The House began its six-week summer recess this week, a longer-than-traditional break even for an election year. Unable to pass appropriations bills, as we reported last week, members didn’t have anything to do. So they went home to campaign.

But even before they left town, lawmakers had already started to check out. We’ve noticed that attendance has dropped significantly over the past few months.

When the House voted on supplemental bills on April 20 providing funding for Israel and Ukraine, just seven lawmakers missed those votes.

Since then, absences have skyrocketed, jumping into the 20s, 30s and sometimes higher.

Missed votes on final passage of bills jumped to 19.4 percent on average after the Israel and Ukraine votes in April, compared with 11.1 percent in the previous 16 months of the 118th Congress, according to an analysis conducted for The Early by data journalist and Derek P. Willis, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland.

On amendment votes, the number of absences grew even more — to 25.8 percent between April 29 and June 30 compared with an average of just 12.2 previously.

It’s a far cry from the previous Congress, when just 6 percent of total votes were missed. But the rules were different. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) allowed for proxy voting during the coronavirus pandemic, which Republicans routinely criticized for allowing members to continue to vote even while missing work, therefore giving Pelosi a tool to pass legislation.

Absences are common on days members are flying into town. For instance:

• Last Monday, a “fly-in” day, where members travel from their district to Washington for evening votes, 68 members missed the first vote of the night for a “suspension” bill, a noncontroversial bill that takes two-thirds to pass.
• By the third and final suspension vote of the night, nine more people showed up, reducing the absentee number to 59.
• By the last vote of the week on Thursday morning for the Interior appropriations bill, the number dropped. 17 lawmakers — six Republicans and 11 Democrats — missed. The bill passed and might not have if more Democrats had attended.

Attendance levels among Democrats had been lagging so much that House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (Mass.) told her team at a meeting in June that members need to show up and vote.

Democrats have been frustrated with Republicans who, since the Israel and Ukraine votes, have put forward mostly partisan messaging bills that won’t get brought up in the Senate.

• “We’re wasting our time and people feel it,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said of the attendance challenges. “They’d rather be home with their constituents doing work in the district.”

But Democratic leadership argues that their members have been there when it matters. Rep. Al Green (D-Tex.) came in unexpectedly in a wheelchair after a medical procedure to kill Republicans’ impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in February. And enough Democrats showed up to prevent Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) from being censured last year, and they took down a couple of procedural rules, which are difficult votes to win in the minority.

The offices of some lawmakers never responded to requests for comment about missed votes, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.), who missed 30 votes in May and June compared with a total of just six votes before for this Congress.

• Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, missed 68 votes during those months compared with 18 before.
• Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) missed 53 votes compared with the 12 votes he missed previously.

It’s a campaign year, and absences naturally increase as members campaign in their districts. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), for instance, missed 103 votes in May and June ahead of his competitive June 25 primary, which he lost. He had missed just five votes in the previous 16 months of the current Congress.

• Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) was a Biden surrogate at the June 27 Atlanta debate and missed more than a dozen votes in one day, accounting for nearly half of the 38 votes he missed in May and June.
• Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has a similar excuse: “I’ve missed several votes in the last few weeks while I have been with President Trump making America Great Again,” he told The Early in a statement.

And then there’s life and hardship. For instance, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) missed 127 votes in May and June for treatment for cancer.

• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.), who died just this month of pancreatic cancer, missed 107 votes during those months.
• Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Pa.) was recovering from a minor stroke.
• Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) had surgery for a tumor in his skull.
• Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) missed 81 votes for paternity leave, according to Willis’s vote analysis.

Some members filed notices in the Congressional Record about how they would have voted if they had been present. Some members didn’t provide an explanation, but some did.

• Rep. Brad Finstad (D-Minn.) wrote that he missed eight votes because there was a fire at his home.
• Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) wrote that most of his 32 missed votes were for “personal reasons.” His office said he needed to be home with his kid.

Sometimes, the reason for missed votes is much more … simple?

• Rep. Marcus J. Molinaro (R-N.Y.) missed a vote because a meeting with a constituent ran long, he documented. Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.) wrote in the Congressional Record that he was on the House floor but missed the vote because he was “distracted.”

Arizona is holding primaries today to determine which candidates will face off in November in a Senate race and nine House districts. Here are the races to watch:

All eyes are on the margin separating the two GOP Senate candidates — and what that margin may indicate about the November general election. Kari Lake, who lost her gubernatorial race in 2022 and has Republicans worried about whether she appeals to a broad swath of voters, is widely considered the favorite in a primary race with two other contenders including Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.

Whoever wins tonight will face off against Rep. Ruben Gallego for the seat now held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. The margin of victory on the GOP ticket will be the first indication of the level of enthusiasm Republicans have for their nominee — and how much work they’ll have to do to compete against Gallego.

