Robert Shrum: “Handicappers in the presidential race abhor the opposite of a vacuum–a campaign two years out where one candidate seems to blot out the entire field. Thus a mini-chorus now rises, and may swell, questioning Hillary Clinton’s apparent lock on the 2016 Democratic nomination. It’s a predictable reflex, but in cold, hard reality, logic suggests that the lock is authentic, not just apparent. And in modern history, or virtually all American history, Hillary’s inevitability is unprecedented for a non-incumbent.”

Markos Moulitsas: “There is no alternative to Hillary this cycle.” 

A jury on found North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Greg Brannon (R) “misled two investors in a startup tech company he helped launch,” the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

“The verdict against him came after eight hours of deliberation in a case spanned two weeks and will likely pose political problems for the Republican contender.”

Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) told WLOX he wasn’t trying to embrace the Tea Party even though he has a primary challenger in Chris McDaniel (R) who associates himself with the movement.

Said Cochram: “The Tea Party is something I don’t really know a lot about. It’s a free country. We have open opportunities for people to participate in the election process.”

McDaniel responded: “It’s a shame because the Tea Party is a mass movement of people that really care about this country.”

The New York Times notes that “with Republicans giving up on the debt issue, and conservative advocacy groups overwhelming some candidates with television ads in crucial states, Democrats are growing nervous about the conditions in which this year’s elections will be fought.”

Said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): “We’re faced with a grim reality that more money is being spent earlier in some of these hot races than we’ve ever seen. We’re spending some, but we can’t keep up with them.”

“Look at what we wound up with: Some bimbo who decided not to run again.”

— Former Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA), quoted by The Hill, on the decision by Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-CA) not to run again after she ousted Baca in 2012.

Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Rutherford (R) — who is under fire for sexual harassment allegations — has sent notice to television media outlets that he is pulling his campaign ads, CBS Chicago reports.

“The statewide cancellation is effective immediately. However, campaign officials will decide to resume advertising later in the month, sources said.”

Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-CA) is not running for re-election, the Highland News reports.

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) announced that he will not be seeking re-election, the Newark Star Ledger reports.

“Holt, who lost the U.S. Senate primary in the special election to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg last year, said he would not be stepping away entirely from public life, but made no mention of his future plans.”

Texas U.S. Senate candidate Dwayne Stovall (R) has a new ad out criticizing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) for siding with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Says Stovall: “And you certainly don’t do all this to please some guy who looks and fights like a turtle.”

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Washington Post: “After a tumultuous week of party infighting and leadership stumbles, congressional Republicans are focused on calming their divided ranks in the months ahead, mostly by touting proposals that have wide backing within the GOP and shelving any big-ticket legislation for the rest of the year.”

“Comprehensive immigration reform, tax reform, tweaks to the federal health-care law — bipartisan deals on each are probably dead in the water for the rest of this Congress.”

A new Human Events/Gravis poll in Texas finds Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) leading primary challenger Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), 43% to 28%, with 29% undecided.

Said pollster Doug Kaplan: “These are dangerous numbers for Cornyn, because they show that despite his power in the Senate and his familiarity with the voters, he has not yet made the sale.”