Bloomberg Politics finds twelve couples have supported Bill and Hillary Clinton “by giving more than two hundred dollars to the five national campaigns, the PAC, the Clinton Foundation, and Ready for Hillary–the outside group promoting a second Clinton presidential run.”

“These few devotees–the very innermost circle of the Clinton cult–have supported Bill and Hillary since at least 1992, through epochal triumphs and bimbo eruptions and the slow bleed of Whitewater culminating in the Monica scandal, which caused the faith of the most devoted to be tested–after which, of course, Bill could be once again taken out of the closet.”

Politico: Rogue donors not ready for Hillary?

Mark Halperin: “Here’s the reality, distilled from over a dozen discussions with those who know Bush really well: Jeb himself still hasn’t decided.”

“There is no doubt that Bush is significantly closer to running for President than he was four years ago. He isn’t showing some leg to sell books or raise his speaking fees. He isn’t worried about the mechanics of the race, such as who might be his New Hampshire campaign manager, or how best to deal with straw polls. His decision-making process is less about consultation than, as is typical for the former Florida governor, about introspection. Jeb Bush is grappling with the hardest of questions: Is he the right person to bring the Republican Party toward the center and govern a country that has proven stubbornly difficult to lead? In other words, is this, finally, his time?”

In five statewide elections, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) has never carried Lee County, in the state’s southeast corner. Seeking his sixth term next month, Branstad wants that to change that, the AP reports.

“Branstad, having swamped Democrat Jack Hatch in fundraising, has bought television advertising time on WGEM in neighboring Quincy, Illinois, the only local television station that covers all of Lee County, as well as west central Illinois and northeast Missouri. The move is part of the 67-year-old Branstad’s personal political goals, which also include scoring big in his opponent’s home county and leaving the party stronger, should 2014 be his last campaign.”

Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Kay Hagan (D-NC) “are trying to distance themselves from a president who is deeply unpopular among white voters. But if they have any hopes of winning, they also must try to lock down the voters most loyal to Mr. Obama : African-Americans,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“How Southern Democrats walk this tightrope will help determine whether their party maintains control of the Senate. Sens. Landrieu, Hagan and Pryor are among the party’s last lines of defense in a region that has become a Republican stronghold.”

The latest New York Times/CBS News/YouGov polls of key Senate races show that Republicans “lead by at least four percentage points in enough races to finish with 50 seats — just one short of the 51 seats they need to overcome Joe Biden’s tiebreaking vote and take the Senate.”

“The Republicans’ likely gains include six seats currently held by the Democrats: in South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alaska. If those leads hold up, Republicans have four opportunities to capture the 51st seat they need in Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa and Kansas.”

“Nonetheless, the data suggests that the Democrats retain a clear, if difficult, path to victory. Perhaps most notable, the data offers reason to question the conventional wisdom that Republicans have recently made substantial gains in Colorado and Iowa.”

A new NBC News/Marist Poll in Iowa finds Joni Ernst (R) edging Bruce Braley (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 44%.

A new NBC News/Marist poll in Kansas finds Greg Orman (I) is leading Sen. Pat Roberts (R) by 10 points in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 38%.

A new NBC News/Marist Poll in North Carolina finds Sen. Kay Hagan (D) has a slight advantage over challenger Thom Tillis (R), 44% to 40%.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) “is working to show voters he’s more than a wooden wonk by loosening up on the campaign trail,” The Hill reports.

“Now, with a new and improved, more relaxed demeanor, some conservatives are taking a second look at the Louisiana governor for 2016 after largely writing him off as a major contender for the White House. Jindal surprised many last week when he gave a strong speech at the Values Voters Summit in Washington. The half-hour address drew both laughs and strong applause from the social conservatives gathered, and Jindal showed a dynamic style as he paced across the stage.”

“With the battle for the Senate tilting toward Republicans and President Obama’s approval ratings hovering near his all-time low, Democrats are more reliant than they have ever been on the very kind of big-money groups they have spent years trying to outlaw,” the New York Times reports.

“They are countering the Republican Party’s expansive and formidable outside spending network this fall with a smaller but more tightly knit alliance of groups that share donors, closely coordinate their advertising and hit harder than their conservative counterparts.”

Forrest Dunbar (D) told the Alaska Dispatch News he had a backstage altercation with Rep. Don Young (R-AK) before their debate Friday night.

When the two were walking near each other, Young said angrily, “You’re not from Cordova any more than I’m from Fort Yukon. I had you looked into.”

Dunbar said he was puzzled and touched Young on his arm lightly and asked: “What are you talking about?”

Then Dunbar said Young, “freaked out. There is no other way to describe it. He kind of snarled at me and said, ‘Don’t you ever touch me. Don’t ever touch me. The last guy who touched me ended up on the ground dead.'”

“I’m just sad I’m not able to be there either. I’d like to be in the White House.”

— Mitt Romney, quoted by the Marietta Daily Journal.