“In 2008, Iowa Democrats rejected Hillary Clinton to propel a freshman senator to the White House. This time, they can’t wait to jump aboard the Clinton train,” Time reports.

“An overwhelmingly female crowd of nearly 100 gathered in Des Moines on Friday morning to help pave the way for Clinton’s as-yet-unannounced 2016 candidacy. The event, organized by the pro-Hillary women’s group EMILY’s List, was pegged — only half-jokingly — as the kickoff for Clinton’s campaign.”

Des Moines Register: Was this Hillary Clinton’s campaign kickoff?

Political Moneyline finds that Rep. Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) position on the House Financial Service Committee are what have propelled the freshman lawmaker into a U.S. Senate race against Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) and given him a large campaign war chest.

The Cook Political Report has released its latest House ratings.

Key takeaway: There are twice as many Democratic House seats in the “lean” and “toss up” categories than Republican House seats.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) put out a dramatic video highlighting his campaign kick off at Fancy Farm last weekend.

Key line: “He’s for guns, freedom and coal.”

[Read more…]

Anthony Weiner mocked a British reporter with a Monty Python joke and scolded his staff in front of a media scrum.

[Read more…]

Jesse Benton, campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), had a rough day yesterday when a recorded telephone conversation was leaked with him saying he was just trying to “hold my nose for two years” so he could go back to work for Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).

A quick search shows how deep Benton’s ties are to Paul and the tea party. He’s been paid more than $800,000 by various campaigns and committees tied to the Paul family.

Political Moneyline: “Contributors are already trying to build a relationship with New Jersey Democratic Senate candidate Cory Booker by contributing to his campaign. Washington, D.C.-area donors have given more than $100,000 to the Newark mayor’s federal campaign.”

Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer “are finding unexpectedly strong support in black communities,” the New York Times reports.

“Repeated polling has found a racial gap in the races for mayor and comptroller: black voters are far more likely than white voters to view Mr. Spitzer and Mr. Weiner favorably, and more likely to say they deserve a second chance… Interviews with black ministers, political leaders, scholars and voters suggest two major factors at work: an emphasis in black congregations on forgiveness and redemption, and an experience, particularly among older black voters, of having seen their revered leaders embroiled in scandal.”

Politico: “Thad Cochran is taking his sweet time. The Senate’s 2014 battle lines are already largely set with the increasingly glaring exception of Mississippi. But Cochran won’t say whether he will run for a seventh term and has indicated it will be months before he decides, stalling potential successors from laying groundwork in the race ahead of an impending spring primary.”

Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA) told Q13 Fox News that he’s “thinking about” running for statewide office, such as governor or U.S. senator.

Said Reichert: “I’m thinking about all those options. I still feel like I’m young and energetic. And, you know, we’ll see how Gov. Jay Inslee does, and if he continues on the path that he is, it doesn’t look too good for him. So I’ll keep an eye on that, and who knows what Patty Murray does in the next year or two?”