• 1st District: Six Democrats are competing tonight in the hopes of emerging as challenger to Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.). The swing district is rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. The six-term incumbent is no stranger to competitive races and has a cash advantage heading into the general election, while Democrats have spent months facing off in the primary.
• 2nd district: Freshman Rep. Eli Crane is facing a primary challenge from former county commissioner Jack Smith. Smith is backed by former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as part of his “revenge tour” against the eight Republicans who voted to oust him last year. Crane, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was one of the eight and has often voted against the GOP majority on several issues. The incumbent is expected to win the reliable GOP district.
• 3rd District: Gallego’s decision to run for Senate opened up his safe-Democratic district to a competitive face off in the primary. The top two contenders are former state Sen. Raquel Terán and former city council member Yassamin Ansari. Both women are liberals running on tackling socioeconomic issues, but each has a distinct background. Terán would be the first Latina to represent Arizona if elected, while Ansari would be the first Iranian American.
  • Cryptocurrency’s influence could help determine the outcome of the race. A crypto PAC with GOP ties is backing Ansari’s campaign, which has many local and national Latinos — including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus — claiming that Republicans are trying to undermine the Latino vote for Terán, who is also endorsed by Arizona politicians including Sen. Mark Kelly. The race is also viewed by some as a test of Kelly’s brand in the blue district — and comes as he is being eyed as a potential vice-presidential candidate.
• 8th District: GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko’s decision not to seek reelection has led to five Republicans facing off in the primary to replace her. Abraham Hamadeh and Blake Masters, who lost his Senate race against Kelly in 2022, are the top two contenders and both ardent election deniers. Former president Donald Trump initially endorsed Hamadeh, but surprisingly also endorsed Masters over the weekend. JD Vance — a friend of Masters — backed him last year. The district is reliably Republican, so whoever comes out on top is expected to win in the general.

Many thanks to our Arizona politics extraordinaire Yvonne Wingett Sanchez for her help.

Vice President Harris is campaigning in Atlanta tonight. Megan Thee Stallion will appear with Harris, our colleague Dylan Wells reports. A huge crowd is expected. Harris, who has traveled to Georgia five other times this year, is hoping to win Georgia, a state that usually votes Republican except for President Biden’s narrow win against Trump in 2020.

A CTC Vote: Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) filed cloture setting up a procedural vote later this week on an extension and expansion of the bipartisan child tax credit bill, which passed the House earlier this year.

Senate Republicans, who were not involved in the bipartisan, bicameral deal negotiated between the leaders of the two tax writing committees, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Mo.), have been opposed to the measure. It was not expected to be brought up in the Senate, in large part because of their opposition and expected failure.

GOP vice-presidential nominee JD Vance falsely accused Harris of not supporting the child tax credit.

Now, Senate Democrats have decided to hold a vote on it, putting Republicans on the spot and proving that Democrats support it.

Online safety: The Senate will vote today on final passage of the Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0, two bills to set guidelines for children online and protect them online.

Also: The Senate Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on the security failings around the assassination attempt against Trump. The acting director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe Jr., and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate will testify.

Vice President Harris hasn’t had much chance to forge her own foreign policy. Yet if she wins the presidency, the core of her foreign policy is unlikely to swerve from Biden’s strong support for Ukraine or his hard line on China, The Post’s Michael Birnbaum and Missy Ryan report. (On Gaza, she has voiced sharp criticism of Palestinian suffering even while continuing to back strong military support for Israel.)

Michael and Missy spoke with 14 U.S. and international policymakers, analysts and others who have worked closely with Harris to get a sense of how she might approach global problems differently from Biden.

Unlike Biden, she doesn’t have long-standing personal relationships with world leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Instead, like former president Barack Obama, she’s “a lawyer with a social justice bent who challenges staff to prove their assumptions and defends law and order with a prosecutor’s zeal,” Michael and Missy write.

Must-reads from The Post:

Trump, with a history of sexist attacks, again faces a female opponent. By Ashley Parker, Marianne LeVine and Maeve Reston.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper pulls out of consideration as Harris running mate. By Tyler Pager and Patrick Svitek.

Trump campaign attacks Kamala Harris in a new immigration-focused ad. By Michael Scherer.

Top Democrats stress contrasts between Trump, Harris at Pa. rally. By Maeve Reston and Cleve R. Wootson Jr.

Climate leaders say Harris has ‘lit an electric spark’ with young voters. By Maxine Joselow.

Vance tells donors Harris change was a ‘sucker punch,’ at odds with campaign. By Isaac Arnsdorf.

Thanks for reading. You can follow Leigh Ann and Marianna on X: @LACaldwellDC and @MariannaReports