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“Making a down payment on his vow to go all in for Democrats in 2014, President Barack Obama is courting well-heeled donors in California on a two-day fundraising jaunt that requires the president to walk a fine line: Berate Republicans too much, and Obama could put fragile prospects for achieving his second-term goals in jeopardy,” the AP writes. “Obama’s California swing, which started Wednesday with two fundraisers for House Democrats, kicks off a concerted effort to help his party win back the House and keep its Senate majority next year.”

Obama said: "I would be dishonest if I didn’t say that it would be a whole lot easier to govern if I had Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.”

The AP launches an Obama IOU’s series, looking at his campaign promises and whether they’ve come to fruition.

Maggie Haberman reads some Hillary Clinton tea leaves.

“After more than 13 hours of debate that was at moments impassioned and agonized, the General Assembly early Thursday approved an historic and far-reaching gun-control bill that proponents said was their toughest-in-the-nation response to the Dec. 14 Newtown school massacre,” The Hartford Courant writes. “The state House of Representatives at 2:26 a.m. gave final legislative approval to the bill by a vote of 105 to 44, with 2 absent. Of the 98 House Democrats present, 13 voted no; and 31 of the 51 Republicans in the hall voted no.”

USA Today: “Connecticut has approved far-reaching gun control legislation that will be the toughest in the United States. Following hours of respectful and at times somber debate, the House voted early Thursday in favor of the 139-page bill crafted by leaders from both major parties in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. It passed the Senate in a 26-10 vote on Wednesday.” It will be signed into law today.

The Baltimore Sun: “The House of Delegates voted Wednesday to give Maryland one of the toughest gun laws in the nation, passing a bill that would ban the sale of assault-type weapons, set a 10-bullet limit on magazines and require fingerprints and a license to buy a handgun. Delegates altered the Senate's bill during more than 10 hours of emotional floor debate that lasted over two days. Key lawmakers said they expect the differences to be resolved quickly and the legislation sent to Gov. Martin O'Malley for his promised signature. After the 78-61 vote, O'Malley said the House strengthened his proposal, which he has called his top legislative priority of the session.”

National Journal wraps gun legislation in the states with a handy guide.

The NRCC is going to copy Buzzfeed in a website redesign.

IOWA: The Des Moines Register: “As he ponders whether to run for U.S. Senate, Republican Steve King isn’t moderating his views to appeal to more middle-of-the-road Iowa voters. He’s doing the opposite. In an email to supporters [Wednesday], King said he’s ‘living proof conservatives don’t have to sacrifice everything we believe in to win elections.’” And: “King wrote that he wins elections by talking about the economy as well as ‘talking about social issues—abortion, illegal immigration, and gay marriage.’”

MASSACHUSETTS: “They rolled together through the cornfields of Iowa, the retirement villages of Florida, and the icy mountain towns of New Hampshire, hoping they might one day serve together in the White House,” the Boston Globe writes. “But Mitt Romney’s former aides, from the most senior strategists to the young advance staff, have splintered and taken up with rival candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race, creating an intriguing subplot to the main event.”

In today’s Elite 8 match ups, Daniel Webster squares off against Charles Sumner in the 19^th Century bracket, Henry Clay faces Scoop Jackson in the Mixed Era, LBJ goes toe to toe against Mike Mansfield in the 20^th Century bracket, and Ted Kennedy battles Daniel Patrick Moynihan in the Modern Era.

19^th Century

1. Daniel Webster vs. 3.  Charles Sumner

1. Daniel Webster, Whig - Massachusetts, 1782-1852: Dubbed “The Great Orator,” Daniel Webster fought to keep the country unified during the pre-Civil War debate over slavery. Indeed, he became the de facto spokesman for those seeking to save the union after delivering what’s been called, “The Most Famous Senate Speech” in a debate that lasted over nine days with a senator from South Carolina. Ironically, it was another speech – arguing in favor of the Compromise of 1850 and saying that bickering over slavery was pointless because it wasn’t going away – that ended his Senate career. That speech played well as a middle-of-the-road position in many parts of the country, but not in his liberal home state. Soon after, he resigned the Senate to become Secretary of State. Webster died just four months after Henry Clay – another #1 seed – did.

