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11/09/2018 08:04 AM EDT


By Nolan D. McCaskill (nmccaskill@politico.com or @NolanDMcCaskill)

PELOSI OPPOSITION HARDENS -- Ten House Democrats and members-elect say they will vote against Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for speaker on the House floor. "That's an issue for Pelosi, who has led the Democratic caucus for 16 years, and significantly narrows her margin for error in her bid to lock down the 218 votes needed to return to the speakership," Rachael and Bres report. "Pelosi's office dismissed the notion that she wouldn't get the votes to be speaker. And her allies note that she has two months to win skeptics and said she plans to take her fight all the way to the floor."

Democrats have claimed 226 seats in the next Congress, though Democratic leaders believe they'll win a half-dozen of the 11 races that have yet to be called. That margin would give Pelosi room to lose just 14 members on the floor. But an anti-Pelosi group is actively working to grow the opposition. "Eight of them joined an hour-long conference call Wednesday night to discuss strategy and messaging," they write. "They've divvied up the names of just-elected candidates who have called for 'new leadership' and are reaching out to encourage them to vote against Pelosi on the floor. These members' pitch to incoming lawmakers is this: You're not alone." Much more:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623dec497cbb81df94ed37e443ef837d2ef038ef273b5cdc3e9fd6ca6e71b00c10c982dcb30a6c6f712f

Related: "Nancy Pelosi Keeps Baseball Bats in Her Office," by former Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.): http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de88700c9dde74f430198b036548e824354abcbbf8a3e5273e0e606e5f927afcb6831743ba12e078f0437e and "Remaining races: 11 GOP districts still uncalled, House Dems push gains to 31 seats," from POLITICO: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d678b716a77352d4bbcc3e278f036f2a0c2db38627223a8aa637cb42156bbfde5fea51574bfd05621

SANCHEZ ENDS LEADERSHIP BID -- Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) dropped out of the race to lead the House Democratic Caucus in the wake of her husband's indictment on federal criminal charges. "James Sullivan ... was charged with misusing federal funds to cover personal expenses," Bres writes. "Those alleged improper expenses include two trips with Sánchez to the Kentucky Derby, as well as a trip to Key West, Florida." According to DOJ, Sullivan is among five people prosecutors allege improperly diverted more than $1 million from a Connecticut energy cooperative that received federal funds. Sánchez said she will focus on her family and constituents. Sources tell Bres she
hasn't considered resigning or retiring. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d12b64f0fa2bf77e81a197dc65db9219eed129fbe2c673b0808678ca4a7f55edd2146f7dc5ac3cdf3

That leaves Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as the only declared candidates. Lee announced her run in July. Jeffries launched his bid Thursday. "There is an unconventional President in the Oval Office who dominates the news cycle with his outrageous claims, name-calling and falsehoods," Jeffries wrote to colleagues. "Undoubtedly, he will try to use the House Democratic Caucus as a foil to explain his shortcomings and inability to lead." "To stay in charge," he added, "we must act aggressively on a bold legislative agenda and consistently message to the American people what we are doing to improve their quality of life." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d894904ffd9b8c72516c0f2feec8bfbff7ada17eed2042a71f7fdc80747ebd32568144f233ea9deb7

Related read: "Hispanic Caucus rallying behind Luján in leadership bid," per The Hill's Mike Lillis: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623ddf62d8d9f544a4e2cddf95439a97f0d97f568bffccebf48aaaa4695aafdc9015dd3b5f7778c10833

GOP LEADERS SEEK RANKING MEMBER POSTS -- House Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is running to become the top Republican on the Financial Services Committee. "The North Carolina Republican had been considering a bid for House leadership, but the window of opportunity narrowed after Democrats won back a majority this week," Zachary Warmbrodt writes. "McHenry, 43, has long been seen as the top contender for the Financial Services Committee's chairmanship or ranking member slot, after serving simultaneously as the panel's vice chairman and as a top deputy to Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.)." As ranking member, he would serve alongside likely Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d9b1b664be13076c6d6c106ff3cf6d4112f7cdd64f382bdce4273bc6a34b4716487d668d2aa62a062

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) is also forgoing a leadership run. Instead of seeking reelection as House GOP Conference chair, McMorris Rodgers is eyeing the ranking member slot on an Energy and Commerce subcommittee. "Had she run again for Republican Conference chairwoman, McMorris Rodgers would've faced competition from freshman Rep. Liz Cheney," Roll Call's Lindsey McPherson notes. "McMorris Rodgers, who is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, decided that leading a subcommittee on a panel that often works on bipartisan legislation is a more appealing position in the minority than leading the Republican Conference, according to the source familiar with her thinking."
More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d2ee6a65c1cce8a495d3880fd26b9d1fb9b273be9021b4a8101a73775336b1d254cce84a42b9b5ceb

Related: How the 115th Congress' GOP chairs compare to Democrats' likely chairs in the 116th Congress, by Quorum: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de88706a1dbdc2befb9773b99ebda4e1b4efa6a10ef0ea4394e6b7047a7a9e6ee7ff33f613ffc3f89c0cf9 and "Democrats Plan to Revive House Climate Committee," from Bloomberg's Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Ari Natter: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623dd0f013fedac5eec40fb3acae38bff1654d641c07ce2be817bb50d4faed0ef4419fad5426da161bb1

HAPPY FRIDAY! Thanks for reading Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Nov. 9.

