Is Texas special election a canary in the GOP’s coal mine?

KNOCKING ON WOOD: If the special election in Texas is any indication for 2022, the GOP’s ongoing identity crisis will leave it with a real mixed-bag of candidates in upcoming federal races.

Take Michael Wood, who has staked out a position far different from the 22 other GOP candidates in a special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Ron Wright (R-Texas): He is campaigning against Trumpism, which he hopes will save him rather than be a death sentence, as it is for some who cross the former president. Wood says he voted for Donald Trump in 2020, but after Jan. 6 and his efforts to undermine the election results, Wood flipped. Now, he is banking on a GOP voter base in the rapidly diversifying district in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs that is fed up with Trump and looking for something new.

As my colleagues write: “Should Wood prevail with his long-shot bid, he would offer a road map for other Republican candidates who want to distance themselves — and the party — from Trump. But if Wood fails, it could deliver a major blow to the wing of the GOP that’s desperate to turn the page on Trump and hoping to show its strength in the burgeoning battle over who should guide Republicans into the midterms and 2024.”

Even Wood’s campaign website frames the election as the “the first battle in this war to take back our party.”

He has also received donations from the Republicans who want to wipe Trump out of the GOP, like Reps. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) and Liz Cheney (Wyo.). Kinzinger and Cheney both voted to impeach Trump after the deadly attack this year and have faced calls to be excommunicated from their own party.

Candidates from all parties will compete to fill the seat vacated by Wright on one ballot in a so-called jungle-style format, scheduled for May 1. The contest could be the first real test of anti-Trump Republicans’ future success.

“I had a whole lot of people who told me not to get into this race, and they said that I was ruining any sort of future that I might have. But I felt like it was something that I had to do,” Wood said in an interview with Mel and Ally Mutnick. “It’s certainly a risk, and above all things, I’m a realist. But I thought that if somebody stood up and spoke plainly and spoke some hard truths, that they’d be able to gain traction.”

More here for Mel and Ally: https://politi.co/3dYLW5R

FEEL FAMILIAR? Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is calling for “no more policing” following the death of Daunte Wright, a black man who was killed Sunday by a white police officer who fired her gun during a routine traffic stop.

“It wasn’t an accident. Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence,” Tlaib tweeted yesterday. “I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can’t be reformed.”

Brooklyn Center, Minn., Police Chief Tim Gannon said yesterday that he believes the officer had intended to pull a taser on Wright, which came after she discovered there was a « gross misdemeanor warrant » issued for Wright’s arrest, but accidentally deployed her gun instead. Mistake or not, the actions of the officer cost a 20-year-old his life. Protests took to the streets in various cities across the U.S. on Monday night.

The shooting took place in a suburb of Minneapolis, just 14 miles away from where police officer Derek Chauvin is standing trial in a wrongful death lawsuit after George Floyd died in the custody of four police officers nearly a year ago, sparking what became one of the most powerful nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and calls for a reform in decades.

Calls from progressives to “defund the police” that spiked in the wake of Floyd’s killing had waned a bit in recent months after Democrats lost multiple House seats in last year’s elections, defeats that some in the party have attributed to “defund” rhetoric. Push for law enforcement reform appeared to ebb further earlier this year when a Capitol Police officer died from the injuries he sustained from the pro-Trump mob and two others who died by suicide shortly after insurrection. Democratic leaders have sought to distinguish calls to “defund the police” from their broader push for police reform, but that message could get muddied in light of recent events.

Tlaib’s comments came just hours before Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans, who died in a car attack last week, will lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. President Joe Biden is expected to pay his respects, as is Vice President Kamala Harris. The president is also slated to meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus today at the White House. While White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the “primary purpose” of the meeting is to discuss Dem’s infrastructure-jobs bill, our Laura Barrón-López reports that police reform and criminal justice reform are also expected to come up.

While President Joe Biden is in office rather than Donald Trump, your Huddle host is wondering if the political breeze is once again shifting back towards a push on Capitol Hill for police reforms.

Related: Biden offers measured response after viewing ‘graphic’ police footage of Daunte Wright’s death, by our Quint Forgey: https://politi.co/3tinmmQ

HAPPY TUESDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this April 13, where there are new tasty signs that the Capitol is returning to normal, including Jamba Juice and &Pizza.

MONDAY’S MOST CLICKED: The National Journal’s story on how Congress is kicking off appropriations season was the big winner.