3. Charles Sumner, R-Mass., 1811-74: A prominent abolitionist on slavery, Sumner wrote the seminal piece of civil-rights legislation in 1870 during the debate over Reconstruction. The bill was far ahead of its time: It declared all men, including ex-slaves equal and to have equal access to all walks of life. The legislation passed in 1875 after Sumner’s death, but was ruled unconstitutional (leading eventually to the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson decision declaring “separate but equal facilities to be allowable). Sumner, though, is perhaps best known for being beaten with a cane by Rep. Preston Brooks of South Carolina in 1956 – in fact, Sumner was beaten so badly he didn’t return to the Senate for nearly three years.

Mixed Era

1. Henry Clay vs. 14. Scoop Jackson

1. Henry Clay, D-R, Whig - Kentucky, 1777-1852: Henry Clay’s ability to navigate a fractured Senate is credited with fending off war between slave-owning and free states -- at least three times. He was pivotal in the negotiations in the creation of the Missouri Compromise, which allowed the United States to continue its Western expansion. For his efforts, Clay earned the nicknames “The Great Compromiser” and “The Great Pacificator.” How revered was he? Abraham Lincoln called him "my beau ideal of a statesman" and often used his quotes in his speeches. He was the first ever to receive the honor of being laid in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Clay also engineered the only censure of a president -- Andrew Jackson. Clay's death, which took place a decade before the Civil War's start, was regarded as the end of the Senate's "Golden Era. 

14. Henry Martin “Scoop” Jackson, D-Wash., 1912-83: The 30-year senator (1953-1981) and 43-year member of Congress wielded tremendous influence with colleagues on Capitol Hill and was regarded for his deep bipartisan ties. His counsel was sought after by presidents, especially on foreign-policy issues. He was liberal on most social issues, but he was hawkish on military affairs. For example, he supported U.S. efforts to get involved in Southeast Asia, even saying in 1975: “The basic decision to go into Vietnam was right.” He was popular with the American Jewish community for his support of Israel and crafting legislation to help Russian Jews emigrate more freely to there. He was one of the first senators to benefit from television’s advent, notably during the McCarthy-Army hearings of the 1950s; Jackson said McCarthy was “hunting headlines instead of hunting communists.” He also was seen as the “Senator from Boeing” for his work procuring funding for the airline maker in his home state. He ran for and lost the Democratic nomination for president twice – in 1972 and 1976. He got his nickname, “Scoop,” by the way, because his sister thought he reminded her of a comic-strip character.

20^th Century

1. LBJ goes vs. 11. Mike Mansfield

1. Lyndon Johnson, D - Texas, 1908-73: Lyndon Johnson was dubbed the “Master of the Senate” by author Robert Caro, and he drew the blueprint for what we think of as the modern majority leader. LBJ understood the rules and what made senators tick. Ironically, his greatest accomplishments – passing the Great Society measures and the Civil Rights Act – came when he was president, earning him the nickname "Super Majority Leader." As a young majority leader, Johnson helped usher through President Eisenhower’s civil rights bill that only passed by weakening key enforcement provisions to pacify Southern Democrats. 

11. Mike Mansfield, D-Mont., 1903-2001: Succeeding Lyndon Johnson as Senate majority leader after LBJ was elected vice president, Mansfield helped deliver many of the Great Society’s legislative accomplishments -- like Medicare and Medicaid. He also played a key role in breaking the filibuster against the civil-rights legislation.

Modern Era

1. Ted Kennedy vs. 2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan

1. Ted Kennedy, D - Massachusetts, 1932-2009: Regarded as the last lion to serve in the Senate, Ted Kennedy worked across the aisle to achieve major legislative accomplishments -- on health care, education, civil rights, and raising the minimum wage. He also was instrumental in Barack Obama’s presidential quest, delivering him key support in the middle of the heated 2008 campaign between Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton. 

2. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Modern), D-New York, 1927-2003: He was known for his intellect (he wrote 19 books), his forward thinking (he foresaw the Soviet decline), connections to history, and his ideas to come up with solutions to big problems -- from auto safety to cities to racism. He could work across the aisle and had a hand in the 1980s Social Security fix as well as working with Bob Dole on a health-insurance fix (not what the White House wanted) in the 1990s that never came to fruition. He also was one of the only Democrats to speak out against late-term abortion, calling it "infanticide." The New York Times called him an “often brilliant synthesizer whose works compelled furious debate and further research.”

