A former aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) described an aggressive effort “to cultivate Fort Lee’s mayor for at least a year and a half before lanes were closed at the George Washington Bridge in an act of political retribution,” the New York Times reports.

“The description of the efforts to woo the mayor seemed to run contrary to the governor’s statement after the lane closings exploded into a scandal in January that Mayor Mark Sokolich had never been on his ‘radar screen.'”

The Newark Star Ledger walks back its endorsement of Gov. Chris Christie (R) in last year’s gubernatorial election.

“Yes, we knew Christie was a bully. But we didn’t know his crew was crazy enough to put people’s lives at risk in Fort Lee as a means to pressure the mayor. We didn’t know he would use Hurricane Sandy aid as a political slush fund. And we certainly didn’t know that Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer was sitting on a credible charge of extortion by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.”

New York Times: “His campaign called them ‘the Top 100,’ the swing towns that Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey wanted to win as he prepared for a re-election campaign. Capturing these towns, sometimes referred to as mini-Ohios or mini-Floridas, would validate the governor’s argument that he would be the most broadly appealing Republican choice for president in 2016.”

“Staff members in the governor’s office created tabbed and color-coded dossiers on the mayors of each town — who their friends and enemies were, the policies and projects that were dear to them — that were bound in notebooks for the governor to review in his S.U.V. between events.”

Time has obtained an unaired television ad from Barbara Buono’s (D) gubernatorial campaign last year that accuses Gov. Chris Christie (R) of being a bully.

The tagline: “Some say this bully can’t be beaten. I’m Barbara Buono and I say that’s up to you.”

New documents released to the Wall Street Journal “indicate that meetings arranged between top commissioners to Gov. Chris Christie and Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop were abruptly canceled without reason last year–providing evidence of Mr. Fulop’s claim that he was cut off after he decided not to endorse the governor.”

“The documents don’t indicate why the meetings were scrapped, but Mr. Fulop has said that he was punished for declining to endorse the governor. Mr. Christie attended the Democrat’s inauguration in Jersey City in July, and Mr. Fulop’s advisers had considered endorsing Mr. Christie, but ultimately didn’t.”

Jeff Zeleny: “It’s another buckle-your-seatbelt kind of week for Gov. Chris Christie. The around-the-clock analysis of his political future shows little sign of easing”

Wall Street Journal: “Interviews with mayors and other New Jersey Democratic officials show that Mr. Christie’s allies in conversations that swung from friendly to persistent fostered a perception of better access to the governor’s office and state commissions for those who cooperated, while a few who stayed neutral or endorsed Mr. Christie’s opponent said they felt locked out. Others suffered no harm.”

“One question is whether carrot-and-stick political tactics by Christie aides played a role in a traffic scandal allegedly engineered as a political punishment for a Democratic mayor who didn’t endorse the governor.”

Joshua Spivak notes a steep drop off in elected officials who were recalled by voters this year.

“In 2011, we had 151. In 2012, we had 168, with 509 attempts. In 2013, we have 107, with 478 attempts. Of those 107 recalls, 73 were ousted; 51 officials lost a race, and another 22 resigned — a 68% removal rate. As in the past, these number probably understate the amount of recalls that took place.”

The Week: The 13 craziest, most offensive things said by politicians in 2013.

Roll Call rounds up the top political ads of 2013.

Anthony Weiner (D) posted a thank you message to supporters on Facebook “that leaves the door open-ever so slightly-to another comeback run,” Politicker reports.

Said Weiner: “What’s next? I’ll keep you posted on my plans. But I hope we keep the band together.”

Virginia attorney general candidate Mark Obenshain (R) will concede the race to Mark Herring (D) this afternoon, the certified winner of the Nov. 5 election, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

“As Herring’s lead in the statewide tally had steadily widened since the recount began Monday, it became increasingly clear that Obenshain would not be able to swing the race in his favor.”

Bradley Byrne (R) coasted to victory in Alabama’s 1st congressional district special election on Tuesday night, easily defeating Burton LeFlore (D) in the final congressional special election of 2013, Roll Call reports.

Mobile Press-Register:
“Returning from the nadir of his political career after a stinging loss
in the 2010 Republican gubernatorial primary, Bradley Byrne on Tuesday
won a landslide victory over Democrat Burton LeFlore in a special
election for Congress.”

“The recount in Virginia’s attorney general race began Monday and will likely conclude toward the end of this week,” Politico reports.

If Mark Herring (D) “prevails after the recount, Democrats will control all three statewide constitutional offices for the first time since 1989.”

“I’m very, very annoyed and disappointed that my plan wasn’t God’s plan. I really want to know what the reason is.”

— Christine Quinn (D), quoted by the New York Daily News, on her failed mayoral bid.

The Boston Globe notes that very few voters actually took part in the special election yesterday that sends Katherine Clark (D) to Congress.

“Turnout was a dismal 13 percent, which appeared to set a record for
voter apathy in the state’s recent US House races. The previous
low-water mark was the October 2001 special election that Stephen F.
Lynch won with a 17 percent turnout.”

Katherine Clark (D) handily defeated Frank Addivinola (R) in Massachusetts’ 5th District special election to fill the seat left vacant by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), Roll Call reports.

Smart Politics notes it’s the 92nd consecutive House loss for Republicans in the state.

“For as long as anyone can remember the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has worked like this: two governors divide up the board and staff appointments, and the contracts that flow from that. No one blows the whistle on anyone else, because that might jeopardize one’s own spoils,” WNYC reports.

That changed abruptly this week when one board member used his subpoena power “to summon officials to explain why three lanes onto the George Washington Bridge had been abruptly closed in September, causing a week’s worth of traffic…”

“Democrats were swift to raise the possibility the lane closures had been made as political retribution against the Mayor of Fort Lee, a Democrat, who, unlike some Democrats, had not endorsed Christie for reelection. There was a lot of whispering during Christie’s re-election campaign that he had a ‘naughty and nice list’ but no one had been able to prove it. Now, there was talk, there might be some evidence.”

Meanwhile, a new Monmouth/Asbury Park Press poll shows Christie with a 65% approval rating.

Stu Rothenberg reviews the year in politics.

“It’s been a weird year, but face it: Weird is the new normal in politics.”

The lawyer representing Mark Obenshain (R) in the pending statewide recount in the Virginia attorney general race on “for the first time openly raised the issue of contesting the election in the General Assembly if the tally does not sway the result in the Republican’s favor,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

“If he loses the recount, Obenshain could ask a joint session of the General Assembly — which is dominated by Republicans — to reverse the results. Under state law, grounds for a contest include objections to ‘the conduct or results of the election accompanied by specific allegations which, if proven true, would have a probable impact on the outcome of the election.'”