National Journal: “In 2000, Ted Cruz was known only as a Texas-raised, Harvard-trained domestic policy adviser to the George W. Bush campaign. … Cruz helped craft the campaign’s immigration policy, which called for speeding up the application process, increasing the number of work visas, and allowing the relatives of permanent residents to visit the U.S. while their applicants were pending.”

More: “The route Cruz chose, from working on the reform-minded Bush campaign to voting against the bill Wednesday as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, confounds some of those who crossed paths with him. His role on the Bush campaign is a lesser-known part of the biography of a politician increasingly viewed as a potential presidential contender in 2016.”

Cruz yesterday said he didn’t “trust Republicans” or Democrats. He wants to hold the line on the debt ceiling.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus thinks there’s a double standard in the Obama administration leak investigations. “Where’s the investigation of the leaks surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden?” he asks in an op-ed in Politico. He contends: “Releasing classified information is, of course, a serious matter. But if preventing leaks is the administration’s chief priority, why do they operate with two different sets of rules? Why do they act differently when leaks are convenient for them or perpetuate a desired narrative or burnish their public image?”

And yet, there was this… The Washington Post: “Federal investigators looking into disclosures of classified information about a cyberoperation that targeted Iran’s nuclear program have increased pressure on current and former senior government officials suspected of involvement, according to people familiar with the investigation.”

COLORADO: Tom Tancredo (R) is going to announce that he’s running for governor today on a conservative talk radio show. Why? The Denver Post: “Tancredo, a Republican, referred to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s decision on Wednesday to grant a temporary reprieve on the execution of death row inmate Nathan Dunlap. Dunlap was convicted of killing four people at an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese in 1993. Several Republicans castigated Hickenlooper on Wednesday for the move that halts Dunlap’s date with death that was scheduled for August.”

PENNSYLVANIA: EMILY’s List has endorsed Allyson Schwartz for governor of Pennsylvania.

Political Wire: “A new Harvard study contacted over 7,000 election administrators in 28 states and found they provided different information about voter ID requirements to voters of different ethnicities.”

The Washington Post: “‘Responses to Latino names,’ the researchers write, ‘are three-and-a-half to four percentage points less likely [to get a response from election officials] than to non-Latino white names.’ The bias against Latino e-mailers was about three points greater in voter ID questions….”

A Hamilton College poll finds that 58% of Republicans don’t think the 2012 election was fair. From the write up: “Republicans are particularly concerned about voter fraud and intimidation in big urban areas, with 32 percent of them believing that it had a big impact on the election, 49 percent believing it had some impact, and only 19 percent believing it had no impact.” 

CALIFORNIA: Thin Greuel… City Councilman Eric Garcetti (D) defeated Controller Wendy Greuel (D) to be the next mayor of L.A. The L.A. Times: “Garcetti will be the first elected Jewish mayor of the city. At 42, he will also be the youngest in more than a century. He is scheduled to take office July 1.” 

Garcetti was up 54%-46% at nearly 5 am ET, when Greuel called to concede. 

MASSACHUSETTS: Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez (R) released an ad labeling Rep. Ed Markey (D) as “Dirty Ed Markey.” Markey is running an ad highlighting Gomez’s opposition to stricter gun background checks and invokes Newtown. Gomez’s ad responds: “Now, Markey actually blames Gomez for the Newtown shooting. Disgusting. Thirty-seven years in Congress. Dirty Ed Markey.”

But as the Boston Globe points out: “Despite what the ad says, Markey has not blamed Gomez for the Newtown shooting. Markey has released an ad that highlights Gomez’s opposition to an assault weapons ban and to limits on high-capacity magazines, ‘like the ones used in the Newtown school shooting.’”

MICHIGAN: AP: Republican Rep. Mike Rogers has pulled off a rare feat in a bitterly divided Congress — a working, productive relationship with Democrats in overseeing the nation’s 16 spy agencies. The question now is whether the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee sticks around the House or fulfills GOP hopes and launches a bid for the U.S. Senate seat from Michigan. … Rogers also is on the short list to replace Robert Mueller as FBI director, a nomination by President Barack Obama that likely would sail through the Senate and complicate the political outlook in Michigan.”