In the midst of their effort to broaden the party’s appeal, Republican leaders continue to engage – sometimes forcefully – on social issues that have sometimes turned off key voting blocs in the past.

The Republican National Committee’s “Growth and Opportunity Project” report issued last month recommended that the party be more “inclusive and welcoming,” warning that doing otherwise would “limit our ability to attract young people and others, including many women, who agree with us on some but not all issues.”

But Republican leaders – who face pressure from the party’s Christian conservative base to hold the line on social issues – have hardly disengaged from social issues.

Look no further than Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for governor this fall in his state, who last week asked a full federal appeals court to overturn a three-judge panel’s ruling that Virginia’s anti-sodomy laws were unconstitutional.

Cuccinelli’s decision to appeal appears to be related to preserving state laws against sex with minors, but it has the effect of asking the courts to uphold all of Virginia’s anti-sodomy statutes. To that end, the appeal has been characterized by Cuccinelli detractors as an effort to keep laws against gay sex on Virginia’s books.

A spokeswoman for the Virginia attorney general's office insists that the move is about protecting kids from sexual predators. "This case is not about sexual orientation, but using current law to protect a 17-year-old girl from a 47-year-old sexual predator," said Caroline Gibson.

“Ken Cuccinelli continues to ignore the economy and instead focus on a divisive ideological agenda,” wrote Josh Schwerin, a spokesman for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, on Twitter.

Cuccinelli’s appeal, though, is symptomatic of how Republicans have been drawn into social issues, and often to their peril.

Another example came on Wednesday as Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who commissioned the inclusivity-seeking Growth and Opportunity Project, took to the conservative blog RedState to complain that the mainstream media had mischaracterized abortion laws in North Dakota and Florida.

Priebus argued that the media had unfairly maligned conservatives in their coverage of the laws, which (respectively) sought to ban abortion after a heartbeat is detected, and provide medical coverage to a newborn from a failed abortion.

Moreover, Priebus launched into an attack on Planned Parenthood – a standby criticism of the last Republican presidential campaign – accusing it of supporting “infanticide,” and demanding that Democrats answer for their support for the organization.

Steve Helber / Steve Helber / AP file photo

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli last week asked a full federal appeals court to overturn a three-judge panel's ruling that Virginia's anti-sodomy laws were unconstitutional.

“In the last election, Republicans were repeatedly asked about whether they supported cutting funding to Planned Parenthood. It’s time Democrats are asked whether they still support funding an organization that refuses to care for a newborn,” Priebus wrote. “And this case of blatant media bias — cover-up really — should also be cause for some thoughtful self-examination among journalists.”

These strong stances by Cuccinelli and Priebus come amid the overarching GOP effort to broaden the party’s support among Latinos, young voters and women. The GOP report acknowledges at several points the role played by harsh rhetoric on social issues like gay rights in exacerbating the party’s deficit among those groups.

And a new poll released on Wednesday showed that there’s still work to be done. On the question of overall party images, and which party cares more about the average American, Democrats enjoy an advantage over Republicans among women.

Twenty-five percent of women said they had a favorable view of the GOP in the Quinnipiac University poll, versus 42 women who said they had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party. Fifty-three percent of women had a negative opinion of the Republican Party, versus 38 percent of women who said they had a negative impression of the Democratic Party.

Women also favored Democrats on the matter of which party better cared for needs and problems of people like them. Women respondents agreed, 59 percent to 38 percent, that Democrats cared for their needs and concerns; 35 percent of women said that Republicans cared for their needs and concerns, versus 60 percent of women who disagreed.

More broadly, Democrats also enjoy an advantage over Republicans on the question of which party better handles the issue of same-sex marriage. Forty-nine percent of all Americans said that Democrats do a better job, versus 28 percent who prefer Republicans. Independents favor Democrats, 48 percent to 26 percent, on that question, and even one in five Republicans — 21 percent — prefer Democrats’ handling of the issue of same-sex marriage. 

NBC's Kasie Hunt contributed to this report.

Related:

Top Va. Republican urges court to keep anti-sodomy law on the books

Surprising shifts in attitudes on same-sex marriage

North Dakota governor signs toughest anti-abortion package in US

This story was originally published on Thu Apr 4, 2013 5:06 AM EDT

Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., on Tuesday became the second Republican senator to declare his support for same-sex marriage.

“Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back,” he wrote on Twitter.

Kirk is the third senator in just three days to change his mind to support same-sex marriage, joining Democrats Tom Carper of Delaware and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

The new converts bring the total number of senators favoring gay marriage to 50 -- 48 of them Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents and two of them Republicans.

Meanwhile, 43 Republicans and seven Democrats oppose it.

As the numbers above demonstrate, there’s a clear gulf between the two parties on this issue. Indeed, according to a Dec. 2012 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 69 percent of Democrats support same-sex marriage, compared with 63 percent of Republicans who oppose it.

But there’s also a striking pattern here: By and large, senators hailing from blue states that Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012 support gay marriage, and those from red states oppose it.

Six of the seven Democratic senators who continue to oppose gay marriage serve states that went for Mitt Romney in 2012. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., is the only exception -- but Florida is a state Obama won last year by just 70,000 votes.

Similarly, the only two Republican senators to break from party orthodoxy and signal their support for gay marriage thus far -- Kirk and Rob Portman, R-Ohio -- represent states Obama has carried. Neither lawmaker is up for re-election until 2016.

On the flip side, seven Republicans who oppose gay marriage hail from states that Obama won in 2008 and 2012. But only one -- Susan Collins of Maine -- is up for re-election next year. Collins’ overall reputation as a moderate, plus the fact that Maine is one of just a handful of states nationwide where gay marriage is legal, makes her another Republican to watch on gay marriage.

Democratic senators who support gay marriage
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.)
Max Baucus (D-Mont.)
Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)
Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.)
Thomas Carper (D-Del.)
Robert Casey (D-Pa.)
Christopher Coons (D-Del.)
William Cowan (D-Mass.)
Richard Durbin (D-Ill.)
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
Al Franken (D-Minn.)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
Kay Hagan (D-N.C.)
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)
Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii)
Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)
Carl Levin (D-Mich.)
Claire McCaskill (D-Miss.)
Robert Menedez (D-N.J.)
Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.)
Patty Murray (D-Wash.)
Jack Reed (D-R.I.)
Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.)
Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)
Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Jon Tester (D-Mont.)
Mark Udall (D-Colo.)
Tom Udall (D-N.M.)
Mark Warner (D-Va.)
Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)
Angus King (I-Maine)
Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.)

Republican senators who support gay marriage
Mark Kirk (R-Ill.)
Rob Portman (R-Ohio)

Republican senators who oppose gay marriage
Alexander Lamar (R-Tenn.)
Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)
John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)
John Boozman (R-Ark.)
Richard Burr (R-N.C.)
Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)
Daniel Coats (R-Ind.)
Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)
Thad Cochran (R-Miss.)
Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Ted Cruz (R-Texas)
Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.)
Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
Dean Heller (R-Nev.)
John Hoeven (R-N.D.)
James Inhofe (R-Okla.)
Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)
Mike Johanns (R-Neb.)
Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.)
Mike Lee (R-Utah)
John McCain (R-Ariz.)
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
James Risch (R-Idaho)
Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)
Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
John Thune (R-S.D.)
Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.)
David Vitter (R-La.)
Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)

Democratic senators who oppose gay marriage
Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.)
Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Mary Landrieu (D-La.)
Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)
Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.)
Bill Nelson (D-Fla.)

NBC’s Mark Murray and Domenico Montanaro answer viewer’s questions on the gun control debate, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s future and whether or not the race for Governor in Virginia could aide Hillary Clinton in a 2016 presidential bid.

Thanks to newdayDAWNING...RETURNED, Adler-273784, Amy B. Portland, ME and Bob in Virginia-7570413 for their questions! A big thanks to everyone else who submitted questions-- keep them coming!

Keep an eye out for the next Inside the Boiler Room segment. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter@NBCFirstRead, @mmurraypolitics or@DomenicoNBC, and on Facebook!

President Barack Obama on Wednesday insisted "there doesn't have to be a conflict" between respecting gun rights and enacting new gun controls as he tries to use the power of his office to prompt a reluctant Congress to take action in the wake of the Newtown shootings.

But he declared: "This is not easy."

Obama flew to Colorado to advocate for a Senate bill requiring background checks for every gun buyer; a new law in the Centennial State requires just that.

