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.”

President Obama has agreed to do much more than fundraising for House Democrats. He’s also going to help with candidate recruitment, Roll Call reports.

Said DCCC Chairman Steve Israel (D-NY): “It’s transformational.”

A publicist for Ashley Judd told E! News that she was appreciative for the attention Karl Rove’s attack ad gives her as she mulls a U.S. Senate bid against Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Dr. Connie Mariano, the former White House doctor who drew the ire of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) for saying his obesity was not healthy — he called her a “hack” — actually got a phone call from the governor, KTVK-TV reports.

Said Mariano: “It was essentially the tone of the press conference only louder. It was hard to get anything across.”

Ironically, Mariano was a Christie supporter but isn’t likely to back him in 2016: “The way he acted lately I don’t think so. He wasn’t very nice to me. Politically if this is the way he handles stress… is this presidential? I’ll have to think about that. Is this a presidential way to behave? C’mon.”

“Seemed odd at the time. But, you know, I’m an odd person. One thing about getting into the senior status of life, like I am, you don’t really care. You just say what you say and then you get away with it.”

— Clint Eastwood, quoted by NBC News, on his “invisible Obama” routine during last year’s Republican National Convention.

A new Des Moines Register poll in Iowa finds a majority of voters think U.S. secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack (D) would be an appealing Senate candidate, 56% to 35%.

He’s also the most favored candidate of the pack mulling a run for the seat being vacated by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA).

Said pollster Ann Selzer: “This is the kind of poll finding that launches campaigns.”