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04/17/2017 07:52 AM EDT


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

THE FINAL PUSH IN THE PEACH STATE - Welcome back Huddle readers. We're rounding out Easter recess so things are quiet on Capitol Hill. The big story this week: What happens in Georgia's 6th District, where Democrats are hoping for an outright upset in Tuesday's election for the long-time GOP seat. Meanwhile, Republicans are praying they get enough votes to deny Democratic frontrunner Jon Ossoff a majority and force him into a June runoff.

"Fractious Georgia Republicans tried to unite behind a 'stop Jon Ossoff' movement ahead of Tuesday's special election ... [But] Republicans face a daunting enthusiasm gap in the 18-candidate race to represent the 6th District, and the leading GOP contenders have spent the final days feuding with each other." Greg Bluestein reports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1dc038fa755cea290a5e02c23754c4e0c2b0522c15b636be5f48f98064ed80ea47fb8038b0b8766ac8

The district has been blanketed with $14 million worth of ads and there's been a massive get-out-the-vote effort by candidates in the crowded race, Elena Schneider and Steve Shepard report. "The overlapping and competing efforts are hitting some voters over and over again - sometimes simultaneously."

It's the GOTV "equivalent of London after the Blitz"' said Dan McLagan, consultant for candidate Dan Moody, a former state senator. More for Pros: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1df71172fadffbdfaba5c6f85c8785de9e65f67ae79d2696bc7ec2a3b8896db6c793142b9310ad3f9b

From POLITICO Magazine: "Demographic changes in the Atlanta suburbs are the very thing that makes a Democratic win in this historically Republican district even conceivable, but at times Ossoff had seemed unsure how to seize the opportunity." Rebecca Burns: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d92f8df814c90f5f1a6e776e52dd2c145edf42449a77f114281a507afe6057a88a16d0ea630b0237e

Trump tweets: "The recent Kansas election (Congress) was a really big media event, until the Republicans won. Now they play the same game with Georgia-BAD!" President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday night.

Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized Democrats for not spending enough in the Kansas special election last week, where Democrat James Thompson lost by six points in a district Trump easily won in November. "It is true that the Democratic Party should have put more resources into that election," Sanders said on CNN Sunday.

Sanders and DNC Chairman Tom Perez kick off a multi-state tour this week, focusing on Republican-leaning areas. Kevin Robillard: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1de6b886550b218fcd310095669a47d179e640acf8431f6bf6c5e9777e84af00d664c810cc2985dc1a

WELL, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED HERE? Republicans are finding few friends back home during recess, instead being greeted by throngs of furious liberal constituents. POLITICO sent reporters to nearly a dozen town halls in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Oregon, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Four key takeaways:

-GOP opponents of the Obamacare repeal bill are more dug in than ever: "Across all factions of the divided Republican Conference, lawmakers found one common way to generate applause from a hostile crowd: criticize the AHCA."

-House GOP infighting is noticed beyond the Beltway: Voters in districts far beyond the confines of Washington are aware of the House Freedom Caucus and the moderate Tuesday Group, pinging their representatives with questions about potential membership.

-Republicans are better at handling hostile crowds: This time around, lawmakers "phoned in local police, imposed new security measures and tightened attendance availability, and it worked, to an extent."

-Taking on Trump is a winner: "If Republicans were ever in need of a lifeline, challenging the president worked wonders in just about every town hall."

Kyle and Rachael report, with contributions from Victoria Colliver, Daniel Ducassi, Sarah Karlin-Smith, Renuka Rayasam, Elana Schor and Josefa Velasquez: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1dadde6f0c25e5fa3dcd64d50cd52c29beb2aeaba98007a560e6a9fbda470f2176d45a414b475a3dd3

WALKING THE TRUMP TIGHTROPE - Sen. Sherrod Brown is known as a liberal stalwart. But as Ohio's only statewide-elected Democrat, he also knows he'll have to win over some Trump voters to hang onto his Senate seat next year.

"That doesn't mean Brown is turning into a Trump cheerleader," Elana reports from Toledo. But Brown is "building relationships with a Trump administration that most fellow Democrats have turned on, and with the kind of steps a restive liberal base might view as treachery by another member of their party." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d6d1e8b691cace395e4c93befd194d28b17cae600cfc695800ed4d60a38aafeed901ead1a440b6e1b

WELCOME TO MONDAY, APRIL 17, Y'ALL. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Your Huddle host is back from a whirlwind weekend down in the Big Easy and ready to kick off the last week of recess.