NEW YORK: Anthony Weiner officially announced his run for mayor. He put out this ad, hitting notes of working-class, old New York. It’s an ad for the boroughs and businesses. He alludes to the scandal that dropped him from Congress, too. “Look, I made some big mistakes, and I let a lot of people down, but I’ve also learned some tough lessons. I’m running for mayor, because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life, and I hope I get a second chance to work for you.” 

But Weiner has a lot of work to do. A Quinnipiac poll found almost half of New Yorkers don’t think he should be running – 49%. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn continues to lead, but with just 25%, though she gets a 53% job approval. Weiner now comes in second with 15%. And there’s still an opening for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to launch and independent bid. By a 45%-38% margin, New Yorkers think he should run.

USA Today points out that Weiner’s had his eye on being mayor for a while: “Weiner, a former City Council member, ran for mayor in 2005 but lost the Democratic primary nomination to Fernando Ferrer. He intended to run again in 2009 and was leading early public opinion polls. When the council changed the city's term limits law and Bloomberg ran again, Weiner abandoned his mayoral bid at that time and returned to Congress." 

Tabloid Wars? The New York Post picks at Weiner’s rollout: “Anthony Weiner announced his campaign for mayor early this morning with — what else? — a leak. Shortly after midnight, the disgraced ex-congressman’s campaign accidentally posted online a 2-minute, 16-second video in which he throws his hat into the ring, lays out his platform — and even acknowledges the scandal that ended his days in DC.”

But the New York Daily News begins to make the case for him: “The unconventional campaign launch culminates a comeback tour that began in early April with a magazine interview and continued with the posting of a policy booklet online filled with ideas for the next mayor. Although the sexting scandal made Weiner a national punchline, he has the potential to be a force in the mayoral race. He has $4.3 million in campaign funds — raised in anticipation of this year’s election before his political career derailed. It’s the second-largest war chest among all the candidates, after that of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Weiner also boasts high name recognition, although that is partly the result of his very public fall from grace two years ago this weekend.”

VIRGINIA: Terry McAuliffe is up with a new TV ad highlighting his support for the state’s recently passed transportation bill.

Stu Rothenberg warns Republicans of overreach on the trio of controversies: “Let’s not forget: Republicans failed to capitalize on President Bill Clinton’s inappropriate conduct by over-playing their hand and pushing impeachment. Not only did they fail to drive him from office, the GOP ended up losing a handful of House seats in the 1998 midterms instead of adding seats as initially expected. Republicans allowed themselves to look as if they were primarily interested in scoring political points and overturning the results of the 1996 election, even if it meant paralyzing the government. That same danger exists once again for the GOP.”

Charlie Cook: “One wonders how long Republicans are going to bark up this tree, perhaps the wrong tree, while they ignore their own party’s problems, which were shown to be profound in the most recent elections. Clearly none of these recent issues has had a real impact on voters yet. Republicans seem to be betting everything on them, just as they did in 1998—about which even Newt Gingrich (who was House speaker that year) commented recently to NPR, ‘I think we overreached in ’98.’ Republicans and conservatives who are so consumed by these ‘scandals’ should ask themselves why, despite wall-to-wall media attention and the constant focus inside the Beltway—some are even talking about grounds for impeachment—Obama’s job-approval needle hasn’t moved. The CNN/ORC poll suggests that people are aware of and watching the news, but they aren’t reacting, at least not yet. Clearly Republicans hope the public will begin to respond. But at what point do they decide that maybe voters might be more interested in other issues or worries than about politicians on one side pointing fingers and throwing allegations at those on the other side? At what point might the GOP conclude that it is just digging the hole a little deeper?”

ARKANSAS: A state treasurer accused of taking money from a broker who managed state funds says she won’t resign, despite Gov. Mike Beebe’s (D) call for her to do so.

GEORGIA: Michelle Nunn is planning her announcement for the Senate within weeks, Roll Call reports.

