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06/20/2017 07:58 AM EDT


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

IT'S ALL ABOUT GEORGIA TODAY - President Donald Trump is back on the ballot down in Georgia's 6th District today as Democrat Jon Ossoff faces off against Karen Handel in the most nationalized special election in recent memory. Democrats are hoping to pull out the win in the long-time GOP stronghold, dealing Republicans a huge symbolic blow to Trump's agenda and the GOP majority.

Republicans, meanwhile, are trying hard to hold onto the seat and prove that they can outrun their president's controversies while backing his policies at the same time. Keep in mind, Trump won the Atlanta suburbs district by less than two points in November. But the seat, held by Newt Gingrich for 20 years, hasn't been represented by a Democrat since the Carter administration.

On the ground in Marietta: Despite the race's national attention - Trump has been tweeting about it already this morning - the president's name was barely mentioned by either candidate in the final hours of campaigning. "The candidates walked a tightrope, aiming to avoid antagonizing the voters they need most," Gabriel Debenedetti reports from the Peach State. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b8ccdc02b8b96fe5aef84bc51e15d8bf086befdbfa35a9327cba1b55770fcb63add24aaebd400f3a72549b9b328b40cb4

By the numbers: Spending in the Georgia race is already over $50 million - by far, the most expensive House race in history - and could end up somewhere around $60 million when all is accounted for, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Greg Bluestein: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b662d2ee3a2f59f710de7d03d9977ee7a1a3c530d508837b9a813bbfe9f8ff08ff2013f107cc348bdf4d1360473288cba And Handel and Ossoff are deadlocked in a final poll, via AJC: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931bb9c4f4022a0b374be91d6be9acedc56637185b4dd757759dde1db6792ef07d5d3db1ae87ceeb310869ee0003327870c5

What to watch, via Elena Schneider: 1. How high will turnout be? ... 2. Does Ossoff's moderate message work well in the general election? ... 3. What impact do national figures like Trump and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (who Republicans used as a cudgel against Ossoff) have on the outcome? ... 4. Will the congressional shooting impact the vote? ... 5. How does this impact recruitments and retirements? Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b64da9338e4a5f161d6a4364c55bfc3bda0d004b8e15c21f3ec64066230d8d2f9faaaa0a139a213080c7062c22fecdf18

From the Hill: House Democrats will be paying close attention to today's election. When your Huddle host checked in with members and staffers Monday about what to expect this week, their answer was all the same: "We're watching Georgia." A Ossoff win could embolden Democrats and convince them that taking back the House in 2018 is actually a possibility. But an Ossoff loss could trigger a serious round of soul searching in the caucus about whether major changes are needed within the party to truly be competitive in battleground districts.

Don't forget about South Carolina: The race to fill OMB Director Mick Mulvaney's House seat will also be decided tonight. Republican Ralph Norman is the heavy favorite against Democrat Archie Parnell. Kevin has more for Pros: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b9db49d47ac259e4c5dbf340bf1acf5f09f888562f39ded7a7c4a5ffdbe354209bc64a30fe2871935c37e376db13d4ffb

RUSH DELIVERY: GOP PLANS REPEAL VOTE NEXT WEEK - Senate Republican leaders are planning to hold a vote on their yet-to-be-finished Obamacare repeal bill next week, likely giving members less than a week to view the consequential text before taking the big vote. The rush is strategic - leaders want to vote on the bill before senators head home for the July 4th recess. But rank-and-file members are already grumbling about the timeline. "We're going to need a significant amount of time," to review text, said Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). "More than hours." Burgess and Jen Haberkorn: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931bca5728f0b231bdd55bd99822c80b198447403bb1bad25f642388063594f4a599ab39e6bda790e25c6ef2bb002e86b791

On the flip side: As Democrats kicked off their talk-a-thon Monday night, some in their caucus questioned just how far they should go to bring the Senate to a standstill as a way to slow down GOP repeal efforts. "'I do think we need to do something to try to get some input on this crazy damn health bill that they're doing,' Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said in an interview. But Tester held back from supporting a halt to committee work starting on Tuesday: 'I don't know if that's the right thing to do. I think we should still try to be doing our business.'" Elana and Seung Min: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b6aeb002af3fdca59c76c6189625b1aa45ef159991af0d65dcd5e2967c36c12f164350e971689790de8b93696b55178e0

IVANKA TO MEET WITH RUBIO, FISCHER - Ivanka Trump will meet this morning with Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and others to discuss paid family leave, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans. "The meeting comes as the Trump administration pushes a proposal for six weeks of mandatory paid leave for mothers and fathers. That is an unpopular proposal with many in a Republican-controlled Congress, but the idea has gained traction among more moderate members." Ian Kullgren and Seung Min with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931bb8a778c8248c06fd54bda7381d967c041df4e501e6b0062675c0ef5a6914aaab9c1be444bcea19ffbba30db7addcf421


WELCOME TO TUESDAY, JUNE 20, Y'ALL. Thanks for reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill.

MONDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Father's Day message from Whip Scalise's family on Twitter was the big winner to kick off the week.

