Biden: Roll Call takes a look at the insider position Biden could play after his role in brokering a fiscal cliff deal and his position heading the gun violence task force in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary.
Senate
Nevada: This reads like a soap opera, but here goes. Utah businessman Jeremy Johnson faces federal charges on a variety of financial issues- felony bank fraud and money laundering, among others. Johnson argues Utah Attorney General John Swallow (R), who met with him about the FTC probe he faced, connected him to businessman Richard Rawle, a businessman who was supposedly Senator Harry Reid's contact. to pay him an eventual total of $600k to make the probe go away. Johnson claims some of the money was paid but that the probe continued. Reid has disavowed any knowledge of such an arrangement.
Hawaii: The intra-party Democratic infighting here continues, with Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D) openly considering running for either Governor or US Senate. Currently, those positions are filled by two rivals, Governor Neil Abercrombie and Senator Brian Schatz, respectively. She may also run for re-election, for which she is already fundraising. It may be easier for her to run for Senate from a logistical point of view- she may simply transfer her campaign funds from a House to Senate campaign, but she may not directly transfer funds from a federal to a state campaign. New Jersey: Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D) is now considering a Senate bid, and it appears contingent on incumbent Senator Lautenberg's decision to run or not.
“I have not ruled anything out, but it’s not my immediate focus as we work to elect a Democratic governor and Legislature, and right now New Jersey has a Democratic U.S. senator who deserves respect in Frank Lautenberg,” Oliver said in a statement to the Star-Ledger. “But should an opportunity arise, the lack of a woman in Congress from New Jersey is an embarrassment that must be remedied and taken into consideration.”
Texas: Following the example of the insider/outsider alliance of Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul (R) in Kentucky, Senators Cruz and Cornyn (R) of Texas have moved toward a close relationship themselves. The article talks about a primary for Cornyn, who faces re-election in 2014, but where would such a challenge come from? There already may be competitive races or open seats for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Land Commissioner, and potentially other posts, so an expensive primary battle seems unlikely.
Governor
Massachusetts: Politico looks at the possibility former Governor Scott Brown (R) may run for Governor instead of the Senate. The biggest reason? Republicans just tend to do better running for state office than federal office in Massachusetts.
Iowa: Rep. Bruce Braley (D) could run for Governor against incumbent Terry Branstad (R).
House
IL-02: Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s wife, Sandi Jackson, has resigned from her position as alderman citing "very painful family health matters." So with both Jacksons out of office and their pick for JJJ's seat now out of the running, the family has not had much luck lately.
CT-05: Former State Senator Andrew Roraback (R), the moderate 2012 congressional candidate is undecided on a "future run," although he sounds like a candidate with a conciliatory tone on gun issues in a state where the topic was recently pushed to the forefront.
SC-01: Former Governor and Rep. Mark Sanford is looking at a potential campaign headquarters as he continues to move toward a run. Also, former state Treasurer Tom Ravenel is considering a bid, Interestingly, if Ravenel joined the race three different Ron Paul supporters (along with Sanford and former State Senator John Kuhn) would be in the running. While he could self-fund, Ravenel is not very viable- he renounced his citizenship briefly in 2011 and left office due to a federal conviction for purchasing and possessing small amounts of cocaine.
Miscellaneous
Rockefeller: The Fix takes a look at the history and future of the Rockefeller dynasty in American politics.
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