NEW: How the GOP almost blew the House

Everybody was shocked by the results on Tuesday *but* the GOP’s internal modeling actually showed them back in September that they could lose the House

politico.com/news/2022/11/1… More nuggets:

Abortion was likely a deciding factor. But NRCC had decided at a polling summit over the summer that they wouldn't respond at all. The group of top strategists ultimately decided to stay focused on the economy.

NEW: Allies of Kevin McCarthy have attempted to sway at least one moderate Democrat to the GOP side of the aisle -- Rep. Henry Cuellar

w/ @Olivia_Beavers @Olivia_Beavers Cuellar received calls from a member and former member in recent days, per person familiar

Unsurprisingly, it was a big NO from Cuellar to join the GOP.

Story TK

NEW: After Rep. Katie Porter gave emotional speech to fellow Dems about skyrocketing grocery bills, she said it felt like the first time it sank in with some colleagues

One told her it's not coming up in polls. Her response: “You don’t know what to ask”

politico.com/news/2022/05/1… Porter says the episode revealed the communication gap between elected Dems and "regular Americans"

Even as Dems push new policy ideas, members worry they fall short in showing voters that they understand their pain

Porter warns that voters are quick to sense "hollow rhetoric"

NEW: When the House comes back tomorrow night, they'll be voting on what many frontliners have been begging for months to tackle.

Supply chains. Chip shortages. Inflation.

Dems make the hard pivot to the economy as pocketbook issues flare up at home.

politico.com/news/2022/01/3… A version of the bill - meant to bolster U.S. manufacturing, compete against China, etc. - has already passed the Senate.

The House's version, though, has a lot more language/$ to tackle supply chain issues directly - which are much bigger issues since Senate passed last June.

NEWS: Dem leaders have reached an agreement with mods to vote on debt limit. The group will no longer block it on the floor. Dem leaders have agreed to call up a bill from Rep. Kathleen Rice called the "Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution" -- requiring a high-profile fiscal presentation to House and Senate budget committees

govtrack.us/congress/bills…

New tonight: Post-Covid reopening is the latest divide on the Hill

House Republicans are meeting in person, fundraising in person, and yes, flying their conference to Florida.

Democrats are doing, well, none of that.

w / @MZanona
politico.com/news/2021/03/1… Capitol building is a microcosm of national reopening debate -- except members/essential workers were offered a shot as early as December, meaning much of campus population is already fully vaccinated. (Not all, more staffer shots just arrived.)

SO the House is about to take a rare roll call vote on the renaming of a post office.

Why? The member on the bill is Rep. Trent Kelly, House GOPer who's been accused of aiding the insurrectionists on 1/6.

And a furious Rep. Sean Casten is actually forcing the full vote Casten objected to the bill being considered under suspension -- which some see as a privilege that shouldn't be reserved for Rs aligned with the insurrection.

And he went to the floor tonight to demand a full roll call vote -- requiring all 400+ members to vote

Capitol police are sealing the House chamber.

"We now have individuals who have breached the Capitol building. They are now as close as in the rotunda area." "At this point in time, there is no threat to the building."

NEW: As the dust settles, it's clear that Dems' Nov. 3 disaster isn't a simple case of leadership overpromising and underdelivering

30+ interviews reveal a growing acknowledgment that DCCC made key strategic errors in 2020

w/ @heatherscope @allymutnick
politico.com/news/2020/11/1… @heatherscope @allymutnick Dems underestimated Donald Trump’s strength, relied too much on polls and failed to heed the warnings of its most vulnerable members. Add to that a failure to counter the GOP's most potent message, "defund the police."

DCCC knew well how tough that one attack would be..

NEW: With a slimmer majority in the House and long odds of taking back the Senate, Hill Democrats are now a lot less likely to land in a Biden cabinet.

w/ @marianne_levine @heatherscope
politico.com/news/2020/11/1… @marianne_levine @heatherscope There are still a half-dozen Hill Dems being floated, from Chris Coons to Karen Bass to Marcia Fudge.

But Dems can't afford to lose seats in either chamber. One lawmaker making a play for the Cabinet described their current Hill tenure as a “disqualifying factor.”

I'm told that Capitol Police is investigating suspicious packages in House office buildings that were dropped off by the NRCC after the impeachment inquiry vote.

Among those who've received: Spanberger, Fletcher, Schrier, Lamb Also Wexton, McAdams.

The packages were sealed with a bow on them, with a note that said "get packing." Multiple people said they looked menacing.