FIRST IN HUDDLE: The DCCC outraised the NRCC in the first quarter — but only narrowly, Ally reports.

The House Democratic campaign arm brought in $34.1 million, compared to the GOP’s $33.7M. They also have a small advantage in cash-on-hand, with $30.3 million, and have $5.5 million in debt. The NRCC has 29.7 million in the bank but is debt free. These are impressive numbers for the DCCC — they have double the amount of cash-on-hand as they did at this point in 2019. But overall the committees are neck-and-neck in the cash dash.

Related: Dem pollsters acknowledge ‘major errors’ in 2020 polling, by our Steven Shepard: https://politi.co/3276cN8 | The GOP’s fundraising is ticking back up—but there’s a price, by the National Journal’s Kirk Bado: https://bit.ly/3a77n3L | 2022 House takeover lists should come with big asterisks, by Roll Call’s Nathan Gonzales: https://bit.ly/3uJhJ1u

CAW-CHING: Freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), who was recently honeymooning with his new bride in Dubai, received more than a $1 million in total contributions during Q1. Cawthorn was among those who voted against certifying the election.

JAN. 6 FALLOUT: Delco man allegedly left lewd voicemails for Rep. Madeleine Dean, police say, by PhillyVoice’s Michael Tanenbaum: https://bit.ly/3a6BhoO | Prosecutors: Oath Keepers appeared to stash Jan. 6 firearms at suburban Comfort Inn, Kyle reports: https://politi.co/2RxqmxS

DEBATE OR DISMISS: Senate Republicans no longer have the power of setting the agenda — a political reality that was sharply felt during the reconciliation process for Democrats’ Covid relief bill. And while that may not be very fun for them…It sure makes it interesting to watch the first test of whether they choose to deploy their tools to challenge Democrats’ agenda, including filibustering the anti-Asian American hate crimes bill tomorrow.

And Democrats are almost daring them to do so amid a spike in hate incidents against Asian Americans during the pandemic. A full conference decision has not yet been made where they stand on the bill, but some are calling for the language to be debated, while others are dismissing the bill outright.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans are considering voting to open debate and offering amendments on the hate crimes measure. Some in the GOP may want “an opportunity to engage in a discussion about how to make it better, how to improve it, » Thune said of the bill. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a key moderate, has noted that the bill had “drafting problems” that she hopes can be corrected, like language that says the hate crime has to be linked to Covid.

That vs. Sen. John Cornyn’s POV. “My understanding is it doesn’t do much,” the Texas Republican said, while noting he needs to review the legislation. “It’s just a messaging vote, it sounds to me.”

Oh, and lest we forget: If Republicans do choose to filibuster the bill, what will happen? Likely, more talks about gutting the procedure that stands in the way of Dems getting their agenda passed.

Nick, Marianne and Burgess have the details: https://politi.co/3mEQbrl

Related: Democrats face mounting hurdles to agenda, by The Hill’s Jordian Carney: https://bit.ly/2QfJdge

TOP-ED: Now is the time for a Third Reconstruction — abolishing Jim Crow once and for all, writes freshman Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) in WaPo: https://wapo.st/3seEzwm

DUMB S.O.B.: Now that I have your attention… Let’s sit down and talk about the Trump-Mitch problem in a civilized manner. It isn’t hard to see that the relationship between the former president and face of the GOP and the Senate Republican leader is untenable for the party, particularly when the party feels it is so close to retaking the chamber’s majority next year.

As Burgess and Marianne report: “Trump’s insult-laden diatribe against McConnell this weekend signals that the GOP could splinter badly in primaries next year — and raises the question of whether McConnell and Trump can work together at all. In theory, the two Republicans could be back serving together in fewer than four years. But not if Trump keeps calling McConnell a ‘dumb son of a bitch’ and a ‘stone-cold loser.’”

“We’ve got issues as a party, with the demographic trends going against us, and we don’t have a lot of margin for error,” Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) told my colleagues, who said the feud is still in “full flare” at the moment. “When it comes to the infighting politically, I don’t know how that can help — when you’re scrapping on the margins, when you’re trying to win states, and especially national elections.”

The feud is mostly one-sided, with the former president using public platforms to bash McConnell, who largely remains quiet and frosty towards Trump. The two have not been in touch.

Stay tuned: McConnell will likely be asked again about Trump’s comments on Tuesday at his weekly news conference.

