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10/10/2016 07:56 AM EDT


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

With assistance from Daniel Lippman

HOUSE GOP HUDDLES POST-DEBATE- House Republicans will huddle later this morning via conference call at 11 a.m. to figure out the next steps when it comes to supporting their presidential nominee or jumping ship. And Donald Trump's debate performance last night-deemed the "ugliest debate ever" but seemingly not dealing a fatal blow to his candidacy-can't make the decision any easier.

Ryan mulls revoking endorsement: House Speaker Paul Ryan has mostly stayed on the sidelines since the tape of Trump talking about groping women surfaced Friday-except to say he's "sickened" and nixing Trump's weekend appearance in his district-but that could change, report Jake and Bres. "Ryan has discussed withdrawing his endorsement of Donald Trump, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions within his inner circle. ... The discussions occurred after the bombshell video Friday... but before the second presidential debate Sunday night."

-The RNC also has a call with its members at 5 p.m. today. Alex Isenstadt: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb1647ff608787792a600929e9dad57018bf2102e4ed2490ba92

'UGLIEST DEBATE' IN HISTORY- "The ugliest presidential debate in the country's history began with the two candidates taking the stage without shaking hands and will be remembered for Donald Trump's threat to put Hillary Clinton in jail, his statement that she has 'hate in her heart' and by his stunning decision to put four women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual abuse in the front row," reports Eli Stokols.

"But the sad spectacle did more to cement the broader 2016 campaign in the annals as a low point for the nation's political discourse and civility than to alter a race between the two most unpopular nominees ever that is hardening as it enters the final stretch."

WHAT HOUSE GOP LEADERS ARE THINKING: "The concern within House leadership is essentially twofold, according to lawmakers and aides. Chiefly, they are worried about a steep drop in turnout - among some voters disgusted at Trump, and others angry at the so-called 'establishment' for abandoning the GOP nominee," report Jake and Bres.

"Furthermore, there's concern that independents will continue to flee the Republican Party, an enormous threat for the few dozen GOP lawmakers and candidates running in the most competitive districts."

REPUBLICAN STAMPEDE RUNS FROM TRUMP- The flood gates opened over the weekend with vulnerable Republicans in battleground states like Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Reps. Barbara Comstock and Joe Heck, a bloc of GOP women including Sen. Deb Fischer (Trump's most prominent female backer in the Senate) and lawmakers who'd just had enough like Sens. John Thune (No. 3 in Senate GOP leadership) and Mike Crapo all disavowing Trump or calling on him to step aside.

Lost count? A running list of GOP lawmakers denouncing Trump here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb169acc4b18ce8fa6c793ec2223fe536f4efe6e3f04a6e74016

CONWAY ACCUSES LAWMAKERS OF BAD BEHAVIOR: So far, nearly three dozen House and Senate Republicans have backed away from the GOP nominee but Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was pointing fingers after the debate Sunday, saying some of those lawmakers are guilty of their own lewd behavior. Sarah Wheaton reports: "'I remember when I was younger and prettier, them rubbing up against girls sticking their tongues down women's throats. It was true,' Conway told Chris Matthews during a post-debate interview on MSNBC."

Related: Trump vows retaliation against Republicans who have turned their back on him, from Alexander Burns, Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb166dc1bf4219b4c4badd14beed6d9e5e72f7d5e8099aca721f

WE'RE BACK TO MONDAY, Y'ALL. Welcome to Oct. 10 You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. I don't know about y'all but it feels like a whole liftime has passed between the time we left off Friday morning and now. Friday's most-clicked: You guys loved my story about Republicans loving Rep. Peter Welch.

TODAY IN CONGRESS- The House and Senate are out.

AROUND THE HILL- Oh come on, you already know what everybody will be talking about on their afternoon Cups run. Days until the election: 29.

DEMOCRATS AREN'T GOING ALL-IN ON TRUMP- Wondering why Democrats aren't pivoting completely to an anti-Trump message following events of the last few days? Take this example of Pennsylvania Senate candidate Katie McGinty: "'Let's be clear, Donald Trump is a lewd, lecherous, lowlife,' McGinty said to large applause," reports the Washington Post's Paul Kane. But "after two minutes on Trump's recent controversy, McGinty moved on to her opponent, Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.), devoting almost twice as much time to allegations that his investment in a bank posed a conflict of interest while he sat on the Senate Banking Committee."

"If Trump completely bottoms out with leading Republicans abandoning him this weekend, it's possible that Democrats like McGinty could get carried across the finish line on Election Day merely because depressed GOP voters stay home rather than vote. But they can't take a big Clinton win for granted."

BAYH'S K STREET CA$H HAUL-- Evan Bayh amassed a staggering net worth in the six years between leaving the Senate and his comeback attempt, report Seung Min and Maggie Severns. Bayh brought in "nearly $6.3 million in salary, compensation on corporate boards, and various speaking fees since January 2015, according to a new financial disclosure filed late Sunday night during the second presidential debate."

