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10/24/2016 08:35 AM EDT


By Heather Caygle (hcaygle@politico.com or @heatherscope) and Seung Min Kim (skim@politico.com or @seungminkim)

CAN EVAN BAYH HANG ON? Evan Bayh's last-minute entry into the Indiana Senate race was supposed to give Democrats one practically assured pick-up on their path to seize the majority. But relentless Republicans certainly weren't kidding when they vowed to make Bayh's return to politics miserable. Your co-Huddle host traveled to Indianapolis (and Terre Haute, and Bloomington, and Evansville) to find out how Bayh is faring after months of sustained GOP attacks: "In the three months since he got in, Bayh's opponents have unleashed a torrent of attacks on the former senator: for reports that he rarely set foot in Indiana until he decided he wanted back in the Senate, for backing unpopular Obama
policies, and for trading on his political connections to become really rich after he left office."

"The Bayh name, which goes back six decades in Indiana politics, is under barrage - and this critical Senate battleground state will turn on whether Republicans can drive down his numbers even further in the next two weeks to stage what would be one of the biggest upsets of 2016."

Bayh remains upbeat: "Bayh, who's never lost a race in 30 years in politics, acknowledges that his initial eye-popping advantage over Young was based mostly on name recognition. But he says that in his previous competitive races, for secretary of state in 1986 and then governor in 1988, he won by only single digits. He dismisses any notion that he is losing appeal with Indiana voters, whom he last faced on the ballot in 2004."

A 6-point win "would be right in the wheelhouse of what I've normally done when there's a lot of money being spent on both sides and a vigorously contested campaign," Bayh told POLITICO in Evansville. "Any time you have $20 million of negative attacks spent on you, frankly, I'm kind of happy we're still ahead." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd9f3445e31a5a173b313c5d56508e53cc418126dc9efda6d3

RENEWED PUSH TO DELAY HOUSE ELECTIONS- Members of the House Freedom Caucus are renewing their push to delay House GOP leadership elections, report Deirdre Walsh, Manu Raju and Ted Barrett for CNN, citing the "intense blowback" from some members to House Speaker Paul Ryan's decision not to campaign with or defend Donald Trump.

'Broader support': "Members of the Freedom Caucus are reaching out to other factions inside the GOP conference in an effort to demonstrate broader support across the ideological spectrum for postponing the vote, which is slated for mid-November," they write.

RSC not involved: One group that's not getting into the fray, however, is the Republican Study Committee. An RSC spokesman tells us in an e-mail: "We are not contributing to that effort."

Dispatch from Cali: Your Huddle host caught up with Reps. Darrell Issa and Doug Collins after a pancake breakfast for veterans in San Diego to get their thoughts. Issa said he's generally supportive of not rushing leadership elections but made clear he backs the current team at the top. "I've always believed that leadership votes are rushed by leadership. ...When you make them faster and earlier, it favors the incumbents," he told Heather. "I will tell you that I'm supporting the existing team and have no interest in a major change."

When pressed on the potential December delay: "To the extent that the Freedom Caucus wants to be constructive in getting a full-year omnibus, you know I'm fine," Issa said.

Rep. Collins: "It's a decision Paul had to make for himself. And I think there's been some mixed opinion about it," he said about Ryan's decision to distance himself from Trump on the trail. "We need to, right now, be focused on Nov. 8, that's what we need to be focused on."

SPREADING THE LOVE AROUND- In his final months in the White House, President Obama is going all-in for House Democrats, quite the turnaround compared to the beginning of his presidency. "Six years ago, Democrats felt they couldn't even get Obama interested in House races. But now, after years of the Democratic bench being depleted on his watch, Obama's looking to build it back," reports Edward-Isaac Dovere.

Magic number: Obama is expected "to hit close to 60 endorsements for House races this week, taping commercials and robocalls for many of them," along with roughly 150 endorsements for state races. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd74f4f3bfdab3868a6e05c4e021f262f3396c4659231d0573

The latest: Isaac has the most updated list of Obama's congressional endorsements here: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd382479143ef1ddeacef9b712da3047137d4c0f4e3a7930c6

DEMS TO HILLARY: MORE PLEASE! The New York Times' Jonathan Martin talks to Reps. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), who want Hillary Clinton to invest more of her campaign war chest into congressional races: "As Mrs. Clinton confidently expands her campaign into conservative-leaning states, she should make the knife's-edge fight for the Senate and the Democratic effort to cut into the Republicans' House majority a priority ... 'She may be in a good place, but I don't think the party is in a good place yet,' said Mr. Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat."

"Mr. Clyburn and Mr. Butterfield, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said they had taken their pleas in recent days to senior officials in Mrs. Clinton's campaign and received respectful hearings but no firm commitments." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd651f29014a85a55b990f53ef92a962592d66aa2159669821

GOOD MONDAY MORNING AND WELCOME TO OCT. 24. You're reading POLITICO's Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill. Your regular Huddle host is coming to you from the West Coast (#BestCoast) while Seung Min holds down the fort in Washington. Our pal Burgess Everett will steer the Huddle ship tomorrow.

FRIDAY'S MOST CLICKED- Our story about what GOP leaders Ryan and McConnell will have to do if Trump refuses to accept the election results on Nov. 9.

TODAY IN CONGRESS- The Senate meets in a pro forma session at 10:30 a.m. The House is out.

THE SIX STATES THAT MATTER - Our buddy Burgess breaks down the six states that really matter when it comes to control of the Senate: traditional swing states Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire coupled with some new kids on the block, North Carolina, Missouri and Indiana. "By virtue of simple math, the outlook favors Democrats because they have far more paths to victory. They need to pick up four seats to win the majority if Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump loses, and they believe Wisconsin and Illinois are in the bag," Burgess reports.

