Hillary Clinton returned to the public stage last night “for the opening scene in what many expect to be a carefully plotted performance concluding with another presidential try,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The high-profile venue: the Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital. Several dozen mostly student-age supporters of a Clinton presidential run rallied outside, brandishing blue-and-white ‘I’m Ready for Hillary’ placards. But the event inside was strictly nonpartisan: an awards gala for an international women’s rights organization that Clinton had helped create.”

New York Times:
“It was an evening without overt politics and yet Mrs. Clinton’s
appearance drew attention as she enters a period of deciding whether to
run for president again in 2016.”

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) “has cleared another hurdle in his bid for a political comeback, defeating a former county council member to win the GOP nomination for a vacant U.S. House seat,” the AP reports.

Roll Call: “It is unclear how difficult the path ahead will be for Sanford in the general election. Some South Carolina Republicans insist that this is a solidly conservative district and that the idea of a Democratic winner is unfathomable.”

But the Democratic nominee, Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D), released an internal poll that showed she had a narrow lead over Sanford, though Stu Rothenberg is skeptical.

President Obama “doesn’t plan to weigh in on the Los Angeles mayoral race because it pits two Democrats against each other,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The news is a blow for Eric Garcetti, who has emphasized his ties to Obama during his candidacy. Garcetti recently sent out mailers to black voters featuring a picture of himself with Obama.”

Bill Clinton endorsed rival Wendy Greuel last month.

Chris Sununu (R), the son of former White House chief of staff John H. Sununu and brother of former Sen. John E. Sununu (R) “has been hinting that he will seek either a congressional seat or run for governor of the Granite State — a decision he says he will make in the next few months,” ABC News reports.

Said Sununu: “I’m a Sununu. If I told you I wasn’t considering it, you wouldn’t believe me.”

Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will challenge Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), “in what’s likely to be one of the most competitive races of 2014,” Roll Call reports.

“Cassidy has long been mentioned as a top potential contender to Landrieu, who is seeking a fourth term in a state President Obama lost by 18 points in November. Cassidy had more than $2 million in the bank by the end of 2012, and his campaign announced Monday that he raised $500,000 in the first quarter.”

Stu Rothenberg:
“If the question is whether there is any evidence right now that
Democrats can retake the House next year (especially considering
historical trends and the number of swing districts), the answer has to
be no. This conclusion is based on the evidence now, and if the evidence
changes, so could my conclusion. Perhaps the best answer to the
question, from my point of view, is one that some will find
unsatisfactory: I don’t know. Ask me again in a year, and then a few
months after that, and then again in October 2014.”