MISSISSIPPI: Sen. Thad Cochran (R), 75, says he’s undecided about running for reelection in 2014.

NEW YORK: Maggie Haberman: “Bill and Hillary Clinton are making clear they are staying out of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, just as the race is about to be roiled by the candidacy of their close aide Huma Abedin’s husband, Anthony Weiner. The pair of stay-on-the-sidelines statements came as Weiner is set to declare his candidacy by video this week, likely on Tuesday or Wednesday. But the statements seem aimed at avoiding the appearance of taking sides in a race that includes the potential first female (and first openly gay) Democratic nominee, a potential second black New York mayor, and Hillary Clinton’s own former Senate campaign manager.”

SOUTH DAKOTA: Politico: Majority Leader Harry Reid and ex-Sen. Tom Daschle had a tense exchange over the South Dakota Senate race. Reid and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee “wanted to recruit former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.) as their candidate to replace [Tim] Johnson in 2014. … But against Reid’s will, Daschle … was privately encouraging a longtime former aide and personal friend, Rick Weiland, to mount a bid of his own. Daschle’s endorsement of Weiland helped persuade Herseth Sandlin to pass on the Senate race, according to Democratic sources close to the issue. Reid and top Senate Democrats were stunned and outraged by Daschle’s move, a sentiment Reid communicated directly to the former senator, according to several people familiar with the incident.”

UTAH: Mia Love, who lost in 2012, will try again for a rematch in 2014 against Democrat Jim Matheson. But in a year without Mitt Romney at the top of the ticket, the most popular politician in Utah, Love would start out with an uphill climb.

VIRGINIA: National Journal: “Virginia Republicans Panicking Over Their Choice for Lieutenant Governor.” Write Beth Reinhard: E.W. “Jackson’s unexpected entrance into the Virginia statewide elections this year is one of the starkest examples of the challenges facing the GOP as it tries to broaden its appeal on the way to 2016.” More: “Forced into an awkward arranged marriage, Cuccinelli’s top advisers have urged Jackson to put aside his social crusades and reinforce their campaign’s message on job growth. But until the campaign is comfortable that Jackson is on board with the plan, Cuccinelli is expected to keep his distance from Jackson after completing a two-day statewide tour with him on Tuesday.”

Beth Reinhard: “Florida Sen. Marco Rubio hasn’t popped up in an early-primary state in six months, leaving potential Republican rivals like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to make the rounds while he carried the torch for his immigration reform plan. But while furiously working the talk show circuit to sell a bill viewed warily by many Republican voters, Rubio has been just as doggedly laying the groundwork for a successful presidential campaign in 2016.”

“Obamacare backers stymied by conservative legislatures in red states may have a new approach: letting the voters break logjams with state ballot initiatives in 2014,” Politico writes. “Frustrated by conservative opposition to extending Medicaid even in states where Republican governors have embraced it, the president’s allies are strategizing about asking voters to do what their elected leaders have not: accept billions of federal dollars to cover millions of poor people under Obamacare.”

Per a DCCC aide: “The DCCC outraised the NRCC again in April and will have $3.9 M cash advantage over the NRCC (cash-on-hand minus debt). The DCCC outraised the NRCC and will show less debt and more cash-on-hand than the NRCC. The DCCC outraised the NRCC ($5.4M to $5.1M), has less debt ($4.1M v. $6.4M) and more cash-on-hand ($10.4M to $8.7M).”

MASSACHUSETTS: Ed Markey’s (D) going negative, hitting Gabriel Gomez (R) on guns and invoking Newtown. Gomez went on air with his bio spot he ran in the primary. To match the financial disclosure by Gomez, Markey says he’ll release his tax returns “in the very near future.”

“After days of tough questioning, Republican Gabriel E. Gomez went after his Democratic rival for US Senate, saying US Representative Edward M. Markey has been absent from the campaign trail and ‘hiding’ from the controversies roiling the Democratic administration in Washington, D.C.,” the Boston Globe writes.

John McCain (R) will be in Massachusetts to help raise money for Gomez Monday.

