EMAIL DETAILS

02/01/2016 08:49 AM EDT


By Rachael Bade (rbade@politico.com or @RachaelMBade)

ALL EYES (AND HEADLINES) ON IOWA. Sorry, Congress - but there are about two news stories following you this morning. And while Huddle typically tries to tune out the 2016 election chatter and focus on the Hill in our daily roundup, doing so today is simply not possible. Everyone's atwitter about the first-in-the-nation voting state's caucuses, which start at 7 p.m. in Iowa tonight. The big question: Can Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton capitalize on their narrow leads to claim victory, solidifying themselves as their party frontrunners? Or will Sens. Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders leap from behind and throw the entire race further into a chaotic wind whirl of unpredictability. The first votes
will finally tell us if the polls this election cycle have been spot on... or full of bull.

Establishment candidates on dangerous grounds: Trip Gabriel for the New York Times has more from Des Moines: "Iowa, widely derided for being unlike the rest of the United States, was supposed to be irrelevant this year as the presidential race became nationalized - thanks to widely viewed televised debates and the rise of social media. But as the Iowa caucuses loom on Monday... the state's voters are poised to play perhaps their most significant role ever... their embrace of candidates on the ideological fringes has amplified a national grass-roots rebellion against establishment politicians. Both Democrats and Republicans have seen their presumptive nominees of a year ago - deeply
experienced, proven political leaders - brushed aside by Iowans in favor of idol-smashing outsiders." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd9283e1a9266ceae140f8918b83e33ff190e4aae1e831a1fc

"10 questions that will be answered by Iowa Caucuses." Jennifer Jacobs for the Des Moines Register (the first five): "1. Will Trump crush his competition, or will he lose to Cruz and risk being branded a loser? Will Clinton feel the Bern from Iowa again, or is the Sanders phenomena just sound and fury? ...2. Will the celebrity-centric television coverage of this race trump the traditional fundamentals of an on-the-ground organizational advantage?... 3. Will the media overplay the importance of 'three tickets out of Iowa?' ...4. Will a logistics or results snafu happen, and how bad will it be?... 5. If the Democratic results are close, does someone play the 'popular vote should win' card?"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8eddf1151d02173caefbe0f3fe28e5da1bdcf6700a8889a75cfc

"How Trump Did It: It looks improvisational but he planned this run for years, making pipe dream look like prophesy. " POLITICO's Eli Stokols and Ben Schreckinger: "Not apologizing has only bolstered a candidate who appeals to voters fed up with political correctness and establishment niceties... Trump's most outrageous comments have baited his opponents into reactions he has strategically exploited." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd1c986dc4c772b8dce959f906c43e403d1b7564b4df9b5ea5

SANDERS TO JOIN "MOGUL," "ELI," & "EVERGREEN." You'll probably notice this when he's back on the Hill in a few days, but Bernie Sanders is getting Secret Service protections in his bid for the White House, Fox News' Ed Henry reported over the weekend. The Hill writes that he's the fourth such candidate: Donald Trump is code name "mogul" for his wealthy businessman status; Ben Carson, code name "Eli" for his constant focus on the Bible; and of course Hillary Clinton, code name "Evergreen." First person to learn Sanders' code name gets a shout in Huddle this week (email: rbade@politico.com). http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edda68c92866f0d2001e18601fc409fc9d202924a2488b86a0d

CAUCUS MONDAY. IT'S FEB. 1, 2016. Thanks for reading Huddle, where it's getting harder and harder to find Congress news during election year. We're in the Big Apple today and tomorrow but will be following you pros from afar. Send news, good stories and midtown Manhattan restaurant recommendations, here: rbade@politico.com, or Tweet: @RachaelMBade.

TODAY IN CONGRESS: The House returns from Snowzilla break for 6:30 p.m. votes. Senate is out until tomorrow.