THURSDAY'S MOST CLICKED: The Hill's report on Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) challenging Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-S.C.) for majority whip was the winner.

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YOUNG EYES NRSC CHAIR -- Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is the first candidate to announce his intention to chair the NRSC for the 2020 cycle. "I acknowledge that we have a lot seats up, 22 seats, but the good news is that 20 of them are in states that Donald Trump won," Young told Burgess in a phone interview. "The challenge is that two of them are in states that he didn't win. But I think we have a couple of pick-up opportunities and most importantly we have good candidates." Meanwhile, some Democrats are encouraging Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) to chair the DSCC. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d22f67bba3e99fd31a44fbe3b28093ac66ee1c489bdcc0bd0c303980aa31c55d92440060fb0a5b949

Related read: "McConnell's Winning Long Game Gives GOP Senate Edge for 2020," via Bloomberg's Steven T. Dennis: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d804a73c6f4a9f582feb82326650f473ed1a78eaf01da9f1a67282e777487301c3435e73c3bc73cb4

HOUSE DIVERSITY OFFICE -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is encouraging members and committees to hire diverse staff to reflect the diversity of members elected Tuesday. "House Democrats take great pride in the fact that our Caucus is more than 60 percent women, people of color and LGBTQ," she wrote in a letter to colleagues. "We know that the diversity in our ranks is a strength and a reflection of the American people that it is our great honor to serve." Pelosi also said she hopes the Democratic Caucus adopts the Rooney Rule to interview minority candidates for senior positions.

Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) "has proposed establishing a permanent House Diversity Initiative as part of the Rules package on opening day," Pelosi added. "The House Diversity Initiative calls for creating a permanent House office with staff to help recruit and retain diverse employees," The Associated Press' Lisa Mascaro reports. "It would be voted on at the start of the new Congress." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623dc91a3d05f17cd51164e80e5a4dddcc910934b65b13a1b42f7e7a457239780d027c6ac4faefb75c7f

HOUSE DEMS CONSIDER JOINING SUIT -- House Democrats may intervene in an Obamacare lawsuit from conservative state attorneys general. "The move would come soon after the next Congress is sworn in and marks an early attempt to make good on campaign pledges to protect the Affordable Care Act," Alice Miranda Ollstein and Adam Cancryn report. "Bringing up a resolution to intervene in the case also would force an early vote that puts chamber's Republicans on record about protecting the law and its popular preexisting condition protections." House Republicans introduced legislation earlier this year that addressed preexisting conditions, but "the measures either weren't binding or would have
allowed insurers to opt out of paying for treatments," they write. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623dd32094f98f1fb92a32e1c262bb55ad765bf482958969c4711b1a0351691e8e2613c4353ae99b2049

WILL SENATE MOVE MUELLER BILL? -- Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) intend to request a floor vote next week on legislation to shield special counsel Robert Mueller from being ousted. "The bipartisan Mueller protection legislation cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee in April but has seen no floor action amid public skepticism from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that Mueller's Russia investigation faces any legitimate threat from President Donald Trump," Elana notes. "Flake and Coons' plan to seek unanimous agreement for the Senate to vote on the bill, however, is still likely to draw an objection from the GOP side of the aisle." More:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d98083623bca34342ff0c8846ed71e94875e3d2fd209cfb75a2d53e10bd9242bc1ef7f8bd23f61805

Related: "'We're not in the majority': Dems fret over threat to Mueller's probe," by Kyle: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de88707ee2e3550ba04a61c89c1e9ec683b24f82b3c136e033d9451c2c8037b3304fd62bca1c596fb8db41 and "Pelosi schedules call with Dems on Sessions firing," from Rachael and Bres: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=971d9daefd04623d83e7e5f494d7910534e0e063a4804a3285c703e48fd6f40554d837163bed41e1b9bf0b91b2f3c75e

SEARCH FOR SESSIONS' SUCCESSOR -- Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is a strong contender to replace Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Labor Secretary Alex Acosta is unlikely to accept the job for attorney general if offered, and two candidates approached by the White House have said they're not interested. "The president has said in recent days that he believes Christie, the first prominent Republican to back his presidential bid, has patiently waited his turn after being passed over for the job during the post-2016 election transition," Eliana Johnson, Gabby Orr, Annie Karni and Ben White report.

