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04/10/2017 07:58 AM EDT


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

With an assist from Burgess Everett

TODAY: Lawmakers kick off a two-week recess, the first extended break back home for members since February. What to watch: What reaction will voters have to the House GOP's failed effort to repeal Obamacare? How will Republicans (and Democrats) spin the fiasco? Will all the talk at town halls and other district events focus on Obamacare or will other issues rise to the surface?

-All eyes will be on elections for two open House seats once comfortably held by Republicans: The race to replace CIA Director Mike Pompeo in Kansas will be decided tomorrow. Nervous Republicans are pouring last-minute support into a district President Donald Trump carried by double digits. And the Georgia primary to fill HHS Secretary Tom Price's old seat is next week. Democratic newcomer Jon Ossoff could pull off an upset after raising an astounding $8.3 million. More on both below.

-Neil Gorsuch will be sworn in today, starting with a private ceremony with Chief Justice John Roberts. Justice Anthony Kennedy will do the public swearing in the Rose Garden at 11 a.m. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will both attend. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is in Kentucky, his spokesman said. And Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is also not attending, although he and Gorsuch spoke Friday, according to a spokeswoman.

CRUZIN' TO KANSAS - Sen. Ted Cruz will be in Wichita today stumping for Kansas Republican candidate Ron Estes ahead of tomorrow's election. Cruz's rally is just one of several last-minute efforts by Republicans to gin up GOP support in the normally solid GOP district. The NRCC and Congressional Leadership Fund are both spending money there; Vice President Mike Pence recorded a robocall in support of Estes; and House Speaker Paul Ryan made a personal fundraising request. The Kansas City Star: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f99780c667ee89b140f236aa563e1aba4ba6533ca4dd289a469756cd8ed76e28ca9129bc2dede7fe9f0d

We're just saying: GOP operatives tried to downplay the last-minute flurry of activity but Pompeo's old seat has been held by a Republican for more than two decades now and Trump carried the district by 27 points.

SPEAKING OF CRUZ, the Texas Republican is sitting on a $5 million war chest as he prepares to fend off a challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke (and others, potentially) next year. Burgess has the details this morning: Cruz "raised about $1.7 million in the first three months of this year across his Senate reelection campaign, his political action committee and the Ted Cruz Victory Committee. He now has $5.2 million across those three committees, and $4.8 million of that is in his Senate reelect account." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f99720bbf8ecede38d87243d802063c00faca6a0f366fd535c56f391b2c7dc889a46518cb39c996cf09c

THE TRUMP IMPACT - The race to fill the seat left vacant by HHS Secretary Tom Price provides an early look at just how Trump's upending of the Republican party could be felt for years to come. "Republicans are casting themselves more as can-do pragmatists in the spirit of Mr. Trump than unwavering ideologues," Jonathan Martin reports from Atlanta. At a recent debate, few of the Republican candidates "embraced the Tea Party moniker. And none of the highest-polling candidates pledged to join the Freedom Caucus." The New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f997ad0e40c18b12dc83848c0632a106a057dfa4da0498ede1ae18fbec8c8d4821ab809be590224af19e

THE GOP CONFERENCE IN A QUOTE: "I don't know that the Lord himself could unite our caucus," said Rep. Mike Simpson, via the AP's Alan Fram.

PREMIERING TODAY: AD TARGETS REPEAL BACKERS - GOP moderates who flirted with supporting the GOP Obamacare repeal will face an unwelcome greeting back home starting today: attack ads. "Save My Care, a coalition of left-leaning health care advocacy groups fighting to keep Obamacare, is launching a seven-figure TV ad buy in seven competitive House districts across the country," Kyle reports this morning.

Who's on the target list: Reps. Darrell Issa, Martha McSally, Mike Coffman and Carlos Curbelo and David Valadao, all Republicans sitting in Clinton-won districts, as well as GOP Reps. Brian Mast and Tom MacArthur. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f99793bd99f29773c8d9210e277390861dfb21be1e1b2ed95cb4745a245e7d3bc9ce94a9519307ae24d3

HAPPY MONDAY Y'ALL. Welcome to April 10 and thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Austin and Kyle's story about the Syria strikes dividing Congress was the winner.

THE FAILED PUSH TO SAVE THE FILIBUSTER - A group of centrist senators made a last minute push to save the Supreme Court filibuster in the days leading up to last week's historic rules change. The negotiations included secret talks spearheaded by Sens. Chris Coons and Susan Collins. But the effort ultimately failed, proving the "gap between the two parties was too broad and mistrust too baked in after 15 years of nomination wars," Burgess and Seung Min report. The behind-the-curtain read: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f9972c38e4f78c29f40ec99f02cf89d5e9447cef0f8f6b95d256bd81b7bbb12c1a876d2f3e67a28716eb

#NoRegrets: McConnell, meanwhile, was in a jovial mood Friday, ditching his normally dour expression for a big smile. "I smile all the time," he told Seung Min and Burgess in an interview. "I've got to have this dour expression" publicly, he joked, "to keep you guys off balance."