COMING UP: The Republican Study Committee has a list of well-known guests slated to come talk before the group, including former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie tomorrow. Your Huddle host is also told former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to join the RSC next week, when he will be making a “major press announcement”… so stay tuned on this.

I HEARD YOU ARE A WILD ONE: It may seem like common sense that someone wary of federal investigators might be careful about what they send via cell phone. Not Joel Greenberg, Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) friend, who fretted last August that investigators had reviewed his Venmo cash app history, fearing it led them to the former teen at the center of the case sex trafficking case against him, per a WhatsApp chat shared with federal investigators and obtained by my colleagues.

Greenberg also said he was paying the legal fees for the woman, who is now 20 years old, according to the messages. Five days later, the Florida county tax collector would be indicted for sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old.

Also, this: “Greenberg went so far as to push Gaetz to use his influence with Trump for a pardon, according to two sources familiar with the discussions, including one who heard Greenberg say it repeatedly.” More here from our Marc Caputo, Josh Gerstein and Matt Dixon: https://politi.co/2OKt16n

Related: Questions swirl over investigation into Gaetz as House returns, by CNN’s Jeremy Herb and Ryan Nobles: https://cnn.it/3mGwq2F

FIRST IN HUDDLE: Hamilton Place Strategies has a new analysis on Cap Hill lawmakers’ Twitter habits, in which they found Covid far surpassed other topics of discussion on the social media platform by members of both parties. And in second, “Trump” was the most common for Democrats and “schools” for Republicans, which was often related to the GOP’s reopening push.

Democrats were far more prolific tweeters, tweeting 87 percent more than Republicans on average. And out of the top 10 tweeters, Cornyn was the most prolific tweeter of any member or committee of Congress, per its findings, “cranking out 2,198 tweets over three months, an average of more than 24 tweets per day.” Meanwhile, the most prolific Democrat on Twitter was Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) with 1,740 total tweets in Q1. More here: https://bit.ly/32cdjDW

TRANSITIONS

Jeff Lowenstein, previously chief of staff to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), will become staff director of the House Intelligence Committee. Patrick Boland, previously Communications Director, will become Schiff’s new chief of staff.

Isabela Belchior has been promoted to Legislative Director for Rep. Matt Gaetz after Devin Murphy resigned amid the Justice Department probe. And Joel Valdez has also been promoted to communications director following the departure of Luke Ball. (P.S. Murphy’s email auto-reply reads: “I am no longer with the office of Congressman Matt Gaetz. Womp womp. Cue the sad trombone.”)

Lauren Evette Williams is now comms director for the House Oversight Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee. She most recently was an SVP at Burson Cohn and Wolfe and is a Marcia Fudge alum

Chris Mewett is now legislative director for Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). He previously was national security adviser for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and is a Defense Department alum.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House will meet at 7 p.m., with first votes expected as early as 7:15 p.m.

The Senate convenes at 12 p.m., when it will resume consideration of the nomination of Polly Trottenberg, Biden’s pick to serve as deputy secretary of Transportation.

AROUND THE HILL

10 a.m.: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Dem Reps. Grace Meng (N.Y.) and Andy Kim (N.J.) will hold a news conference about the anti-Asian American hate crimes legislation.

10 a.m.: IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig will testify before the Finance Committee.

11 a.m.: Biden will come to the Capitol to honor Evans.

11 a.m.: The U.S. Chamber is hosting its second « Common Grounds » event with Reps. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) to discuss immigration reform.

2 p.m.: Biden and VP Kamala Harris will meet with members of the Congressional Black Caucus in the Oval Office.

4 p.m.: The Task Force on Aging and Families will hold a press call on investments in caregiving infrastructure, featuring Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and task force leaders like Dem Reps. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), Doris Matsui (Calif.), and Conor Lamb (Pa.).

TRIVIA

MONDAY’S WINNER: Jack Bagley was the first person to correctly guess that Rep. William Natcher (D-Ky.), who served until his death in 1994, holds the record for the most consecutive roll-call votes: He cast 18,401 consecutive votes over his 41 years in the House.

TODAY’S QUESTION: Bob Koczera: Next Monday, on April 19, is Patriots Day — the day the first shots were fired starting the American revolution. Which states celebrate the third Monday in April as Patriots Day?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to [email protected].

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Follow Olivia on Twitter: @Olivia_Beavers