FUNDING BILL FUN - "Bipartisan negotiators in the House and Senate are narrowing in on a final agreement that would continue to pour government dollars into Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act -- two entities despised by conservatives -- while not providing much, if any, money for Trump's much-touted wall on the border with Mexico." The latest on the spending bill negotiations, from CNN's Ted Barrett and Manu Raju: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d840426635c85d52d10295789c28053190549148594fab899861b5c24b42cae03e2f9643f121441be

CONGRESSIONAL COLD SHOULDER - Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been getting the cold shoulder from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell since February, when he infamously silenced her on the chamber's floor during Jeff Sessions' attorney general confirmation. "I've spoken to him, but he has not spoken to me," Warren told the Boston Globe. "I say hello to Mitch every chance I get, and he turns his head." Victoria McGrane: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d95cea6768c1c6169b4a56b4b46914ebaa7dea3d840d2ee32a35413d39902f2a2eefce19f1d67dac7

Warren wouldn't outright label what happened with McConnell as sexist, but did say this on CBS Sunday Morning: "All I can say is, the next day, four men stood up and read exactly the same letter, and they all got to finish," she said. The Huffington Post's Marina Fang: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d676a9f4fe6cdb525a865928dbc4d8660880d665f4c407fc5f05b3c1ede7ec828f011fb60592c45d9

DHS CHIEF TO CONGRESS: Immigration is your problem to fix - Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly defended the administration's effort to beef up it's immigration enforcement efforts by hiring thousands of new federal agents, saying if Congress doesn't like what is going on, they can change it. "I would argue, Chuck, that we have to straighten this out," Kelly told NBC's Chuck Todd on Meet the Press about the current immigration system.

"And I place that squarely on the United States Congress. It's a hugely complex series of laws, and I engage the Hill quite a bit and get an earful about what I should do and what I shouldn't do. But it all comes down to the law, doesn't it?" Kevin: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d70146866d0951b3926203ca2c203e1ad5ca8e6f97434011b862f512d4aa75ca7d8590e8ae6baf21a

PROFILES DU JOUR: Philadelphia Rep. Bob Brady - Holly Otterbein profiles the Philly lawmaker and long-time head of the city's Democratic Party: "In a single day, [Brady] uses the word 'friend' 41 times, describing U.S. presidents, governors, journalists, Mummers, block captains, ward leaders and average Joes. ...One person he decidedly does not call friend is Senator Bernie Sanders, whom he writes off as 'not a nice man,' 'rigid,' and promising 'things that he can no way in hell deliver.'" Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d4414094a963cdb10cdd4a5f06fa3d0aaf72f88980d3133e7ba890c2a284657e76d6409964229a855

** A message from Business Roundtable: Create, Grow, Sustain: Delivering Shared Success - Explore how companies are promoting sustainable practices in their U.S. and global operations in "Create, Grow, Sustain: Delivering Shared Success." Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the report highlights how America's largest companies make sustainable business investment a priority in supporting economic growth and job creation. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1de8b1dadc461c4d672d7af15fed2e2e6e920a694547720368f6ade85eb5276f393c382806f7657a6c **

Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, and the accidental spotlight he finds himself in after being asked to take over the House Intel investigation on Russia: "Mr. Conaway has never been under the glare of national scrutiny. ...a former high school football star in an area where there are few stronger credentials, is more accustomed to playing the role of hero." Conaway was part of the 1965 championship-winning team at the high school that would eventually inspire "Friday Night Lights."

Quote du jour: "He played at Odessa Permian," said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. "It's like being Jesus in Nazareth." Emmarie Huetteman for the New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1de89cf3bc3d4491cc9ce7209c320c2fe8cb10482ef65b895a82c37d77057b6960b7b0f85264971179

WILL SHE RUN? All signs point 83-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein running for reelection next year, the San Francisco Chronicle reports: "On Thursday, Feinstein gathered 25 of her longtime supporters at the Fairmont Hotel for a re-election fundraiser. ...[And] in what is looking more and more like a campaign kickoff, Feinstein will host a town hall meeting before an expected 1,000 constituents Monday." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d8a942a062989f0f95ab7e35cf43d152a16764a2edc5c05396db00d821fd08949e2f467d388f37ffa

DEFENSE IS SOMETIMES THE BEST OFFENSE - American Action Network is putting down $5 million to defend Republican lawmakers who back the Obamacare repeal effort, Kevin Robillard reports. The effort by the group aligned with House GOP leadership is meant to counteract attacks from conservative groups like Club for Growth, who have gone after moderates for supporting the failed bill. More for Pros: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0e8914259da62c1d4d443c2d197c12c67e7abdc73f8625815195e5104985caff4597d9c914bedb4152aba674259ecc9d

THE GLOBAL POLITICO PODCAST: MACHIAVELLI IN THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE: Michael Anton wrote inflammatory essays backing Trump during last year's campaign. Now he's in charge of explaining Trump's keep-em-guessing foreign policy at Trump's NSC.

In an exclusive interview with Susan Glasser's Global POLITICO podcast, Anton talks Syria, North Korea, Steve Bannon - and the virtues of Trump's unpredictability. Not to mention who's best dressed in the White House, and why his intellectual hero Machiavelli would approve of the president. iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House meets in a pro forma session at 11 a.m. The Senate meets in a pro forma session at 4:30 p.m.

OFF THE HILL - Senate EPW ranking member Tom Carper and Sen. Ben Cardin hold a press conference on the importance of preserving federal funding to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. The press avail starts at 10 a.m. at Hemingway's Restaurant in Stevensville, Md.

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Dawson Hobbs was the first to guess that Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller were the two vice presidents who took office following a majority vote in Congress.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Austin with today's question: Two days before Christmas one year, a future U.S. president was forced to pawn off one of his possessions to afford presents for his family. Name the president, the possession and the amount of money he got for it.

The first person to correctly answer gets a shout out in tomorrow's Huddle. And don't forget, send suggestions for trivia questions my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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