The Cook Political Report has released its latest House ratings.

Key takeaway: There are twice as many Democratic House seats in the “lean” and “toss up” categories than Republican House seats.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) put out a dramatic video highlighting his campaign kick off at Fancy Farm last weekend.

Key line: “He’s for guns, freedom and coal.”

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Anthony Weiner mocked a British reporter with a Monty Python joke and scolded his staff in front of a media scrum.

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Jesse Benton, campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), had a rough day yesterday when a recorded telephone conversation was leaked with him saying he was just trying to “hold my nose for two years” so he could go back to work for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

A quick search shows how deep Benton’s ties are to Paul and the tea party. He’s been paid more than $800,000 by various campaigns and committees tied to the Paul family.

Political Moneyline: “Contributors are already trying to build a relationship with New Jersey Democratic Senate candidate Cory Booker by contributing to his campaign. Washington, D.C.-area donors have given more than $100,000 to the Newark mayor’s federal campaign.”

Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer “are finding unexpectedly strong support in black communities,” the New York Times reports.

“Repeated polling has found a racial gap in the races for mayor and comptroller: black voters are far more likely than white voters to view Mr. Spitzer and Mr. Weiner favorably, and more likely to say they deserve a second chance… Interviews with black ministers, political leaders, scholars and voters suggest two major factors at work: an emphasis in black congregations on forgiveness and redemption, and an experience, particularly among older black voters, of having seen their revered leaders embroiled in scandal.”

Politico: “Thad Cochran is taking his sweet time. The Senate’s 2014 battle lines are already largely set with the increasingly glaring exception of Mississippi. But Cochran won’t say whether he will run for a seventh term and has indicated it will be months before he decides, stalling potential successors from laying groundwork in the race ahead of an impending spring primary.”

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) told Q13 Fox News that he’s “thinking about” running for statewide office, such as governor or U.S. senator.

Said Reichert: “I’m thinking about all those options. I still feel like I’m young and energetic. And, you know, we’ll see how Gov. Jay Inslee does, and if he continues on the path that he is, it doesn’t look too good for him. So I’ll keep an eye on that, and who knows what Patty Murray does in the next year or two?”

A new New York Times/Siena poll in New York City finds that Eliot Spitzer leads Scott Stringer in the race for city comptroller, 44% to 35%.

A new New York Times/Siena poll in New York City finds Christine Quinn leads the Democratic race for mayor with 25%, followed by William Thompson at 16%, Bill de Blasio at 14% and Anthony Weiner at 10%.

The remaining candidates in the poll each drew less than 5% and 26% of the Democratic voters surveyed were undecided.

“Just beneath the surface, and without evidence of direct involvement by the Clintons themselves, a Clinton machine is whirring to life,” ABC News reports. “A series of self-started, independent ventures are adding up to a sweeping effort to unite all levels of the Democratic establishment behind a candidacy that backers hope and trust they’ll have a chance to support.”

“Several people close to the Clinton camp insist there is no puppet-master coordinating political efforts for the former secretary of state. That means that while some of what’s being done is for Clinton’s benefit, it’s less clear that it’s being done on her behalf.”

“But a series of prominent Democrats aligned with the Clintons — Harold Ickes, James Carville, Ann Lewis, Cheryl Mills, and Craig Smith among them — are acting as facilitators, channeling friends and allies toward entities that are working for a possible candidacy, according to numerous Democrats in and around the Clinton orbit.”

Ruby Cramer notes that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) “decision to focus on his state by staying put is a key part of his governing strategy and political argument — but it could also cramp his national ambitions.”

“Leaving the capital, let alone the state, for a weekend in some other governor’s city wouldn’t be Cuomo’s style. Since taking office in Albany in 2011, Cuomo has not spent a single night outside the state, his office confirmed.”