Congress will look a whole lot different come November

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THE TREND — With primaries just about wrapped up, one thing we know for certain is that Congress will look a lot different after the midterms. Campaign Pro’s Elena Schneider: “White men are in the minority in the House Democratic candidate pool, a POLITICO analysis shows. Democrats have nominated a whopping 180 female candidates in House primaries — shattering the party’s previous record of 120, according to Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics. Heading into the final primaries of 2018 this week, Democrats have also nominated at least 133 people of color and 158 first-time candidates to run for the House.


“The numbers are even starker in the districts without Democratic incumbents. In the 125 districts where a Democratic incumbent is leaving office or a Republican seat is at risk of flipping, according to POLITICO’s race ratings, more than half the nominees (65) are women. An overlapping group of 30 Democratic primary winners are people of color, and 73 of them have never run for elected office before, tapping into voter disdain for politics as usual. … Republican women could also make history in a handful of House districts, though the GOP's 52 female nominees are dwarfed by Democrats' totals.”

PRIMARY NIGHT PREVIEW — Voters are heading to the polls today in New Hampshire for one of the last primary nights of the year. We’re watching a handful of contests. In New Hampshire’s 1st District, both parties will select a nominee to vie to replace Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, who didn’t seek reelection. Elena previewed the battle on the Democratic side between Maura Sullivan and Chris Pappas on Monday; on the Republican side, it has been a contentious battle between Eddie Edwards and Andy Sanborn. WMUR’s Adam Sexton: “Both have been on the attack, with Sanborn slamming Edwards, a retired law enforcement officer and Navy veteran, as a kind of government insider, and Edwards calling Sanborn an unelectable candidate over alleged workplace harassment issues at the State House.” Republicans will pick a nominee to face Democratic Rep. Ann McLane Kuster in the 2nd DIstrict. Democrats will also vote on a candidate to face incumbent GOP Gov. Chris Sununu. They’re picking between Steve Marchand and Molly Kelly.

Good Tuesday morning. If you allow me to digress for a moment: As a New Yorker, 9/11 always brings up a complicated set of emotions for me. A piece of advice I got one anniversary that seems especially relevant this year: At the end of the day, we’re all Americans. Be good to each other, folks. As always email me at [email protected] or DM me at @ZachMontellaro.

Email the great Campaign Pro team at [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] and [email protected]. Follow them on Twitter: @PoliticoScott, @ec_schneider, @DanielStrauss4, @JamesArkin and @MaggieSeverns.

Join POLITICO for a special Playbook Elections event in Ohio on 09/20 to discuss how the 2018 midterm elections are shaping up. RSVP HERE

Days until the 2018 election: 56.

Upcoming election dates. — Sept. 12: Rhode Island primaries. — Sept. 13: New York (state-level) primaries.

BIG CAMPAIGN FINANCE NEWS — E-filing for Senate campaign finance reports is close to becoming a reality. The final conference agreement for the first minibus appropriations package, HR 5895, includes a provision that would require Senate candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically, according to Sen. Steve Daines, chairman of the Legislative Branch appropriations panel, who pushed it over the finish line. "I fought to include language to increase transparency and access for U.S. Senate campaign finances, and after today’s announcement, we’re one step closer,” Daines (R-Mont.) said in a statement. “I look forward to getting this through the House, the Senate, and on to the president’s desk for signature."

Also celebrating the news is the other Montana Senator, Democrat Jon Tester. He has long pushed for e-filing for Senate candidates, and has sponsored legislation for years to do just that: “The finish line is in sight and this bill will finally bring Senate campaigns into the 21st century,” Tester said in a statement.

MA-03 VOTE COUNT UPDATE — Certified results from the Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ 3rd District gave Lori Trahan a wider lead than what was estimated on election night. The Eagle-Tribune’s Lisa Kashinsky: “Secretary of State William Galvin released the certified results Sunday evening. They show Trahan of Westford received 18,527 votes, while [Dan] Koh of Andover received 18,405. … The Koh campaign filed for a recount Friday. Both campaigns had collected signatures just in case. The recount could begin as soon as Thursday, and must be completed by Monday, Sept. 17, according to state election officials.”

— EMILY’s List endorsed Trahan, saying she “won a crowded primary.”

FUNDRAISING FORCE — Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn hosted a major Texas fundraising swing for a handful of Republican Senate candidates and the NRSC. He hosted two fundraisers in Houston and Midland, Texas, yesterday and is hosting another today in Dallas. According to an invitation obtained by Score, today’s fundraiser will be attended by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Indiana nominee Mike Braun, Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), West Virginia nominee Patrick Morrisey and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). A source familiar with the events said it will bring in $1.5 million.

— Hollywood has become a major source of campaign cash for Democrats. The Washington Post’s Michelle Ye Hee Lee: “People who work in the television, movie and music industry in the Los Angeles metro area gave $2.4 million to House candidate committees so far this election, with the vast majority going to support Democrats, according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. That is the largest sum from these donors to House Democratic campaigns since at least 2008, and it’s nearly $1 million more than they gave for the 2016 elections.”

DESANTIS STEPS DOWN FROM CONGRESS — Rep. Ron DeSantis, the Florida GOP gubernatorial nominee, resigned from Congress to focus on his campaign. POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: “In his resignation letter to Speaker Paul Ryan, he said he did not want to continue getting a salary because he will ‘likely miss the vast majority of our remaining session days.’ The resignation was retroactive and effective Sept. 1, his campaign said.”