"The loopholes that currently exist in the law have allowed way too many criminals and folks who shouldn't be getting guns -- it's allowed them to avoid background checks entirely," Obama said in a speech at the Denver Police Academy.

"Colorado has shown that practical progress is possible."

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

President Barack Obama greets military personnel upon his arrival at Buckely Air Base in Denver, Colorado April 3, 2013.

Obama’s visit to Denver is part of a push to try to maintain -- or at this point, reignite -- momentum for stricter gun laws in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 20 children and 6 adults.

Lawmakers are preparing to consider new gun laws on the Senate floor in the next two weeks, a package that Obama says is "commonsense" reform.

"We're not proposing a gun registration system; we're proposing background checks for criminals," he said Wednesday in Denver.

But the president acknowledged how difficult the path has become -- even for background checks, one of the less dramatic pieces of gun control legislation he proposed earlier this year.

"We knew from the beginning the change wouldn't be easy and we knew there would be powerful voices that would try to" stop gun laws, Obama said. "We knew they'd try to make any progress collapse under the weight of fear or frustration or maybe people would just stop paying attention."

Obama said that powerful gun advocates -- though he didn't name the National Rifle Association – are stoking fears that the background check bill amounts to a plan to take citizens' weapons away.

"We can't do background checks because the government's going to come take my guns away," the president said, paraphrasing the NRA's argument. Obama's retort: "The government's us. These officials are elected by you," he said, arguing that gun advocates "have ginned up fears among responsible gun owners that have nothing to do with what's being proposed and nothing to do with the facts." 

Colorado is a largely rural, western state with a strong hunting tradition -- and a sad history of mass shootings. Obama's event is planned not far from the Aurora movie theater where 12 people were gunned down last year -- now, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for alleged shooter James Holmes.

The state recently enacted a new package of gun laws that in some ways mirror what Obama and Vice President Joe Biden proposed after Newtown. Colorado didn't ban assault weapons, but the state did limit high capacity magazines to 15 rounds of ammunition and now requires anyone who wants to buy a gun to get a background check.

But that law passed through a state legislature controlled by Democrats -- and was signed by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper. That's a much easier path than Obama faces in Washington, where Senate Republicans and the NRA have all but stalled his gun control efforts.

Most of Obama's initial plan to curb gun violence in the wake of Newtown, including an assault weapons ban and a ban on high-capacity magazines, has no hope of passing the Senate. The background check plan has little Republican support -- and even a less controversial measure to make gun trafficking a federal crime is now facing some resistance.

"I'll be blunt, a lot of members of Congress, this is tough for them," Obama said. 

As senators take up the bill next week, Obama plans to travel to Hartford, Conn., to call for stricter gun controls. Connecticut state lawmakers are currently considering one of the toughest new gun laws in the nation. 

This story was originally published on Wed Apr 3, 2013 4:22 PM EDT

President Obama will return 5 percent of his salary to the U.S. Treasury when other federal workers are being furloughed as part of the mandatory budget cuts that took effect earlier this year, NBC News has confirmed.

The New York Times, which broke this story, adds:

The voluntary move would be retroactive to March 1 and apply through the rest of the calendar year, the official said. The White House came up with the 5 percent figure to approximate the level of automatic spending cuts to non-defense federal agencies that took effect that day.

“The president has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government that are affected by the sequester, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury,” [an administration] official said.

A White House aide tells NBC's Chuck Todd that the salary for the president, as with members of Congress, is set by law and cannot be changed. However, the president has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury.  

Guidance on how this will work: The president will contribute 5 percent of his full annual salary by writing a check to the Treasury every month. This will be effective March 1, but the president will cut the first check this month.  

Democrats are relishing in a surprising opportunity to possibly pick up a House seat in a solidly Republican district in South Carolina, where Mark Sanford is hoping to stage a political comeback next month.

Sanford, the embattled former governor who left office in 2011 under a cloud of scandal following an extramarital affair that publicly wrecked his marriage, officially won the Republican nomination for the May 7 special election to fill the vacancy in South Carolina’s 1st congressional district. He beat rival Republican Curtis Bostic in a runoff election with about 57 percent of the vote.

Though Sanford represented this reliably GOP district for three terms in the 1990s, he faces a tougher-than-expected challenge from Democratic nominee Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, a Clemson University administrator and the sister of Comedy Central personality Stephen Colbert.

