familiar with the Texas Republican's operation, has a 34-member strong whip team, which has been meeting with all 157 voting members of the RSC. He's touting his ability to raise money for the House Conservative Fund as a top selling point, along with his vision to create a member-driven organization that espouses conservative ideas.

Democrats elect their leaders - Nancy Pelosi and the entire Democratic leadership table is up for re-election today. These leaders will face no opposition from party members - even though they have faced plenty of grumbling as of late. The election starts with breakfast at 8:50 before Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Jim Clyburn and the newly announced picks for communications and the DCCC make their pitches. The Democrats will also tinker with their bylaws to change up some names now that Pelosi made room for departing DCCC-chief Steve Israel.

And the gavel goes to..... - House Republicans had to postpone their steering committee meeting until this morning because of bad weather. The leadership team will make its recommendations today on who is the best GOP-er to wield a number of influential gavels, including House Armed Services, Ways and Means and Oversight committee - all which have contested races.

That brings us to Keystone. My colleagues Elana Schor and Darren Goode write, "The frenzy over the Keystone pipeline has come down to Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu's furious search for a 60th "yes" vote in the Senate - the culmination of a desperate week of arm-twisting by a lawmaker whose political career is on the line in the lame-duck Congress. Never mind that President Barack Obama may well veto the bill, which would approve the Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline by taking the matter out of the hands of his State Department. With Keystone apparently stuck on 59 votes - one shy of the amount needed for passage - Landrieu has turned into a one-woman Senate whip, seeking a vote set for
Tuesday night that would show her clout in oil-rich Louisiana ahead of her Dec. 6 runoff."
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VAN HOLLEN, LOWEY MAKE BIDS FOR RANKING MEMBER SPOTS. The two ranking members, on Budget and Appropriations, respectively, both announced their intentions to seek another term as the top Democrats of their committees. Rep. Nita Lowey is running uncontested for the Appropriations committee's top Democrat slot this year after running against fellow Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) for the ranking member position in 2012. The win put Lowey as the highest-ranking woman on the history of the House Appropriations Committee, the influential panel that oversees all funding for government agencies. "We face the threat of sequestration again next year, and Republicans will surely use their majorities to
push extreme and divisive spending and policy priorities that are out of step with the values of the majority of Americans," Lowey wrote in a letter to colleagues.

Van Hollen - who has been the top sparring partner for Budget Chairman Paul Ryan - said he would also seek another term when Rep. Tom Price takes the gavel. The Maryland Democrat said the upcoming budget process would focus on "national priorities." "The upcoming debate over the budget presents us with a chance to frame the choices as we confront the key question on the minds of the American people -- how do we achieve strong and sustained economic growth in a way that provides for broadly shared prosperity?," Van Hollen wrote to members.

HAPPY TUESDAY, November 18, 2014. Welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill. It might only be Tuesday but this winter weather has your Huddle author dreaming of Thanksgiving in Florida. Just a few more days and we can all ditch town - or at least work - to enjoy America's best holiday. You can always reach me at @laurennfrench on Twitter or
mailto:lfrench@politico.com
lfrench@politico.com .

** A message from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and FairReform.com: America needs comprehensive tax reform - to protect American employers and American jobs.Learn more at
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TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets at noon for legislative business with votes scheduled for between 1 and 1:30 p.m. and 5 and 6 p.m. where lawmakers will vote on a bill to reform an advisory board within the EPA. The Senate is scheduled to vote at 6:15 p.m. The class vote for incoming freshmen was rescheduled from Monday to today at 8:15 a.m. on the east front steps. House Democrats will meet at 9 a.m. to elect their leaders for the 114th Congress.

Speaker John Boehner and Republican leadership will hold a presser conference at 10 a.m. in HC-8. Sen. John Hoeven and Stephen Ayers, the architect of the Capitol, will give on update on the dome restoration project at 11 a.m. Sen. Mary Landrieu will give remarks on the Senate Vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline at 6:30 p.m. in the Senate Studio.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Carolyn Colvin, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, will discuss the future of Social Security during a 9:30 a.m. forum in the Senate Visitor's Center. The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs will hold a 1:30 p.m. hearing on the VA's technology systems. Rep. George Miller and Sen. Elizabeth Warren will discuss Walmart and income disparities at 11:30 a.m. in Room 430 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building.

