Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) confirmed that he has been “polling voters and meeting with business leaders to gauge the viability of an independent bid for governor,” the Washington Post reports.

“Bolling said he was considering a run as an independent candidate when he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination in November. But some political observers doubted his seriousness, even as he went on over the next month to become uncharacteristically vocal on a number issues, including uranium mining and arming school teachers.”

A revised vote count eight weeks after the presidential election finds President Obama nationally won 65.9 million votes — or 51.1% of the vote — against challenger Mitt Romney, who took 60.9 million votes and 47.2% of the total, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Obama is the first president to achieve that level of support in two elections since President Dwight D. Eisenhower was re-elected in 1956.

While coverage of the 2014 New Jersey Senate race thus far has centered on Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Roll Call notes a third Democrat is laying groundwork to run as well: Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

Sources say Pallone is “all but certain” to run for Senate if Lautenberg retires in 2014.

Daily Beast: “Until last night, the conventional wisdom in Washington was that the Tea Party was on the wane … But after 85 House Republicans joined Boehner in raising taxes without spending reductions during the end game of Monday night’s fiscal-cliff negotiations, Tea Party leaders and conservative activists from around the country are dusting off their tri-corner hats and ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ signs, and now say that their members are as energized as they have ever been since the first Tax Day protests in 2009. And the Republican Party, they add, had better beware … Already, those outside the official party apparatus are considering primarying incumbents, in some cases taking on those they helped elect a mere two years ago.”

Said South Carolina GOP Chairman Chad Connelly: “If you think 2010 was the Tea Party Congress, just wait until 2014. You will see people even more angry and up in arms. I don’t think we have seen nothing yet.”

“More than 40% of the 82 incoming House freshmen had more debt than leftover cash in the bank, a USA Today analysis of final election reports shows. For more than two dozen of them, the unpaid bills topped $100,000 each. Seven of the 12 new senators showed debts on their Dec. 6 reports to the Federal Election Commission. As a result, newly elected lawmakers are bombarding their supporters with pleas for campaign money and holding rounds of fundraising dinners, breakfasts and receptions — even before they are sworn in Thursday.”