AROUND THE HILL: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy hosts a pen and pad at 1 p.m. At 2 p.m., chief deputy whip Patrick McHenry, also the vice chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is co-hosting a 'fintech' roundtable on finance and technology with 1776. Other members slated to attend, per the release: Reps. Mimi Walters, Elise Stefanik, Steve Stivers, Carlos Curbelo and Kevin Yoder.

FINALLY, SOME CONGRESS NEWS--

BOEHNER'S SECRET STASH - "John Boehner heads into post-Speaker life with $2.7 million in political cash." Paul Kane for the Post: "John A. Boehner may be gone from elective office, but the former House speaker headed into the political afterlife with more than $2.7 million in leftover political cash that he will use to remain active in helping his former colleagues in the Capitol. According to filings from the Ohio Republican that were posted Sunday evening, Boehner's three political committees have left him with a large amount of cash that he will use to continue supporting Republican congressional candidates for years to come."

"It means that the largest, most sophisticated fundraising operation ever employed by a congressional leader will slowly fade away, rather than coming to an abrupt halt after he left the House floor on Oct. 29 after 25 years in office... David Schnittiger, Boehner's former deputy chief of staff who is serving as his spokesman, said the former speaker will continue to help politically, just at a much reduced scale from the past five years, when some months he spent more time on the road raising campaign cash for colleagues than he did in Washington or southwestern Ohio. Schnittiger, who now works at Squire Patton Boggs, said Boehner held a fund-raising event for several members in January
and has a few more planned for the spring." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edda0fea5033ddd697d1cddc626b2677216ef3668ed799de641

DEMOCRATS SEE OWN VULNERABILITY IN NATIONAL SECURITY VOTERS. Lauren French scoops in Baltimore: "Threats from Islamic extremists have put national security at the forefront of the 2016 election - and that could be potentially devastating for House Democrats, a senior lawmaker has warned colleagues. Rep. Steve Israel, the New York lawmaker charged with campaign messaging for House Democrats, told colleagues during a closed-door briefing last week that Democrats poll significantly behind Republicans on national security - by as much as 23 percentage points... That poll analyzing the gap between Democrats and Republicans is from Gallup in 2014 - during the height of the Ebola scare - but
Israel said during an interview here that he believes it would be equally bad for his party now, in the wake of the Paris and Southern http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8eddaf1c656911673385054973ef9cbfcfe75b6c97f4cbacb19b

"THE CONGRESSWOMAN WHO LIVED IN A GAS STATION." Rebekah L. Sanders of The Arizona Republic with the profile of the day: "U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema's journey from sleeping in a vacant service station to holding a Ph.D., law license and office on Capitol Hill has become a staple of the fast-rising Arizona Democrat's biography. And she's telling it to anyone who will listen as she works to fortify her hold on a key swing House district that could pave her way to the Senate."

"But questions about its authenticity have persisted. Political opponents have attempted to debunk it. A Washington Post profile questioned her skeptically but came to no conclusion. Sinema had not provided corroboration, including when asked by The Republic. And always there loomed the question: If a gas station did shelter her family, could it be found in Florida's backcountry more than three decades after shutting down?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd139f06ff055eb47dc88d0ccb2122c8d6860b14dd02310ecc

"THE FREQUENT-FLYER U.S. CONGRESS." We all knew Congress was doing less work than in previous decades, but today Reuters' Susan Cornwell and Megan Cassella break it down with anecdotes and statistics: "Anyone seeking a table at Carmine's Italian restaurant near Capitol Hill on a Tuesday or Wednesday needs to battle a mid-week crush of Congress members and their staff. But Mondays are far quieter -- just like the floor of Congress. There are usually around nine events on a Monday, compared to as many as 30 on a midweek day, says Kelly Fitzgerald, Carmine's director of special events and catering. The mid-week crunch at Carmine's underscores a trend: members of the U.S. Congress have been
spending fewer days working in Washington since the late 2000s, according to a Reuters review of congressional records going back 18 years. Lawmakers increasingly try to cram their legislative work into the middle of the week in Washington and then rush back home."