FOR YOUR RADAR - "Leaders on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who are investigating the circumstances around the firing of former FBI director James Comey, will meet with special counsel Robert Mueller this week, a committee spokesman confirmed Tuesday morning," Seung Min reports. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b218339f512fce27ca2a262247de12d65710db8767182062f162f864157d05432f3d9d3554fc57a86dd0d6b8ee759b980

HEY, REMEMBER THIS? As Senate Republicans continue to get hammered for writing their repeal bill behind closed doors, the L.A. Times' Mike Memoli dug up this 2014 quote from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on how he'd run the Senate in the majority: "After castigating Sen. Reid for crowding out the rest of us and shielding his actions from public view, I assure you we're not going to turn around and do the same thing," McConnell said. "There's not a chance."

A HELL(ER) OF A RACE - Freshman Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen will challenge Nevada Sen. Dean Heller next year, Seung Min and Burgess scoop. Heller is considered the most vulnerable Senate Republican up for re-election and the only one from a state Hillary Clinton won. Former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) picked Rosen as the best challenger to take on Heller and then Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) closed the deal. More details: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b110e535862a61391582688b18c2ab8dc3f21e6ab96bec2e91f0b8588384f14ddcb6e1886ad18e88351e951de9ce0b0f6

McHENRY STEPS UP - With House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) expected to be in the hospital for some time recovering, his right-hand man, Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), will be temporarily taking over for his close friend. That means McHenry, an expert vote counter, "could be on the hook for helping to persuade an extremely divided Republican Conference to pass the Senate's potentially more moderate replacement for Obamacare, as well as passing a 2018 budget and raising the federal debt ceiling - some of the most contentious votes of the year," Rachael and Bres report. Much more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931be80d60997b194dd5480d7fa16761348722e95d59a6a108891909a7ebec689e20d6bb9251433b2c8edc373984cc78f195

BLOOD DRIVE IN HONOR OF SCALISE - McHenry has organized a Capitol Hill blood drive today and Thursday in recognition of Scalise and other victims of the shooting. Today's blood drive, in conjunction with INOVA Blood Donor Services, will take place from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Rayburn foyer. The Red Cross is supporting Thursday's blood drive, from 9:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Rayburn foyer and 2050 Rayburn.

Mika fundraiser later this week: A Friday happy hour at Stanton and Greene will honor Matt Mika, the Tyson Foods lobbyist who was seriously injured during the shooting. Part of the bar proceeds from the event, which features live music, will go towards Mika's recovery. More info: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b7fcc732829a24af04b9aef6750815a8b2fdebb036ca21df3d37627db355332015d64cb0511d08d35d1aa7c601021c7e2 And for those who can't make it, there's also a GoFundMe page set up for Mika: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b87252cfea6fd8381a937f1c5ef5fc3c0d9b5764f53c9d4c97ec6533768fad7b802ea7fec0b31eca0af189f3e6220dbc6

And friends of Crystal Griner, the Capitol Police special agent shot in the ankle as she fended off the shooter last week, have set up a GoFundMe page to help with her recovery. "Crystal is receiving excellent medical care and continued support from her Agency, but the long road to recovery will result in significant expense," they write. More information here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b604070154f1e1d272d98a5ca5b6f4adbee10105dc79370ffc6075c6f1fe84b6109b2b5242a361db07e1e28c91e63d6fe

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME - House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will make a big push for tax reform today, even as the process continues to get bogged down by intra-party feuding, mixed messages from the White House and GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare. "We need to get this done in 2017. We cannot let this once-in-a-generation moment slip," he will say in his speech at the National Association of Manufacturers today. Colin Wilhelm and Aaron Lorenzo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931bd54cb60833d5f9c5dd48c785d309cd0cff89a5c218bbfa3420f0784d26a85fc31cfa00d9130380b8025792badaec929c

OFF MESSAGE PODCAST - Senator Ben Cardin thinks America is "absolutely" in danger of stumbling into war. Or wars. In the latest episode of Off Message, Isaac Dovere sits down with the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "[There are] many areas where there could be a miscalculation that could lead to a shooting war. In every one of those circumstances, the Trump administration has not given us a strategy." Listen and subscribe: iTunes | Panoply | Stitcher

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The Senate meets at 10 a.m. with a vote on FEMA Administrator nominee Brock Long at 11 a.m. (it was delayed because of bad weather yesterday). The Senate will also hold a procedural vote on Sigal Mandelker, Treasury undersecretary nominee. The House convenes at 12 p.m. with votes at 6:30 p.m. Today's agenda: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=da6f51d10fb9931b1d1847cd09b9346c4ed384f3be1b1ff1238c93b635565434677116294c998d4224284f0ad8b583aab150712370b303c3

AROUND THE HILL - Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) hold a press conference on their lawsuit against Trump over the emoluments clause at 12:30 p.m. in SVC-215.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) holds his weekly pen and pad at 1 p.m. in H-144. Former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) will testify at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on "concurrent congressional and criminal investigations: lessons from history" starting at 2:30 p.m. in 226 Dirksen.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) meets with Kim Darroch, British ambassador to the U.S., at 5 p.m. in 2200 Rayburn.

MONDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Jason Calvi was the first to guess that Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) all made the New York Times' best sellers list this week.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Jason with today's question: A statue of one of the newest saints sits in a spot in the Capitol once used for Sunday services, near Whip Scalise's office. Who is the saint and what's the location? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send answers my way: hcaygle@politico.com

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