— DeSantis also appeared several times at a conference organized by an activist who promotes racist views. The Washington Post’s Beth Reinhard and Emma Brown: DeSantis “spoke four times at conferences organized by a conservative activist who has said that African Americans owe their freedom to white people and that the country’s ‘only serious race war’ is against whites. … [He] appeared at the David Horowitz Freedom Center conferences in Palm Beach, Fla., and Charleston, S.C., in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, said Michael Finch, president of the organization. … A spokeswoman for the congressman, Elizabeth Fusick, provided a statement that described DeSantis as ‘a leader in standing up for truth and American strength.’”

CAMPAIGN CASH — The FEC said Utah Republican Rep. Mia Love improperly raised over $1 million for a primary. CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski and Nathan McDermott: “Love's campaign has informed the Federal Election Commission that it will refund or redesignate less than half of what the government says was more than a million dollars improperly raised for a primary that was never expected to happen, according to documents reviewed by CNN. The commission sent Love a letter in August saying the Utah Republican's campaign had violated federal guidelines about money for primaries. In Utah, candidates are not allowed to raise such funds if they have no primary, according to the FEC and experts specializing in election law. …

“In April, Love secured the nomination to seek a third term for her seat in Utah's 4th congressional district at Utah's nominating convention. In Utah, if a candidate receives such a nomination at a convention, like Love did, then no primary is held. At no point prior to April's convention did Love face a primary challenger or the threat of one. … The FEC's letter to Love's campaign described the problem with the primary funds and said the contributions would have to be refunded or designated for the general election. … Love's campaign lawyers responded on Friday to the FEC, saying they would refund or redesignate contributions, but only those received after she was nominated at the convention on April 21. ”

FIRST IN SCORE — ON THE AIRWAVES — Majority Forward released a new ad in Missouri, criticizing Republican Josh Hawley for participating in a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act. “It angers me that Attorney General Josh Hawley filed a lawsuit to allow insurance companies to deny care for Missourians with pre-existing conditions,” the narrator, cancer survivor Eileen Kinsella, said in the ad. “Josh Hawley sides with the insurance companies.”

TRUMP WHO? — In the Florida Senate race, GOP Gov. Rick Scott is more or less ignoring the president. POLITICO Florida’s Marc Caputo: “Scott — who was frequently by Trump’s side at the White House and at his resorts in Palm Beach and Bedminster, New Jersey, in 2017 — began putting more distance between himself and the unpopular president this year as he geared up for a Senate run that Trump himself had repeatedly urged him to make. … Now Scott seldom mentions the president and won’t commit to having an event with him specifically.”

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has tapped his extensive war chest to avoid being the latest incumbent upset by an insurgent challenger. And even though recent polls have shown him comfortably leading Actor Cynthia Nixon, neither side is slowing down. POLITICO New York’s Laura Nahmias: “Going into last weekend, people close to the campaign described the governor as fairly confident he would win his third term — his campaign has even scheduled a fundraiser for the week after the primary election. … Nixon’s campaign has repeatedly pointed to the cases of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley, who were down 35 points and 13 points in polling in the run-ups to their respective primaries in New York City and Boston, but who managed to topple long-time incumbent male congressmen with double-digit margins of victory.”

STAFFING UP — Adam Kincaid will be the National Republican Redistricting Trust’s executive director. Campaign Pro’s Scott Bland: “The NRRT launched last year with plans to raise $35 million by 2020 and fight Democratic-drawn maps in court and help defend Republican-drawn maps in litigation. Kincaid will also serve as the executive director of Fair Lines America, an affiliated 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that has already donated to campaigns against redistricting ballot measures in several states.”

RALLYING THE TROOPS — Americans for Prosperity is hosting a tele-town hall with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Wednesday to discuss the Supreme Court. An added bonus of the event for Cruz: It gets him in front of activists as AFP considers swooping into the state to provide support in his tough battle against Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke.

TRUMP OFF THE TRAIL — The president canceled a rally scheduled for Friday in Mississippi due to the looming hurricane, POLITICO’s Hugh T. Ferguson reported.

2020 WATCH — Miami Beach is falling out of the running to host the 2020 Democratic convention, and the looming hurricane could further hurt its chances. POLITICO’s Natasha Korecki and David Siders: “Five Democrats with knowledge of the selection process tell POLITICO that at least some site committee members consider the race to be between Houston and Milwaukee. And that was before this week’s threatening weather.”

FIRST IN SCORE — ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) will be endorsed by the National Farmers Union PAC. In North Dakota, the Farmers Union is the largest agricultural organization in the state. She’ll speak at Big Iron, ”the largest farm show in the Upper Midwest,” today on the heels of the endorsement.

REMEMBERING ADAM CLYMER — Longtime political reporter Adam Clymer, who reported for The New York Times along with other outlets and was featured in the classic Timothy Crouse book “The Boys on the Bus,” died Monday at 81. The New York Times’ Sam Roberts wrote his obituary.

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Don’t yuck my yum. Don’t knock it till you try it ... sweet and salty, it’s an unbeatable combination,” Nixon defending her order of a cinnamon raisin bagel with lox and capers.

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