Charlie Cook urges caution in trying to predict what will have the most impact right now on the election a year from now, especially because so much has changed in just the last three months.
Stuart Rothenberg: "Democrats have had a nice run recently of interesting House recruits and new takeover opportunities resulting from open GOP seats. And yet, it probably won’t matter. If history is any guide — and it usually is — the president’s recent problems have already overshadowed that good news for House Democrats and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, all but erasing any chances that the party can win back the House next year."
President Obama has committed to his first DGA fundraiser.
Maggie Haberman: “Republican Chris Christie’s greatest asset and claim to fame – governing in the blue state of New Jersey – could become his biggest liability next year. As the GOP’s strongest 2016 hopeful, according to polling at this early stage, and the newly-installed chief of the Republican Governors Association, Christie is in the enviable position of being able to raise loads of money and draw instant media attention. But the spotlight can magnify flaws just as it flatters; every home-state flareup or verbal miscue can go national in a flash. And early indications are that Democrats, feeling feisty after victories in legislative races on Election Day, are going to be more of a roadblock to Christie than they were during his first term.”
DC: NBC4’s Tom Sherwood: “Mayor Vincent Gray says he will run for re-election in 2014, after D.C. local politics-watchers spent months wondering if an ongoing federal investigation into his 2010 campaign would keep the incumbent out of the race. Gray made the announcement Monday after signing up for petitions at the D.C. Board of Elections office.”
ILLINOIS: “Illinois lawmakers are convening in the state Capitol for what could be a historic vote to finally close the gap on the state's $100 billion public pension shortfall, which is considered the nation's worst,” AP reports. “On the table is a proposed plan, unveiled last week by Democratic and Republican leaders of both the House and Senate, that they say would save the state $160 billion over 30 years by trimming retirement benefits. Union officials say it would unfairly hurt retirees who were promised the money and worked hard to earn it. Some Republicans say it doesn't go far enough and would not solve the crisis.”
MASSACHUSETTS: Roll Call: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., will boost state Sen. Katherine Clark’s special election bid next week with a campaign event in the 5th District.”
PENNSYLVANIA:Politico: “As Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett’s approval ratings sink lower, no fewer than eight Keystone State Democrats — with potentially more to come — have thrown their hats in the ring to take him on. With no clear front-runner in the crowded field and one candidate pledging to drop $10 million on the primary, the May contest to choose Democrats’ challenger to Corbett has the potential to become the most competitive, costly and contentious Democratic primary of 2014. If the eventual nominee emerges from the free-for-all damaged and short on cash, it could be Corbett’s only hope of survival.”