Robin Kelly (D) “claimed victory tonight in a low-turnout contest to decide the successor to former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in a 2nd Congressional District with a history of scandal-plagued representation,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

Reuters reports that with nearly three quarters of precincts reporting, Kelly had 91.9% of the vote.

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Kentucky shows Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leading all three of his potential opponents for re-election.

McConnell leads Ben Chandler (D), 46% to 41%, tops Ed Marksberry (D), 46% to 35%, and beats Alison Lundergan Grimes (D), 45% to 41%.

Micah Cohen: “The two most unpopular governors up for re-election in 2014 are Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, an independent, and Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois, a Democrat. But the remaining eight governors with net negative job approval ratings are Republicans, including four who rode the Tea Party wave to power in blue and purple states in 2010 and now appear to be in some danger: Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, Gov. Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Gov. Paul LePage of Maine and Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan.”

Stuart Rothenberg says the distinction of most vulnerable incumbent senator “surely boils down to either Arkansas’ Mark Pryor or Louisiana’s Mary L. Landrieu.”

“It’s a close call on who is more vulnerable, but I’d probably pick Pryor,” especially if Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) runs. The Harvard-educated Iraq veteran who worked for McKinsey would be an especially difficult opponent for Pryor, and the Democratic base in Arkansas appears to be evaporating quickly.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) “campaign has accused opponents of bugging McConnell’s headquarters and has asked for an FBI investigation after a recording from an internal campaign meeting surfaced,” the Washington Post reports.

Charlie Cook: “At this point, there are two competing theories on what theme will
dominate the 2014 congressional elections. The one that seems to have
become the conventional wisdom is that Republicans will continue to have
problems with perception of their brand–specifically with younger,
minority, female, and moderate voters. The other scenario is that as
more provisions of the Affordable Care Act kick in early next year,
certain ones will alienate many voters who now either support or are
ambivalent toward ‘Obamacare,’ creating an undertow for Democratic
candidates. Other scenarios could develop, but these now seem to be the
most plausible.”

“At the very least, the council should have also included a requirement for warning signs on women’s and girl’s public restroom and locker room doors saying that women and girls may be confronted there by men who think they are women.”

— Michigan state Rep. Tom McMillin (R), quoted by MLive, opposing a law because it would allow transgendered men and women to use restrooms designated for the opposite sex.

A new Harper Polling survey in Louisiana finds Sen.Mary Landrieu (D-LA) with a small lead over Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in a possible U.S. Senate race, 46% to 41%.

Key findings: Landrieu leads among women 50% to 33% while Cassidy leads among men 48% to 41%. Among white voters, Cassidy leads 49% to 34%.

Chicago Tribune: “Voters across the Chicago area will go to the polls for local elections today, picking winners in a range of races from a replacement for U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson to a high-profile suburban mayoral contest featuring a former Bears’ star.”

Former Rep. Jeff Landry (R-LA) “aims to keep stirring up trouble on Capitol Hill from the outside with a new super PAC to support hard-right conservatives in the House of Representatives,” Politico reports.

“Landry, who lost his bid for reelection last year, will helm a group dubbed Restore Our Republic. The goal of the super PAC… is to give conservatives aligned with the GOP’s activist base the same outside support that establishment-side Republicans get from independent expenditure groups.”