"Their absence from the capital reinforces the effects of a deepening partisan divide in recent years that has led to high-profile deadlocks over legislation previously seen as routine, according to some former lawmakers and political analysts. Under pressure to spend more time in their home constituencies, often fund-raising for campaigns, members have less time to attend debates and mingle with other lawmakers....In 2015, the first year of a two-year Congress, the House of Representatives put in 130 working days, the Reuters review found. Compared with the first years of recent Congresses, that number has declined steadily since 2007, when the House worked 153 days -- the high since
1998." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd5bcf73d7ba68250fd0dc9cc8eb4e3f660ec4ec5ea0af142e

COMING TODAY: LIZ CHENEY EYES WYOMING HOUSE SEAT. After an unsuccessful and short-lived bid to take down Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi in 2013, Liz Cheney is eyeing the chamber across the Rotunda. Announcement with dad, Dick Cheney, expected Monday. AP: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edddf3f27d9336b434cb1dc39d414956b4857595a1f05e47877

REP. REID RIBBLE RETIRING. The Wisconsin Republican and avid Green Bay Packer fan announced Saturday that he's out the door at the end of the year, retiring at the close of his sixth term in office. Congress editor Mike Zapler has the read: "The 59-year-old lawmaker had vowed not to serve more than four terms when he was first elected in 2010. Ribble, who owned and operated a roofing company for three decades before running for office, said he wanted to spend more time with his family and return to the private sector." The quote: "I feel very fortunate to have a strong marriage, grown children, and three wonderful grandchildren. I want to dedicate more time to them," Ribble wrote in a
statement. "I've always said elected office shouldn't be a career. I come from the private sector and am anxious to return to it and to a more private life." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd9f873f3247ffe6ff9237f0bb8244a5961342e905eae9d51d

COM DIRECTOR DEPARTURE LOUNGE. A trio of communications directors are leaving the Hill or swapping offices: Sen. Ben Cardin's Adam Sharon is leaving the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to open a D.C. office for a national public affairs firm, per a Friday email: "A tremendous thank you to Senator Menendez and Senator Cardin is in order. Serving on the Committee is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am so appreciative for the time I spent here... What a ride!"

Joining him leaving the Hill is James Owen, Rep. Louise Slaughters' com director on House Rules, who's headed for NARAL Pro-Choice America "to coordinate message and strategy as the head of their states communications shop." And Rep. Steve Israel's com director Caitlin Girouard is starting with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney on Monday: "I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such a great team in New York, DC, and the DPCC, and I am so glad I was able to be a part of Rep. Israel's last term in office!" she wrote in an email last week.

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER. Dennis Muxlow was the first to answer that Sen. Joe Manchin also served as the West Virginia Secretary of State and in the West Virginia Senate and the West Virginia House of Delegates. He was first elected in 1982.

TODAY'S TRIVIA: Comes from Andrew Smith: Many presidents and vice presidents served in the military, but name the first pair that served together without military experience. Email rbade@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says 'Sign Up.' http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd693339035cc9dc473fee7c105167eb9aed717b26bbded257

To view online:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edde4d350d3ad6f31587fcce453832d0936bfb44edd5505e3a4
To change your alert settings, please go to http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd63fd90f5bfe8cf6d0cb0ec71db7850b6689747e87a82ff6c or http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=53c75b74477c8edd7214be85bfc864c9e2db9c082d0e100226d6607f6e3c749aThis email was sent to Hbiden@rosemontseneca.com by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA


To unsubscribe,http://www.politico.com/_unsubscribe?e=00000152-9d18-da40-a55f-9d5c2b780000&u=0000014e-f0fe-dd93-ad7f-f8fffbc40000&s=d6382ea7a1eea4487709d6f5b5beca73cc1aa4e92bcaaec122389d855a81566f14ce3f1ec2e015dac8686e88570c085146dd8bf3dbbd84392267b7a31641e8f1