The Washington Post says Sen. March Rubio (R-FL) “is indeed a politician of unusual gifts. But the spotlight that has fallen on this relatively new arrival to the national scene says as much about the state of the Republican Party as it does about the 41-year-old senator. And it remains to be seen whether he represents the solution to the GOP’s problems, or whether the party’s sky-high hopes in an untested newcomer are just another measure of its drift.”

Paul Waldman: “But you can only be the Next Big Thing for so long, and there’s really
only one way to become your party’s savior: win the White House. If
immigration reform passes, Rubio will probably be given credit on the
right. But what if, in 2014, Republicans do no better with Latino voters
than they did in 2012? That might make them decide that moderating
their stance was a waste of time. Or it might make them decide they need
Rubio more than ever.”

Mark Sanford’s (R) congressional bid “is equal parts political campaign and confessional tour,” Politico reports.

“The disgraced ex-South Carolina governor is back on the trail seeking forgiveness for the sins that caused his political career to collapse in spectacular fashion four years ago: The mysterious days-long disappearance, the lies about hiking the Appalachian Trail and the extramarital affair with an Argentine woman that splintered the Republican’s picture-perfect family and shattered his presidential aspirations.”

Said Sanford: “I’m not in any way unaware of how I’ve let you down. I’m not in any way unaware of my well-chronicled failings as a human being. But I am equally aware that God forgives people who are imperfect.”

“Eight months after Michele Bachmann’s 2012 presidential bid ground to a halt in Iowa, her campaign manager there signed a sworn affidavit, pointing his finger at another top staffer in a still-simmering dispute over the misuse of a contact list of home-school family names,” NBC News reports.

“The list was the at the center of a flap late in Bachmann’s presidential run, when a powerful Iowa home-school network called NICHE complained that its collection of contacts for thousands of home-school families had been mined by the campaign and used to expand its fundraising.”

Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) is seriously considering seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in Pennsylvania as her party tries to unseat incumbent Gov. Tom Corbett (R) in the 2014 election, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

“Democrats are seeing Corbett as vulnerable in light of his low approval ratings in recent statewide polls. Though state Treasurer Rob McCord and of other Democrats have dropped hints about entering the race, the only one to toss his hat in the ring to date is John Hanger, the former state environmental secretary.”

Michelle Cottle says too much is being made of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) weight.

“More to the point, why is Christie’s fatness exponentially more problematic than, say, John Boehner’s manic chain-smoking or crazy tanning fetish? And what about some of the borderline alcoholics we’ve watched swan about the halls of the Capitol over the years? Or, if we really want to fret over an impaired ability to govern, what about the members of Congress who cling to office until they are so senile they can barely recognize their own wives? (Lighthearted case in point: a now deceased senator once tried to compel a former colleague of mine to escort him to the bathroom because the lawmaker mistook the young reporter for his aide.) I’ve been in Washington going on 17 years, during which time I’ve dealt with more than one lawmaker unnervingly past his prime.”

The blizzard that struck New England has some Massachusetts Republicans concerned that the storm “could jeopardize the ability of state Rep. Dan Winslow and other GOP candidates to qualify for the ballot in the special election to replace Secretary of State John Kerry,” National Journal reports.

“Candidates for the special election must submit 10,000 certified signatures by Feb. 27 to qualify for the April 30 primary. With Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick (D) declaring a state of emergency Friday afternoon and banning cars from driving on the roads, Senate contenders are forced to put a hold on signature collecting until the storm passes.”