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Nathan’s (Mostly) Political One-Liners: Florida, Curious George, and the NFL

What’s running through my head on Thursday, April 12

From left, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Chief Deputy Whip Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., arrive in the basement of the Capitol on Wednesday as reports of Speaker Paul D. Ryan not running for re-election spread. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
From left, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Chief Deputy Whip Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., arrive in the basement of the Capitol on Wednesday as reports of Speaker Paul D. Ryan not running for re-election spread. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Arizona’s 8th District Special: Welcome to the big leagues, Democrat Hiral Tipirneni, who we’re learning hasn’t treated patients since 2011 and settled a malpractice lawsuit.

Baseball Movies: It’s still hard to believe Aaron Sorkin made “Moneyball” into a watchable movie.

Colorado Governor: Faulty signatures is a bipartisan problem, as Republican Walker Stapleton found his own petitions to be problematic and now must make the primary ballot by exceeding the 30 percent threshold at the GOP state assembly on Saturday, but he’s not the only credible Republican in the race.

Florida Senate: “If Democrats lose in Florida, it puts pressure on the party to win in much more Republican territory — in states such as Texas or Tennessee or Nebraska,” I told The New York Times on Tuesday.

Florida’s 15th District: GOP Rep. Dennis A. Ross’ retirement would have been a surprise if not for Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s announcement, but his open seat remains Solid Republican as the new candidate fields start to take shape.

Florida’s 27th District: Democratic state Sen. José Javier Rodriguez ended his congressional bid Wednesday, likely with the entry of former Health and Human Services Director Donna Shalala, which means the Democrats’ only Hispanic candidate was forced out of a race for a non-Hispanic candidate in a Hispanic-majority district.

GOP Leadership Ladder: All of the initial attention was on House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (who just withdrew) battling to succeed Ryan, but a dark-horse candidate might be Oregon Rep. Greg Walden, a former NRCC Chairman, who could emerge as an acceptable option if the main contenders get too personal.

NFL Fashion (a): Why do the “Color Rush” jerseys have to be worn with matching pants, socks, shoes and cleats, when the same jerseys could be worn with regular pants and the sales and marketing team could achieve their goal?

NFL Fashion (b): The “Curious George” series featured the original Color Rush, considering Ted Shackelford, aka The Man in the Yellow Hat, inexplicably also wore a yellow shirt and yellow pants.

North Dakota’s At-Large District: GOP state Sen. Tom Campbell switched from the Senate race to the House contest when Rep. Kevin Cramer announced his challenge to Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, and now Campbell has left the House race, leaving state Sen. Kelly Armstrong as the likely GOP nominee.

Pennsylvania’s 6th District: Seems like most of the people criticizing GOP Rep. Ryan A. Costello for not running for re-election in a newly drawn seat that Hillary Clinton carried by 10 points either represent districts that President Donald Trump carried easily or aren’t candidates at all.

Wisconsin’s 1st District: Ryan’s exit creates an open seat in a GOP-leaning district, but Democrat Randy Bryce starts the new race with a multimillion-dollar advantage over any Republican, and the rating shifted from Solid Republican to Leans Republican.

Zuckerberg Fashion: Wearing a suit and tie to Capitol Hill was probably the right decision for Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, but why the generic white shirt and blue solid tie?

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