Good Tuesday morning, I'm Jake Sherman, and welcome to your political playbook audio briefing

sponsored by Pharma. And I'm Anna Palmer. The Republican blob is what we're talking about this morning.

With 35 days left until Election Day, House Republicans have found a bizarre phenomenon.

Around the country, President Donald Trump is above water in several House districts in which the GOP is struggling.

Why?

Top figures in the party tell us this.

Most of their members are stuck in the mushy middle when it comes to their political identity.

They don't totally align with the president, so they're crosswise with the base, but they're not far enough from the president to pull an

undecided middle-of-the-road voters.

First and Playbook, Senate Majority Pack and Majority Forward are dropping new ads in Missouri,

Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and Tennessee, part of a seven-figure ad reservation in those states.

SMP, the Super Pack, is a 30-second spot knocking Josh Hawley in Missouri for his health care position, Senator Dean Heller in Nevada for voting to repeal Obamacare, and Rick Scott for education cuts in a Spanish-language ad in Florida. This is part of a $5.5 million buy. Majority Forward has new spots knocking Martha McSally and Marcia Blackburn for their health care votes. This is part of a $2.2 million buy.

Here's the latest on Brett Kavanaugh.

The New York Times has a story up on how the White House is expanding the inquiry,

telling the FBI to interview anyone necessary as long as it is finished by the end of the week.

The Times also has a story up that details how Kavanaugh was questioned by police after a bar fight in 1985.

And NBC News is reporting on text messages showing how Kavanaugh was personally involved in trying to get others to refute claims by Deborah Ramirez.

John Bresenhan and Burgess Everett have the scoop on Mitch McConnell's evolving strategy.

They report that McConnell is now entirely focused on Republican Senator Susan Collins, Lisa

Murkowski, and Jeff Flake. The Kentucky Republican is no longer vowing to plow right through

and confirm Kavanaugh, instead trying to appeal to the three. He still plans to force a

critical procedural vote as early as Friday. Our colleague Stephanie Murray was on the ground in Manchester, New Hampshire, where Senator Jeff

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