NEW YORK: The New York Times: “The State Department, under Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, created an arrangement for her longtime aide and confidante Huma Abedin to work for private clients as a consultant while serving as a top adviser in the department. Ms. Abedin did not disclose the arrangement — or how much income she earned — on her financial report. It requires officials to make public any significant sources of income. An adviser to Mrs. Clinton, Philippe Reines, said that Ms. Abedin was not obligated to do so. The disclosure of the agreement that Ms. Abedin made with the State Department comes as her husband, former Representative Anthony D. Weiner, a Democrat, prepares for a mayoral run in New York City. Politico reported the arrangement on Thursday afternoon.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s approval rating is back on the rise, up to 64% in the latest Siena poll.

VIRGINIA: Ken Cuccinelli (R) is requesting 15 debates with Terry McAuliffe (D). Cuccinelli said in a statement: “Virginians face an important decision in November about the future of our Commonwealth and they deserve nothing less than frequent and robust debates. Voters deserve more than scripted sound bites to make an informed decision; they need real debates in every corner of the Commonwealth on topics that matter to their communities and their lives. I want to debate my opponent throughout Virginia and lay out my plan for growing the economy, creating jobs and easing burdens on middle class families."

And there’s this: “The newly minted Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia once compared Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan and bemoaned black voters’ ‘slavish devotion’ to the Democratic Party — past statements that are likely to inflame the culture-war politics of the state’s 2013 elections,” Politico writes. “E.W. Jackson, a black minister and activist nominated for lieutenant governor Saturday, posted a four-minute video on YouTube last fall exhorting African-Americans to vote Republican. In the video message, he accused the ‘civil rights establishment’ of selling out their Christian values in order to support Democratic policy positions on gay marriage and abortion.”

Said Jackson in the video: “The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions. Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was,” Jackson says in the video.

And this, per Buzzfeed, via Political Wire: "Obama clearly has Muslim sensibilities. He sees the world and Israel from a Muslim perspective."

Politico says of what happened at the state party convention: “Virginia GOP launches tea party ticket.”

Not helping… The Washington Post: “Virginia Attorney Gen. Ken T. Cuccinelli (R) has asserted that the state’s freedom of information laws do not apply to the Office of the Attorney General, a break from past practice. While Cuccinelli’s office has continued to respond to requests for documents under the law — which says that except in certain instances, all records of public bodies should be accessible to the public — it has begun to insert new language into its responses citing a 2011 Virginia Supreme Court case to support the claim that the law does not apply to the office.”

GEORGIA: “Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel announced her campaign for Senate on Friday morning, as the state’s Republican convention was set to kick off in Athens,” Roll Call writes.

The Democratic abortion-rights group Emily’s List has announced it has put six additional women on its “list” of top-shelf candidates for the 2014 cycle: Ann Callis (IL-13), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Jessica Ehrlich (FL-13), Gwen Graham (FL-02), Eloise Reyes (CA-31), and Martha Robertson (NY-23).

VIRGINIA: Quinnipiac has Terry McAuliffe (D) up 43%-38% over Ken Cuccinelli (R). Cuccinelli gets a 47% job approval rating. 

Hillary Clinton beats Marco Rubio in the poll in a 2016 matchup 51%-38%. 

NEW JERSEY: Cory Booker won’t walk to the Democratic nomination for Senate. Rep. Frank Pallone is running and slammed Booker yesterday. He accused him of “shirking his responsibilities” as mayor of Newark “accusing the city of failing to fund its obligations to the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, a non-profit based in New Brunswick that helps house and treat patients with HIV/AIDS. Booker administration officials said they have not received the May 10 letter which was obtained by The Star-Ledger, but said the funding process is following its normal course.”

NEW YORK: The New York Daily News reports that former Rep. Anthony Weiner “is preparing to jump into the race, possibly as soon as next week. …  At least two people close to Weiner have been contacting political operatives to gauge if they would go to battle for him.”

President George W. Bush spoke to Charlie Rose: “I have no desire to spend my post-presidency trying to enhance my standing. … I want to be productive. I want to make a difference in the world and I want to do so without undermining our current president and/or engaging in political debate. Cause if I were out trying to defend myself I’d be right back in the swamp, and I don’t want to be in the swamp.”