McConnell, who offered no remorse for triggering the nuclear option to secure Gorsuch's confirmation, said he hopes the Senate gets "back to normal" after the Easter recess. "It's been kind of a rough start to this administration. It's nice to have a success. And I know [Trump] feels good about it."

Make a note: "I will say I think this has nothing to do with the fundamental character of the Senate," McConnell said of the SCOTUS rules change. "I don't know whether you guys have written that or not. But it's not true. The essence of the Senate is the legislative filibuster." SMK and Burgess with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f997408948a12d6fd31b5ed22919ffa7988306088b303b2b4c56f8af00a03dcea3bf2b7e4ab558552b72

Related: Senate Democrats have no regrets when it comes to the filibuster fight either, Elana reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f99755ac7fb9bd36826dd2004ba4be5616bc945b70017b67bed45a41f3cab4559bff4820a2a4515083eb

BACK ON TRACK - House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff said he thinks the panel is back on track in its Russia probe after chairman Devin Nunes announced he was stepping aside. "We have exchanged witness lists. I think we're largely in agreement with those witness lists," Schiff told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday. "We're also discussing moving forward in terms of our committee hearings. So, you know, I can happily report that I think we are back to where we were before the whole White House excursion."

RUBIO VS. TILLERSON, ROUND TWO - Sen. Marco Rubio's ongoing war of words with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson intensified over the weekend with the Florida senator criticizing the former oil executive for what he says is a boneheaded approach to the Middle East. Tillerson on Sunday maintained that the Trump administration's policy is to first defeat ISIS and then stabilize Syria. But Rubio sharply disagreed. "There is no such thing as Assad, yes, but ISIS, no," Rubio said Sunday on ABC. Tillerson lands in Russia tomorrow for his first trip to the country as a Trump Cabinet official.

-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley also weighed in on Syria over the weekend and sounded a lot more in line with Rubio, saying a Syrian regime change is necessary. Sergio Bustos and Marc Caputo with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f9972e3be3ac353bec9ecfbbc5f440685e42a353e40c33e024380fb3ace2c7f535bf57ffaf8616c1c65d

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE - Republicans never knew how much they loved Barack Obama until he left them. Three months into Trump's presidency and without a major victory to hang their hat on aside from Gorsuch's confirmation, Republicans are left without their Democratic scapegoat. "Clearly, President Obama gave us a common focus," said Rep. Frank Lucas. "Now that he's gone, we have to govern." Rachael, Kyle and Elana with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f99741e206b7f9d9a828fce4493ed444c7fa7d03dd56e7b25e9c6a620e702070d6b88bbc69cc3ce9cbbb

TWEET DU JOUR: Rep. Steve King (@SteveKingIA): @RealDonaldTrump Steve Bannon is the lynchpin to your energized base. Conservatives are an endangered species in your White House.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter is running for governor of the Centennial State, he announced Sunday, becoming the latest lawmaker to ditch his House seat for greener pastures, Mark Matthews reports for the Denver Post.

-The race to replace Perlmutter in the House is already starting: "Democrats have carried the district by double digits at the presidential level during Perlmutter's time in Congress. But before that, it was represented by former GOP Rep. Bob Beauprez, and Republicans believe a talented candidate could make a hard run at the seat," Elena Schneider reports. More for Pros: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f997deeebf47c5bbb0331eef9f1b0ff459507adcbd635dfdaad79a67c88b0917d214744466c6c03740f2

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' - House Democrats' campaign arm is moving senior staffers to Orange County in hopes of flipping seven seats currently held by Republicans, the L.A. Times reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f997d2a633a48559426876184167ff4766e7ee8e5280946dd22f1e759931e8412a9cf4ae6cb8a5fe91ce

McCONNELL CONFIRMS ROMNEY CHAT - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed Friday he's chatted with Mitt Romney about running for Senate if Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch decides to step aside. "Obviously, I'm an Orrin Hatch supporter. And Orrin has to decide what he wants to do. If he wants to run again, I'm for him," McConnell said. Hatch told Elana on Friday that for now, he's still planning to run for an eighth term in 2018. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a3e0a0e885f0f997d501bd3b14e5ed18e644d23a2f128697649bbae12bcecdb09158d420c26454b63b14f787a8c595df

ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES - Longtime Pat Toomey communications director E.R. Anderson has started in the comms and government relations department as the HR Policy Association. Kasia Mulligan is the Pennsylvania senator's new top spokeswoman.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House and Senate are out.

THE GLOBAL POLITICO - TRUMP'S MEDIA WAR: After President Trump called her "Hillary Clinton's P.R. Person," NBC's Andrea Mitchell has some choice words for him too. In an exclusive interview for The Global Politico, Mitchell says "I've never seen anything like" the flat-out lies of the Trump White House, with the briefing room being used to "mislead or misdirect or obfuscate." Listen and subscribe on iTunes | Soundcloud | Stitcher

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Russell Thomasson was the first to guess that the Senate adopted rules to limit the filibuster in 1917, known as Rule 22, requiring two-thirds majority to end debate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also guessed correctly, wasn't far behind.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - In honor of National Sibling Day, what sibling pair holds the record for serving together in Congress the longest? Bonus: How many years did these two serve together? 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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