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By Burgess Everett (@burgessev or
mailto:beverett@politico.com
beverett@politico.com )

CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP RESULTS: We're just going to stick to the new faces and competitive races at the top, since for the most part America can expect the same leaders next year that they have now.

House Republicans: Rep. Luke Messer of Indiana won the race to serve as GOP Policy Committee Chairman in the House, a job that helped springboard Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford to the Senate. It was a close one, per one Matt Fuller:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a7fa69f4be674f2434fe5fa2af6c90feab6de573d03f173bd
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a7fa69f4be674f2434fe5fa2af6c90feab6de573d03f173bd .

Senate Republicans: Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi (more on him below) beat out Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada for the job to run Senate Republican$' campaign arm. Heller was in a good mood despite the loss and said he may have started campaigning too early, per Las Vegas Sun reporter and fellow Gazette alum Amber Phillips:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a93c15a56fedf1b15943f8c51d179f8e0b1e505603ba2063a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a93c15a56fedf1b15943f8c51d179f8e0b1e505603ba2063a

Senate Democrats: Sen. Jon Tester of Montana was chosen to chair Senate Democrat$ campaign arm, but the headlines are going to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (more on her below) of Massachusetts, who was named a "strategic policy adviser to the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee." Sen. Amy Klobuchar was named chair of the Democrats' Steering and Outreach Committee, a job held by defeated Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska. Despite losing his job in leadership, which he never really emphasized, Begich told me he isn't conceding and isn't giving up because thousands of Alaskan ballots haven't been counted.

REID'S REBELLION -- Reelected but not without opposition: The Democratic caucus meeting went four hours, mostly because a handful of senators voted against Sen. Harry Reid as Democratic leader. Quite the contrast to Senate Republicans, whose meeting was about half as along and reelected their leaders unanimously. Reid's detractors did not vote for anyone else, but rather issued their disapproval and asked for more time to talk about the electoral aftermath before voting for leadership. The confirmed nos: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Virginians Tim Kaine and Mark Warner. My story with Manu on why
they voted no:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4ad8497863961d80350c63ef18f2900420dfc793b6ea5113f9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4ad8497863961d80350c63ef18f2900420dfc793b6ea5113f9

How Reid kept his job, by Manu Raju: "Since last week's elections, Reid spoke privately with many unnerved Democrats, promising to open up messaging and policy strategy to include more of them - an under-the-radar effort to keep control of the caucus ... Standing before his caucus in the Old Senate Chamber Thursday, Reid said in his mild tone: 'We can stay here until the sun goes down if that is what members want to do. As I have said, I will not shy away from criticism and I look forward to having that discussion in full. If you would like to vote against me as leader then you will have that opportunity. I respect the will of the caucus,' Reid said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4ac63a29f9ba6af9edbe8ce1679857bfe835cdd9e59e4e4237
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4ac63a29f9ba6af9edbe8ce1679857bfe835cdd9e59e4e4237

IMMIGRATION CONFRONTATION -- Shot heard 'round the world: Josh Gerstein reports from YANGON, Myanmar, early this morning that the president is not backing down. "They have the ability to fix the system. What they don't have the ability to do is expect me to stand by with a broken system in perpetuity ... It's way overdue. We've been talking about it for 10 years now and it's been consistently stalled."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a11387881de397d16e20d782e4ca9633e3a5b71b4e7de836a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a11387881de397d16e20d782e4ca9633e3a5b71b4e7de836a

Next week? The New York Times reports that President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration might come as soon as next week (we imagine he might try do so on a day Congress is not in session). "One key piece of the order, officials said, will allow many parents of children who are American citizens or legal residents to obtain legal work documents and no longer worry about being discovered, separated from their families and sent away. That part of Mr. Obama's plan alone could affect as many as 3.3 million people who have been living in the United States illegally for at least five years."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a0c1dc5b30b46be3cb3a2d6c2fb9c42f5d46c88792931152c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a0c1dc5b30b46be3cb3a2d6c2fb9c42f5d46c88792931152c