Additional AG candidates include Reps. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), Judge Edith Jones, former Judge John Michael Luttig and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, CNN reports.

Other jobs, however, may open up in the coming weeks. SBA Administrator Linda McMahon is favored to succeed Wilbur Ross as Commerce secretary if he's asked to resign or is fired. "McMahon has made clear she is interested in the position and would accept it if it is offered," they write. "Whether Ross stays or goes will depend on the extent to which newly empowered Democrats in the House decide to probe the Commerce secretary's finances and questions about his divestment of assets, a White House official said. If Democrats decide to press those issues, Ross could have a harder time staying." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de8870e5afa0ac4727ed117ea395622fb6a909a7733db6142290883d6ca24ee8e8e3777514c38f7ea656e7

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is looking for a landing spot, signaling his likely exit. "Zinke has been exploring potential roles with Fox News, the energy industry or other businesses amid growing signs that he will leave President Donald Trump's Cabinet as he faces investigations into his ethics," Ben Lefebvre and Eliana Johnson report. "Zinke is also looking for positions on energy company boards of directors or private equity firms, sources have said -- posts that one watchdog group said could pose conflict-of-interest problems for his current job running Interior." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de8870212def8706e2b883a6d67694db1eff61eec31e5a46e3a84eef6bf93839110f9b691a4f06c3bdc10b

Related reads: "Acting attorney general Whitaker has no intention of recusing himself from Russia probe, associates say," per The Washington Post's Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky and Josh Dawsey: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de88700c5cc4944338d34c073fe70f1a6b27c2bdd9d1ce552999dc9138d203869f5936e05f707680680014 and "Mueller's new boss immediately draws enemies," via Darren Samuelsohn: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de8870998e29dd2c615002aa0ac87b178ffa9935c97a05d4800e2d1fffec408f38519c02bbf6a496fc8e05

SINEMA TAKES SLIM LEAD -- Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) took a narrow lead over Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) in Arizona's Senate race. Sinema's 9,610-vote advantage is less than half a percentage point over McSally. But both campaigns say there's about 500,000 more votes to be counted. "Most of the outstanding ballots are coming from Arizona's largest county, Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix and includes Sinema's congressional district," James Arkin writes. Races in Florida and Mississippi also remain uncalled. Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-Fla.) race against Gov. Rick Scott is headed for a recount, while Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) will face Democrat Mike Espy in a special-election
runoff later this month. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de887034b13e2c4ec4690f0211fdb7771a0f48a538755caca4ae993565e8f883c8d333a7ea6f4f7c32b34d

Related: "Florida readies for massive recount," by Matt Dixon and Marc Caputo: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de887036ea93b3ee6a7c846d8410ea326ee41ea95c4dde7841866152a869d66002150b662b48b6d8634283

2020 WATCH -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is giving a 2020 presidential run "a long, hard thought of consideration," she told late-night host Stephen Colbert. "The remarks represent a notable shift for Ms. Gillibrand," The New York Times' Shane Goldmacher writes. "Less than three weeks ago, in the lone debate of her re-election campaign, Ms. Gillibrand pledged to serve her full Senate term." Gillibrand is scheduled to appear on "Good Morning America," "The View" and "The Daily Show." And an illustrated children's book she wrote, "Bold & Brave: Ten Heroes Who Won Women the Right to Vote," comes out next week. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de8870ddea7ff8dcc7511a55f57938dab040b2fa2585142f9ac96b8fc95d214cf56208105b656a24c689ae

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is "definitely running" for president, according to a source familiar with his plans. "This weekend, Swalwell will be the first potential presidential candidate to visit Iowa after the midterms with a trip to meet the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines and Iowa Democratic Party chairs in Dubuque," Alex Thompson reports. "Swalwell would be a heavy underdog in the 2020 race against the expected high-profile candidacies from the likes of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, and others." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de8870f24786e454512ab0048de61b7f0133b61275fd95d96cae013e35e9b6c676e21c31b803c4480de427

Swalwell's text to BuzzFeed News' Lissandra Villa: "Ha -- I've asked my mom to stop talking to Politico. Just kidding. No news to report. Yet." The tweet: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cc90842460de8870149d413dfd3adff05b6a395ca40143e028d7586d34cb4142ffcc8d1be79723d7e70bd766ae7ea43b

TRANSITIONS -- Jennifer Hemingway will serve as the Senate's deputy sergeant at arms beginning Dec. 3. Hemingway most recently served as director of House operations for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The House and Senate are out.

THURSDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER -- Bruce Mehlman was first to correctly guess that Congress' first investigation in 1791 was the St. Clair's military disaster.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- From Tim Wesolek: The outgoing member who holds this seat doesn't live in the district and spent his own money to win it. His successor also doesn't live in the district and used his personal fortune to win it. Who are the member and member-elect, and what district do they represent? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: nmccaskill@politico.com.

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