For Sanford, a onetime conservative rock star who had once flirted with the possibility of seeking the Republican presidential nomination, next month’s special election is a shot at redemption, both personal and political. His 2009 admission of an affair with an Argentinian woman, María Belén Chapur, and bizarre subsequent explanations of his absence to pursue that affair, nearly ruined his career and left a lasting negative impression with voters that could help Colbert-Busch score an unlikely victory.

An internal poll released by the Colbert-Busch campaign earlier this week showed the Democrat leading Sanford by three points – within the poll’s margin of error, but still noteworthy for its reflection of a competitive race in this district that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney won last fall by 18 points.

Sanford, speaking Wednesday on “Morning Joe,” argued that Colbert-Busch’s ability to skate to the Democratic nomination as he endured a competitive Republican primary, helped explain those numbers.

“I think that when people really begin to digest those ideas – some real strong contrasts in terms of where she would be versus where I would be – that's going to substantially change a poll that, right now, simply defines name ID as people know it, not issue ID,” he said. “And ultimately, I think debates and campaigns are ultimately decided on issues.”

Colbert-Busch benefits, too, from her brother’s celebrity and heightened media interest in the campaign. It’s for that reason that Republicans in Washington said Wednesday that they are watching the race closely, and refuse to take for granted a seat that Democrats haven’t held since 1981.

Both Republicans and Democrats generally admit that the race might not be as close if not for Sanford, and the baggage associated with his affair. But GOP sources also contend that Colbert-Busch has managed to escape most scrutiny, and that the district’s Republican-leaning voters will end up with Sanford once his Democratic opponent’s views are fully litigated over the course of the next month.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is tasked with electing GOP candidates to the House, for instance on Wednesday chided Colbert-Busch for campaigning while continuing to remain on-staff at Clemson.

Bruce Smith / AP

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaves the voting booth after voting at his precinct in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

“Why should South Carolina taxpayers have to foot the bill for Elizabeth Colbert Busch to campaign for Congress? We already knew Colbert Busch supported Obama and Pelosi’s big-spending policies, but now she’s taken her disregard for the taxpayers to a new low,” said NRCC spokeswoman Katie Prill.

(Clemson says the NRCC's characterization is incorrect, and that Colbert-Busch is not on the state payroll at the moment. Her annual leave, to which she is entitled, ended on March 26. "Elizabeth Colbert Busch is not on the state payroll in South Carolina. She took a leave of absence from her job at Clemson University the day she filed for office," said John Gouch, the school's assistant director of media relations.)

The ultimate test of both parties’ commitment might come in the form of a check cut by the NRCC or its Democratic counterpart, the DCCC. Both sides maintain that they have not yet decided whether to spend money on television ads in this coastal South Carolina district, which could help swing the race toward either candidate.

Meanwhile, Democrats are eager to have Sanford available as a public face of the GOP over the next month, if not more. South Carolina Democrats on Wednesday eagerly reminded reporters of the letter written by state Republican lawmakers (including now-U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R) to Sanford in 2009, which asked for his resignation (Sanford declined). The letter called Sanford’s actions during his affair an example of “poor decision making and questionable leadership.”

Sanford’s bid for a comeback also comes as Republicans nationally seek to overhaul their image, and broaden the GOP’s appeal among Hispanics, young voters and women – three groups among whom the party suffered during last fall’s election.

“The last thing they [Republicans] need is Mark Sanford to be their public face,” a Democratic campaign source said in anticipation of the bruising – and increasingly nationalized – campaign set to play out over the next few weeks.

This story was originally published on Wed Apr 3, 2013 1:34 PM EDT

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) is urging a federal appeals court to overturn a three-judge panel's decision to declare an anti-sodomy law unconstitutional.

The Washington Blade reports that Cuccinelli filed a formal "petition with the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond asking the full 15-judge court to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel last month that overturned the state's sodomy law. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 on March 12 that a section of Virginia's 'Crimes Against Nature' statute that outlaws sodomy between consenting adults, gay or straight, is unconstitutional based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2003 known as Lawrence v. Texas."

Steve Helber / Steve Helber / AP file photo

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli speaks at a press conference Thursday, June 28, 2012.

Cuccinelli will be formally nominated as the Republican nominee in this year's governor's race by the state party at its convention May 18.