Bayh, Bayh, Bayh- The AP's Erica Werner got ahold of Bayh's 2010 Senate schedule and delivers this scoop: "Bayh spent substantial time during his last year in the Senate searching for a private sector job even as he voted on issues of interest to his future corporate bosses ... The Democrat had more than four dozen meetings and phone calls with headhunters and future corporate employers over the months, beginning days after announcing his surprise retirement from the Senate on Feb. 15, 2010."

FLORIDA DEMS SUE OVER VOTER REGISTRATION-Florida Democrats are suing Gov. Rick Scott over his refusal to extend the voter registration deadline even after Hurricane Matthew battered parts of the Sunshine State last week. "Democrats went to U.S. District Court in Tallahassee [Sunday] and cited Scott's demand on Thursday that coastal residents flee the approaching storm and his refusal that day to extend the registration deadline beyond Tuesday. The suit seeks a new deadline of Oct. 18," reports Steve Bousquet for the Miami Herald.

U.S. OFFICIALLY ACCUSES RUSSIA OF ELECTION TAMPERING- The Obama administration on Friday officially accused Russia of hacking into U.S. election systems, including the leak that led to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's resignation on the eve of the Democratic convention. From CNN: "Officials told CNN that Friday's announcement follows long deliberations within the Obama administration as to whether and when to take this step. They have had confidence on the assessment for some time, with the only question being whether to go public."

AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT- Burgess has a great yarn on how Sen. John McCain, who stuck by Trump despite being targeted multiple times over the last year by the GOP nominee, finally couldn't take it anymore. "McCain had taken more knocks from Trump than probably any Republican in Congress. ... But Trump's last couple days changed everything for McCain. After discussing the matter with his wife, Cindy McCain, the former presidential nominee finally concluded that he couldn't defend Trump another minute."

CRUZ WEIGHED DUMPING TRUMP, goes after media instead- This weekend, two weeks after Ted Cruz finally, reluctantly, endorsed Trump, he had a decision to make--backtrack and risk further tarnishing his battered reputation as a principled conservative or try and change the subject. Katie Glueck and Brent Griffiths with the story: "On Sunday morning, Cruz tweeted, 'NBC had tape 11 yrs. Apprentice producer says they have more & worse. So why not release in 2015? In March? Why wait till October? #MSMBias' The question of whether to rescind the endorsement had been tabled."

WEEKEND WEDDINGS - Rebecca Beland, John McNaught: "The bride, 30 ... works in Washington as the counsel to Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California. ... Mr. McNaught, also 30, works at the Treasury Department as the deputy White House liaison, overseeing political appointees in the department." With a pic: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb1638cb6ff148d5780c2ce66fc5cac9bb1886bb738d96af7694

Rand Paul alumni: Eleanor May, Peter Hawkins-- "The bride, 27, works in Atlanta as the director of communications for Defense Priorities Foundation, a nonprofit foreign policy organization based in Washington. [She is the former press secretary to Sen. Rand Paul and his presidential campaign.] ... The groom, 28, is studying for an M.B.A. at Emory. He was until May working in Chicago as a senior advisory analyst at CEB." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb16e1911091f5a292565013b05a62e0fc413e338e201bec3ee0 Wedding pics: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb16bfc281a1a3fc27cfc4fe56f0f37857782076c0e1eb8d2881 and http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb165719654edfd14f5ca6df7e9a03203d32b8c42241163599bb

--Mandi Critchfield and Jon Blum got married Sunday at the El Dorado Dry Lake Beds with their immediate family. They are jettin' off to Japan for two weeks. Jon is a professional staffer for Rep. Jeb Hensarling on the House Financial Services Committee and Mandi is a corporate communications manager at SunTrust. They met as Senate staffers through mutual friends. Pics: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb163945b2d465a155d406487c625bb1208adab6a2f832559926 and http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb161766518609dc917ffd51e71164d227e88a7163c743b7e156

--Catherine Barnao, Matthew Rowland: "Mrs. Rowland, 25, works in Washington as the senior policy adviser to Representative Eliot L. Engel, Democrat of New York. She is also on the staff of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. ... Mr. Rowland, 27, is a legislative aide and also manages constituent correspondence in Washington for Representative Nita M. Lowey, Democrat of New York. ... The couple met in 2013, when the bride began working for Mr. Engel, for whom the groom was an intern." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb16a73dbf21b53ebbacb8c0d8a7635034da7e74d2cac4777873 Wedding pic:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0177f0898b78bb162a91bd5f70c2485171c7c01f707d2abea2721a4cbb813b66

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER- Emily Blase was the first person to guess that Rep. John Tener organized the first congressional baseball game in 1909. He played for the O's (Baltimore Orioles), the Chicago White Stockings, and the Pittsburgh Burghers.

TODAY'S TRIVIA- Emily with today's question: Which Supreme Court justice stepped down to serve in the Senate and in what year? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in tomorrow's Huddle. Get at me: hcaygle@politico.com

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