Finally, something to agree on: While the map looks better for Democrats, that anti-Trump wave they've been banking on hasn't materialized across the Senate map, strategists from both parties say. "Democrats hope his recent refusal to say he'll accept the election results will change that, but time is running out." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefdb828412e92b7b48c2a79c332654f2b663fe4d1aa4247b3ed

Speaking of swing states ... Hillary Clinton ripped into Sen. Pat Toomey during a speech this weekend in Pittsburgh, one of the first times in recent memory she's went this far to tie a down-ballot incumbent to Trump. Her remarks: "Pat Toomey heard Donald attack a grieving Gold Star family who lost their son in the Iraq war. He heard Donald call Mexican immigrants rapists. He heard him say terrible things about women. He heard him spread the lie that our first black president wasn't really born in America," she said.

"Now how much more does Pat Toomey need to hear? If he doesn't have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump after all this, then can you be sure he'll stand up for you when it counts?" Shane Goldmacher with the story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd9cedf7ca607856f54e118ceab3e8be48d654e6e590e9d183

Obama on Joe Heck: 'Heck no!' Meanwhile, the current occupant of the White House is launching his own down-ballot blitz against House and Senate Republicans. In Las Vegas, Obama singles out Joe Heck, the GOP candidate for retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's seat, via the Las Vegas Sun: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefddb4c20465ceb6e22d33a1dfe03429f1301a48f6962456fe6

And Obama calls Darrell Issa the 'definition of chutzpah' at a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Isaac Dovere from La Jolla, Calif.: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefdc58aa4ddb4a49ef4957c0790d422c461575c67eb4e0b04d1

Donald Trump is doing his own push for down-ballot candidates, NBC's Ali Vitali reports: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd3714a7e26f30e844cb7b13e61cc6c49c5cb1290d63af2e0f

THE HARDEST CAMPAIGN- Running as a House Republican with Trump at the top of the ticket is no easy task. Running as a House Republican in a Latino-heavy area when the GOP nominee has called illegal immigration a litany of names-"rapists," "criminals," and most recently, "bad hombres"-is nearly impossible.

Rachael Bade with the dispatch from Miami: "Attacks like these are forcing Republicans representing Latino-heavy districts to work overtime to show their constituents they're nothing like the man leading their ticket," she reports, going on to list things Reps. Jeff Denham, Carlos Curbelo and Will Hurd are doing to try and hang onto their seats.

But it may not be enough: "Democrats are sparing no effort or expense on the strategy. Their success, particularly in places like Florida's 26th district, where three of every four residents are Latino, could go a long way in deciding whether Democrats can pull off a once-unthinkable takeover of the House." Rachael's story: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd8a182b288bcd8c4da6be00d0de006a2c15eacce7680ee991

GOP SWITCHING GEARS- It's not just Clinton who has started treating Trump like an afterthought in the campaign. Both the U.S. Chamber and the Senate Leadership Fund are now running TV ads urging voters to support GOP Senate candidates as a check on a future President Clinton, reports the New York Times.

That's not all: And Congressional Leadership Fund, the House Republican super PAC, soon will launch ads attacking Democratic House candidates as "'rubber stamps' for Mrs. Clinton, and urge voters in swing districts to support a Republican instead." More from Alex Burns and Amy Chozick: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd86e7b2c3433992d1b2cb7196bbba0977db2ac25ac6488422

WELL THIS SHOULD BE INTERESTING-Former Ku Klux Klan leader and unabashed white supremacist David Duke has qualified for the Louisiana Senate debate, to be held at a historically black college. "Raycom Media, which owns four television stations in the state, commissioned a poll to determine who would qualify for the Nov. 2 debate, and Duke met the 5 percent threshold, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate," reports Kevin Robillard. More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd5fb2683e28c66ae316f7ed1dff47b9c5265a6acffc37bb11

WEIRDEST CONGRESSIONAL RACE GETS WEIRDER- House Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster and his Democratic Tea Party challenger Art Halvorson (yes, you read that right) have taken political mud slinging to a new level. Halvorson is facing claims he assaulted a Shuster campaign staffer this summer, charges he adamantly denies. The police recently issued a citation against Halvorson, who then turned around and called the whole thing "a smear campaign" by Shuster straight out of Hillary Clinton's playbook, promising to launch a "full legal counter-offensive." The Hill's Melanie Zanona with more: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd07d74d4abcf61408c48002c3a35d919d64a5aff123b9a690

FATTAH SENTENCING: DEC. 12 - The former congressman could face up to 20 years in prison, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer: "On Thursday, [U.S. District Court Judge Harvey Bartle III] overturned four counts of fraud and falsifying records against Fattah, but upheld 18 other counts, including racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, and fraud." More: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63f867e110bfdefd540117970f92a4eccaf709d22212526418e92683237986c6

ARRIVAL LOUNGE-- Georgeanna Sullivan starts today in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office as deputy press secretary. She previously worked for Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)

FRIDAY'S TRIVIA WINNER- Kaitlyn Snyder was the first to guess that Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. George Miller (who owned the house) were long-time roommates with Sen. Chuck Schumer.

TODAY'S TRIVIA- Heather with today's question: Following the resignation of this president pro tempore, the Senate rotated the position between 5 lawmakers over a two-year period. Name the lawmaker who resigned. (Hint: He held the gig the last time the Cubs won the World Series.) The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in tomorrow's Huddle: skim@politico.com

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