GOP split over response: There are two directions being mulled by different sets of Republicans, per The Washington Post that was on my doorstep at 5:30 a.m. today after several recent late deliveries. "The first, favored by the GOP leadership, would have Republicans denounce what House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) has called 'executive amnesty' and use the party's new grip on Congress to contest changes to the law incrementally in the months ahead. The second, which has become the rallying cry for conservatives, would seek to block the president's decision by shutting down the government for an extended period until he relents."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a7e29a087869d65780cbfd295bd508b08f167544daa685de9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a7e29a087869d65780cbfd295bd508b08f167544daa685de9

House options: Given that Senate Republicans don't take over until January, the opening tip is going to go to Boehner, who is mulling his choices per Jake and Bres. "Several options are being considered, including a standalone bill to strip or restrict funding from agencies that deal with immigration. The staffs of Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other lawmakers involved with immigration policy are working through possibilities."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a19ba19aef640b191d09dd4580cb02f1449fb88c70e0cfeb9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a19ba19aef640b191d09dd4580cb02f1449fb88c70e0cfeb9

** A message from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and FairReform.com: America needs comprehensive tax reform - to protect American employers and American jobs.Learn more at
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a4676b435890565c3b56c2c63c667e5acd4d46d22c73c0d5d
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THE MOST WELL-DESERVED FRIDAY IN A WHILE. Welcome to the Huddle, your play-by-play guide to everything Capitol Hill, where I am hitting send a couple hours early today as I learn how my third knee surgery is holding up. Lauren French will be rocking with you next week, so please write to us at
mailto:beverett@politicoco.com
beverett@politico.com and
mailto:lfrench@politico.com
lfrench@politico.com and follow us @burgessev and @laurennfrench on Twitter.

TODAY IN CONGRESS - The House is in at 9 a.m. and will vote in the early afternoon on Rep. Bill Cassidy's bill to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Senate is out until Monday afternoon.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED LINK: Matt Fuller's photo of Rep. Richard Hudson in one loud, loud jacket.

CHATTING WITH THE NEW CHAIR -- Wicker intends to have vice-chairmen: I caught up with Wicker as he strolled back to his office right after his big win. He told me he "absolutely" plans to keep the two-vice chair structure of Jerry Moran's NRSC, although the decision of who will take those jobs is mostly up to GOP Leader Mitch McConnell. Wicker said his first and foremost job is to crank up the fundraising machine among donors who are feeling better about Senate Republicans' trajectory than they have for years: "The main event for me now is the first six months of 2015. Two years ago, the donors were disheartened, they didn'tbelieve in us," he said. "Everybody's goal is to get out there
early and start raising money, because we've turned that around and donors now believe in us." Anything awkward between him and Heller, given that it was the only contested race on the docket? Doesn't sound like it -- both were in a good mood after the secret ballot election. "We had seen some things in the press, which made this out to be a contentious contest. I called him up yesterday and we both had a big laugh about that," Wicker said.

Tester defers on Louisiana race: I also got my heads on an internal robopoll (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a77202813f4c421323145cacea7fb1364e6a3eac2b2c601bc
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a77202813f4c421323145cacea7fb1364e6a3eac2b2c601bc )that shows Bill Cassidy is up 16 points over Mary Landrieu in Louisiana (fiercely disputed by Landrieu aides as a terrible, inaccurate poll). But will the new DSCC chair decide to pour more money into Louisiana? "That's in Bennet's bailiwick. not in my bailiwick now. We're looking at '16," Tester said when asked. Sen. Michael Bennet didn't want to talk about Keystone or anything else as he left the Capitol Thursday ("I gotta go"). On the bright side, I look forward to hearing the word "bailiwick" more over the next two years.

HOW WARREN MADE LEADERSHIP: "Throughout the 2014 campaign, Reid had heard about how well Warren's populist message was received, even in red states like Kentucky where Democrats lost the Senate elections. Last Thursday night, Warren and Reid discussed a potential leadership role, but it wasn't clear what the job would be. Reid ran the idea by one of his top deputies, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) - who backed the idea of giving Warren a bigger Senate platform with a leadership slot." Seung Min and Bres:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4aa45f62a53a46766b65de70341537a54d11edeaccd0d53fbf
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4aa45f62a53a46766b65de70341537a54d11edeaccd0d53fbf

Donor$ dig Warren: Media mogul Ken Vogel reports that Warren got a strong reception from wealthy donors at the Democracy Alliance confab in the forgotten SW quadrant. And it seems, he got the same treatment we are used to on Capitol Hill: "She ignored a question about whether her appearance - a closed-door speech to major donors who write huge checks, sometimes anonymously, to influence the political process - conflicted with her public denunciations of the role of conservative big money in politics.

