Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) intends to run for the U.S. Senate seat that fellow Democrat Tom Harkin will leave open in 2014, his advisers told The Des Moines Register.

Braley also sent out the news in an email to supporters this morning saying he’s “ready to go.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took on a former White House doctor who said he was at risk of dying in office because of his weight, calling her a “hack” and telling her to “shut up” unless she examines him, ABC News reports.

Said Christie: “If she wants to get on a plane and come here to New Jersey and asks me if she wants to examine me and review my medical history, I’ll have a conversation with her about that. Until that time she should shut up.”

First Read: “This is about Christie trying to confront, on his terms, what would be one of his biggest obstacles if he launches a presidential bid in 2016. He knows this is a hurdle; he knows it’s not an insignificant one. The biggest thing is he has changed his tone on this, becoming much more open about it, even hinting that he’s on a program and that people would notice if it’s working relatively soon. As late as last year, Christie’s standard response was essentially: my weight is my business, period. Not anymore. If you needed a hint that Christie is trying to get it together to run for president, this is it.”

“I’ve always viewed politics the following way: if you do a good job at the job you’re doing, you’ll have opportunities to do other things in the future. Maybe things you never envisioned.”

— Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), quoted in a cover story in Time magazine.

The Miami Herald reports that Jeb Bush was rebuffed in an offer to buy the Miami Marlins baseball team during the offseason.

First Read: “Just asking… but doesn’t the fact… send a signal he’s not
all that interested in running for president? Trying to buy a baseball
team doesn’t exactly say your focus is prepping for a presidential run.”

The New York Times reports that President Obama is already planning to return to
the campaign trail, agreeing to hold at least 14 fundraisers this year, a
move a Democratic official characterizes as an “aggressive schedule.”

Alan Abramowitz unveils his first 2014 midterm election forecast:

“The results of the midterm forecasting model indicate that while Democrats have a real chance to buck the normal pattern of midterm elections and gain seats in the House of Representatives, they are unlikely to pick up the 17 seats that they would need to regain control of the chamber. That outcome would require a wave election like 2006 or 2010. But the 2014 midterm election is unlikely to be a wave election. It is much more likely to be a status quo election for the House of Representatives with one party or the other making a small gain and Republicans holding onto their majority.”

“Barring the emergence of a major national issue that results in a substantial advantage for one party or the other on the generic ballot, the seat swing in the 2014 House elections is likely to be fairly small. Nevertheless, the pattern of out-party gains in midterm elections is strong enough that, like Newt Gingrich in 1998, John Boehner may find his speakership in jeopardy if Democrats make even modest gains in the House elections.”

Former Sen. Scott Brown (R) wouldn’t say whether he’s considering a run for Massachusetts governor in 2014, but he suggested in an interview that his political days aren’t quite over, Politico reports.

Said Brown: “I’m not dead.”

He also explained why he’s not running in the upcoming Senate special election: “People forget I did a state Senate run, then the special, then the general, then it was a special, and then I would have won that, then a general again. It’s too much.”

Marc Ambinder: “The Democratic Party has two tiers of candidates. In order for the second tier of candidates to even conceive of running, then the first tier has to step aside. That first tier, of course, is occupied by Clinton. Her intentions are unknowable, but trust me when I tell you that, to the extent that the Democratic Party still has reliable donors and committed activists, the lion’s share are hoping Clinton runs and are ready to endorse her immediately. She is the 800-pound gorilla in a pantsuit. No one moves until she does.”