The New York Times reports at least nine Tea Party Republicans, “a mix of former incumbents and previous challengers” are running for Congress again — “but with a difference.”

“This time they have shelved their incendiary remarks about President Obama and the national debt in favor of a narrower focus on the Affordable Care Act, which they hope will attract moderate voters from both parties, even in heavily Democratic districts, who are disenchanted with its rollout. The campaigns, if successful, could be an indication of change in some corners of the Republican Party as many former firebrands mellow their messages [and] try to capitalize on the center. At the very least, their campaigns show that some people who ran vociferously against Washington appear eager to get back there.”

Senate Republicans, “who spent most of the last week bemoaning a recent rules change that makes it easier for Democrats to confirm Obama administration appointees, will have to turn their attention this week to the two-year budget deal crafted by the heads of the House and Senate Budget Committees, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA),” CBS News reports.

“But in a deviation from the usual patterns in Washington, the bipartisan agreement may have a harder path in the Senate, where lawmakers are typically less averse to compromise than their House counterparts.”

However, The Hill reports that
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-ranking Senate Democratic leader, said that “Republicans jockeying for the White House in 2016 and Tea Party challengers in 2014 have imperiled the budget deal.”

“Durbin estimated that Democrats will lose three members of their caucus on the vote, which means they’ll need at least eight Republicans to cross the aisle and vote with them.”

First Read: “While there might be a Democratic defection or two, 60 votes appears to
be much more obtainable today than it was late last week. There won’t be
much drama.”:

A new Wilson Perkins Allen poll in Texas finds Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) crushing GOP primary challenger Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), 50% to 6%.

A new Des Moines Register Iowa Poll finds Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) “is wildly popular here with a 73% favorability rating, a surprise finding that reveals he’s at the forefront of potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates in the nation’s kickoff voting state.”

“Two former winners of the Republican caucuses have the second and third highest favorability ratings among voting-age GOP’ers — 66% for Mike Huckabee, 58% for Rick Santorum — among 10 buzzed-about Republicans tested in this poll.”

“But their popularity isn’t as striking as the overwhelming affinity Iowa Democrats have for Hillary Clinton, with 89% saying they have a positive opinion of her. Just 7% of voting-age Democrats have a negative impression the former U.S. secretary of state and U.S. senator from New York.”