'Excuse me,' an aide said, blocking access to Warren as she slid into the front passenger seat."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a9f031da54f36f1a59959cd4c2bc8457ef986c9cd01dc1105
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a9f031da54f36f1a59959cd4c2bc8457ef986c9cd01dc1105

Warren opposes Treasury nom -- Ben White with the scoop: "Warren plans to oppose President Barack Obama's nomination of Antonio Weiss, a Wall Street investment banker, to be Treasury Undersecretary for Domestic Finance .... A Warren adviser told POLITICO: 'She is a no on Antonio Weiss. She was a Treasury official herself, she cares a lot about who is in the domestic finance role. It oversees Dodd-Frank implementation and other core economic policy-making.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4af0db4b42eda923b0d7e2ecf043d8e0797e0200a1e20d5301
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4af0db4b42eda923b0d7e2ecf043d8e0797e0200a1e20d5301

DEMS DENY DUCKWORTH: Rep. Tammy Duckworth is in late stages of pregnancy and asked for the chance to vote by proxy in the next week's House Democratic leadership elections. No dice, reports Natty J's Billy House: "Objections were raised, and the request was denied, with opponents including Democratic Steering and Police Committee cochair Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. 'Congresswoman DeLauro does not want to set a precedent. There are many meritorious situations where the argument could be made for a waiver, including Congresswoman Duckworth's. The question is, how do you choose?' said DeLauro spokeswoman Sara Leonardo."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a79d93c1d4868b7debabe5675aa8bbdeeee590bb38fcc96c6
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4a79d93c1d4868b7debabe5675aa8bbdeeee590bb38fcc96c6

Speaking of House Democrats elections...: The Progre$$ive Change Campaign Committee is urging Pelosi not to appoint Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes as DCCC chairman. "Appointing a Wall Street banker who opposes Wall Street bashing is a losing strategy for Democrats in 2016." Here's their suggested call dialogue for jamming Pelosi's phones:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4af1d588104186e40ac53767b412542796723553d17bf1109d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4af1d588104186e40ac53767b412542796723553d17bf1109d

Snider scoop: My old Morning Transportation buddy Adam Snider reports that California Rep. John Garamendi is dropping his bid to be the top House Democrat on T&I, clearing the way for Oregon's Peter DeFazio. This is a good opportunity to re-up one of my favorite stories I ever wrote, about DeFazio asking GOP Rep. Paul Broun why he hates the country and Broun replying that DeFazio was not "man enough" to apologize for that remark.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4aab3e0528d0011b2cef33a5e3b4a6c73769709db323c22931
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4aab3e0528d0011b2cef33a5e3b4a6c73769709db323c22931

CIA REPORT NEWS -- Udalls mulls spilling the beans: Sen. Mark Udall may have lost his reelection bid in Colorado, but he certainly isn't dropping his concerns over the CIA's Bush-era interrogation techniques. He is leaving open simply taking to the floor and expressing himself, according to the Denver Post. "'I mean, I'm going to keep all options on the table,' ... As written, the Speech or Debate Clause gives lawmakers near-blanket immunity from prosecution when speaking on the floor of the U.S. House or Senate - even if they reveal classified information."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4adaa793d53702fbd5245115268e6a2ee1b76ab7715288a977
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=73420e27085e2d4adaa793d53702fbd5245115268e6a2ee1b76ab7715288a977

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER - Dan Kinderman was the first to answer that Thomas Dewey and Richard Nixon are the two Republicans that secured the party's presidential nomination after losing the general election.

TODAY'S TRIVIA - Big bad Burgess has today's question: Who won a November special election to serve out the remainder of a congressional term in 2012 but did not serve in the 113th Congress? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at
mailto:beverett@politico.com
beverett@politico.com

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America needs comprehensive tax reform today - to protect American employers and American jobs. Learn more and find out what you can do to help at
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