DEMOCRATS VOICE ANGER WITH PELOSI. Yours truly and John Bresnahan report, "Democrats in the House have quietly grumbled about Pelosi since suffering devastating losses on Election Day, but there is a growing number of members willing to go public on their party leaders. The list of grievances - from the election losses, to routine procedures erupting into nasty fights - has shaken the confidence many Democrats hold in their leader. So while Pelosi will be unchallenged for the top House Democratic post on Tuesday during a closed-door party meeting, the incoming minority leader is about to be in the worst position with her caucus since the end of their short-lived majority in 2010."
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REPUBLICAN SOUL SEARCH TO AVOID SHUTDOWN. Jake Sherman and Manu Raju report, "Republican leaders have intensified their planning to prevent a government funding showdown, weighing legislative options that would redirect GOP anger at Barack Obama's expected action on immigration and stave off a political disaster, according to sources involved with the sessions....Increasingly, some top Republicans believe that it will be difficult to pass the year-long spending package that they originally envisioned, and are refocusing on a shorter term bill."
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LUJAN TAPPED FOR DCCC. A triple byline from Alex Isenstadt, Ken Vogel and your Huddle author, "New Mexico Rep. Ben Ray Luján has been tapped to serve as the next chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Luján, who is 42 years old and completing his third term in the House, will succeed New York Rep. Steve Israel, who is departing the committee after two cycles. Influential liberals, including union leaders and wealthy donors, reacted with a mix of surprise and mild approval to the Luján pick, which came after many of them had quietly mounted a campaign to pressure Pelosi to select Maryland Rep. Donna Edwards, a favorite of the party's progressive
wing."
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THE POLS WHO ARE GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT. Isenstadt report, "Only two weeks after a political blowout that left Democrats with their smallest House minority in over 80 years, at least a half-dozen of the party's candidates who fell short are already being courted to run again in 2016. And some of them are seriously considering it. Their thinking reflects what has become prevailing wisdom in Democratic circles: that presidential elections are as favorable to the party as midterms are punishing. Democrats who lost close races in battleground districts this year could just as easily come out on top in 2016, when the electorate is sure to be younger, more diverse and more liberal."
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RIP: BILL FRENZEL. Reuters reports on the life of Bill Frenzel, a 20-year House member from Minnesota. "Frenzel, a Minnesota native, died peacefully at his home in McLean, Virginia, with his family by his side on Monday morning, according to the Brookings Institution and the Economic Club of Minnesota, which he co-founded. During his time in Congress, representing areas outside of Minneapolis, Frenzel served as the ranking minority member on the House Budget Committee and was a leading voice for his fellow Republican."
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PUNTING RULES. Senate Republicans ran out of time last week in their leadership elections and have delayed voting on any rules changes for their conference in the majority, until December or January - whenever the GOP's freshmen are in same room again with incumbents. The most divisive such item on the agenda was the "Vitter amendment," which would force congressional staffers onto the Obamacare exchanges. Republicans are expected to vote on several other measures: A "72-hour rule" for voting on bills and amendments, prioritization of entitlement reform for their majority and elimination of what conservatives call "budget gimmicks," which would require general fund transfers for highways be
scored as new spending, among other changes.

REID CONTEMPLATES SENATE CHANGE. Burgess Everett repots, "Republicans and some Democrats have long begged Reid to loosen his grip on Senate procedure and let more senators have a say on the shape of important bills. Now he's promising to do just that on a controversial intelligence bill, but his detractors might not realize what else they've bargained for: The potential for mayhem on the Senate floor. If the Senate votes on Tuesday to advance major intelligence reform legislation, Reid will not use a procedural maneuver to block consideration of amendments to the USA Freedom Act.....The move could give senators like Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who oppose the bill, a significant platform to showcase
their opposition."
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BEGICH THROWS IT IN. James Hohmann writes, "Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich finally conceded Monday night, phoning Republican Dan Sullivan 13 days after the election to congratulate him. The most recent tally on the board of elections web site shows that the incumbent lost by 2.84 percent or about 7,700 votes."
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TRANSITIONS. Rebecca Mark joins Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers' team as the senior advisor for tech policy and women's leadership initiatives. Mark will join the House Republican Conference from Microsoft where she was the liaison between the company and House Republicans. "Rebecca's valuable relationships and significant policy experience will help us to continue moving forward on these important policy issues as we advance conservative solutions and change the culture on Capitol Hill," McMorris Rodgers said.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - John Clark was the first person to answer that after a 10-month investigation into allegations of vote fraud and campaign finance irregularities, the Senate Committee on Rules and Investigations dismissed the challenge by Louisiana State Senator Woody Jenkins in favor of Sen. Mary Landrieu.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - John has today's question. Who was the only man to serve as vice president in two different administrations? Name the VP and the presidents he served. The first person with the correct response to
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America needs comprehensive tax reform today - to protect American employers and American jobs. Learn more and find out what you can do to help at
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