The move could potentially have repercussions for his gubernatorial bid in a state Barack Obama won in both 2008 and 2012. It also comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court is considering two cases dealing with gay rights, after the national party has urged Republicans to accept gays and lesbians, and as Senate Republicans like Rob Portman of Ohio and Mark Kirk of Illinois have announced their support for same-sex marriage.

Cuccinelli will be running against likely Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and major Bill and Hillary Clinton fundraiser, in what is sure to be one of the most closely watched races this year.

More background from the Blade:

"The March 12 ruling of the appeals court's three-judge panel overturned a lower court decision upholding the conviction of a 37-year-old man charged in 2005 with soliciting a 17-year-old woman to engage in oral sex. The Attorney General's office argued that the Supreme Court's Lawrence decision didn't apply to cases involving minors. But 4th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Robert King, who wrote the majority opinion, said the Lawrence decision rendered the Virginia sodomy statue 'facially' or completely unconstitutional. He stated other laws could be used to prosecute an adult for engaging in sex with a minor and that the Virginia General Assembly would likely have authority under the Lawrence decision to pass a new law specifically outlawing sodomy between an adult and a minor."

Morning Joe/Marist poll: Public still supports gun control… The problem for reformers: GOP doesn’t… Obama and using the bully pulpit to its fullest extent… President talks gun control in Denver at 5:00 pm ET… Why the deficit and debt might not be the best talking points… Hillary and Biden share the same stage… Sanford wins GOP nomination in SC; does the NRCC get involved?... Landrieu gets legit GOP challenger… And SENATE MADNESS enters Sweet 16!!!

Yuri Gripas / Reuters

President Barack Obama hugs a gun control activist after delivering remarks on common-sense measures to protect children from gun violence at the White House, March 28, 2013.

*** Public still supports gun control: In the past few weeks, two narratives have surfaced in the gun debate. One, it’s going to be difficult for Congress to pass any major gun-control legislation this year. And two, public opinion for gun-control measures is beginning to slip months after the Newtown, CT shooting tragedy. The first narrative is definitely true. The second? Not according to a brand-new Morning Joe/Marist poll. Six in 10 Americans believe that the laws covering gun sales should be stricter. That figure is virtually unchanged from the 61% who backed stricter gun laws when a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll asked the same question in February, even though at least one other national survey has found waning support for gun-control laws after Newtown. What’s more, the Morning Joe/Marist survey finds that a whopping 87% of Americans support background checks for private gun sales and sales at gun shows, and 59% favor legislation that would ban the sale of assault weapons. So when President Obama delivers remarks on guns in Colorado today at 5:00 pm ET -- and in Connecticut on Monday -- he still has appears to have public opinion on his side.

*** The problem for reformers: GOP doesn’t: But what isn’t on Obama’s side is GOP support, and that’s why getting Congress to pass any significant legislation this year will be a tall hurdle. While 60% of respondents want stricter gun laws, just 37% of Republicans agree (compared with 83% of Democrats and 55% of independents). In addition, just 41% of Republicans favor the assault-weapons ban (vs. 75% of Democrats and 55% of indies). The one measure that does receive overwhelming bipartisan support, however, is background checks -- 94% of Dems, 86% of indies, and 81% of Republicans favor them -- and that’s why it remains supporters’ best chance at achieving anything in the gun reform realm. That said, what’s the incentive for House GOPers on this? And think about what’s coming up for votes in the House: immigration reform and guns. Here’s betting House GOP leadership is willing to allow just one of those items on the floor under the scenario where Boehner has to violate the so-called Hastert Rule of not having a majority of the majority. And immigration is something party leaders want to have happen. Guns might not be the same priority for the GOP.

*** Using the bully pulpit to its fullest extent: As Obama talks gun control in Denver, CO today and in Connecticut on Monday, here’s one more point we want to make about the debate: He has used the bully pulpit on this issue to its fullest extent. Some have begun to criticize the president for not doing more, but ask yourself: Which politician in Washington is doing more across the country to talk about the issue and shape the debate? And when you look at the Morning Joe/Marist poll, Obama has been able to influence those he can influence -- Democrats and independents. While there are plenty of examples of issues where the president has dropped the ball in selling a legislative item (think the stimulus or the health-care law, especially after their passage), it’s hard to add gun control to this list.

*** Why the deficit and debt might not be the best talking points: The Morning Joe/Marist poll also asked a few questions on the economy and the deficit. The findings: By nearly a 2-to-1 margin, respondents want President Obama and Congress to make job creation their top priority (64%) instead of deficit reduction (33%). Also, Obama edges congressional Republicans by four percentage points, 44% to 40%, on who has a better approach to deal with the federal budget deficit. But the president’s approach to deficit reduction – calling for a combination of spending cuts and increased tax revenues – is more popular than the Republicans’ cuts-only approach: 42% prefer a mixture of spending cuts (including to entitlement programs) and revenue increases; 35% pick increasing mostly revenue; and just 17% choose mostly cutting government spending (including to programs like Medicare and Medicaid). Bottom line for the GOP: Solely focusing on the debt and deficit, and solely focusing on a cuts-only approach, isn’t a winning issue with the public.

*** Hillary and Biden share the same stage: As NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reported on “TODAY,” Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden headlined a global women’s organization that Hillary founded 14 years ago, which produced plenty of 2016 speculation and tea-leaf reading. The New York Times: “It was an evening without overt politics and yet Mrs. Clinton’s appearance drew attention as she enters a period of deciding whether to run for president again in 2016.” Hillary Clinton is more inevitable than any other non-incumbent since Dwight Eisenhower. Indeed, the question everyone will be pondering for the next two years: Will she run? On the one hand, Hillary Clinton is more inevitable than any other non-incumbent since Dwight Eisenhower. On the other hand, it was the same situation she was in in 2005, and we knew how that turned out. By the way, we are well aware that any public movement Hillary makes will get over-covered and over-analyzed, and perhaps every one of these events THIS EARLY are truly meaningless as far as 2016 is concerned. But Hillary is in rare air, and her folks know this is the case even if they wish it weren’t so. It means every appearance and every word is more carefully orchestrated and that was clearly on display last night.

*** With Sanford win, does the NRCC get involved? Short answer: Of course, it has no choice: As expected, Mark Sanford continued his road to political comeback as he won the special congressional GOP run-off in South Carolina last night, defeating Curtis Bostic, 57%-43%. Yesterday, we asked this question: Does the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee play in this race to help its nominee, Elizabeth Colbert Busch? And today, we have this follow-up question: Does the National Republican Congressional Committee get involved? While the DCCC question is still an open debate, it’s no debate on the NRCC side. It has no choice. If the GOP loses the May 7 general election, national Republicans will have to do it all over again -- recruit candidates, hold a contested primary, etc. So it’s in their interest to win this now. The good news for Republicans: If they do lose, there’s an obvious reason -- it’s because of the candidate, not because of the party or a particular issue and it won’t be seen as some larger sign. The only reason this seat is in play is Mark Sanford, period.

*** Landrieu gets a legit GOP challenger: Roll Call writes, “Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy will challenge Democratic Sen. Mary L. Landrieu in Louisiana, in what’s likely to be one of the most competitive races of 2014... The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Cassidy will officially announce his candidacy in a video to be released on Wednesday.”

*** Senate Madness -- yesterday’s results: In the 20^th Century bracket, Lyndon Johnson beat Robert F. Wagner, Richard Russell edged John Sherman Cooper, Mike Mansfield defeated John Stennis, and Everett Dirksen beat William Fulbright… In the Modern Era, Ted Kennedy trounced Robert Byrd, Hubert Humphrey blew out Ed Brooke, Joe Biden defeated Jesse Helms, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan triumphed over Bob Dole. 

*** Senate Madness -- the Sweet 16: Today, we feature our third-round -- and thus Sweet 16 -- contests: In the 20^th Century, it’s #1 seed LBJ vs.#12  Richard Russell (“The Master of the Senate” vs. The Southern Lion) and #2 Everett Dirksen vs. #11 Mike Mansfield… In the Modern Era, it’s #1 Ted Kennedy vs. #5 Hubert Humphrey and #2 Daniel Patrick Moynihan vs. #11 Joe Biden…. In the 19^th Century, it’s #1 Daniel Webster vs. #5 Sam Houston, and #2 John C. Calhoun vs. #3 Charles Sumner… And in the Mixed Era, it’s #1 Henry Clay vs. #4 Robert La Follette and #2 Henry Cabot Lodge vs. #14 Scoop Jackson.

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