Charlie Cook: The political “significance” of the IRS and Benghazi scandals “is more in the eye of the beholder. Liberals and Democrats tend to de-emphasize both affairs, while many conservatives and Republicans think that each rises to the level of impeachment. It will take time to know which end of this ridiculously broad spectrum of assessments proves to be more accurate.”

How to measure, per Cook: “The most objective way to ascertain whether either or both of these stories have “legs” and are beginning to get traction with the public is to watch every Monday afternoon for the release of the Gallup approval rating for the previous week, ending the night before. Although you can look at the Gallup three-day moving average, those have a smaller sample size than the full week of interviewing and tend to be somewhat volatile. As long as Obama’s job approval remains in that 47-to-51-percent range, particularly between 48 and 50 percent, it’s safe to say that neither story is hurting him significantly, at least with the public. If you are going to look at other polls, take a gander at that poll’s “trading range” for Obama over March and April, and see whether it drops below that range.”

Crossroads has been going after Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration on Benghazi. Now, Bridge Project, the 501(c)4 of American Bridge,  is going after Karl Rove with this video called, "Karl Rove's Decade of Deception.” It hits on the selling the war in Iraq, Valerie Plame, and more.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune: “Amid roaring chants from supporters and tears from opponents, the state Senate took a historic, final step Monday to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota. The 37-30 vote came after a failed, last-ditch attempt by opponents to scuttle the measure.”

More: “Minnesota becomes the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage by legislative vote [and the 12^th state overall], and the latest victory for those working to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples across the nation. Monday’s action technically repeals a state statute that had prohibited such unions. Gov. Mark Dayton will sign the bill at 5 p.m. Tuesday, on the Capitol steps, kicking off a parade that will take supporters to a massive downtown St. Paul celebration. The law will take effect Aug. 1.”

Roger Simon said John McCain’s use of “emotional” to describe Hillary Clinton’s congressional testimony was “sexist.”

Political Wire: “Pablo Pantoja, who was most recently the State Director of Florida Hispanic Outreach for the Republican National Committee, changed his voter registration to become a Democrat, according to Florida Nation.” Pantoja wrote: "It doesn't take much to see the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today. I have wondered before about the seemingly harsh undertones about immigrants and others. Look no further; a well-known organization recently confirms the intolerance of that which seems different or strange to them.”

FLORIDA: Could Rick Scott actually pick ex-Rep. Allen West as his lieutenant governor?

MASSACHUSETTS: John McCain’s raising money in Boston for Gabriel Gomez (R) May 20.

The Boston Globe: “First deadline passes with 24 in Boston mayoral field.”

NEW YORK: Maggie Haberman reports that Anthony Weiner is hiring staff for a mayoral run.

Reuters: “The Minnesota Senate is expected to give final approval on Monday to a bill that would make the state the 12th in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry and only the second in the Midwest. Leaders in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 39-28 majority, have said they believe they have the support to approve a bill legalizing gay marriage. They set a vote for Monday on the measure that members of the state House approved last week." 

The state Senate takes it up at noon Monday.

Dan Balz: “Two realities shape the debate over immigration reform: No bill is likely to pass without the expressed support of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), but even Rubio’s endorsement may not be enough to assure passage. For Rubio, the political stakes of both sides of the equation are huge.”

LOS ANGELES: “As Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel crisscrossed Los Angeles in search of support Saturday, many voters wrestled to decide between the two Democrats in this non-partisan race for mayor,” Southern California Public Radioreports, adding, “A poll by the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State LA found 9 percent of likely voters undecided on the mayor’s race. Greuel captured 46 percent support and Garcetti garnered 45 percent – a virtual tie.”

The idea of electing the city’s first woman mayor is intriguing to many residents as well. “ ‘Of course, as a woman, I have to say, a lot of times women get the job done,’ said resident Mary Lee. … The idea of electing the city’s first woman mayor weighs on the mind of Isaac Robinson too. ‘Sometimes, I just feel that we need a woman to take over the city,’ Robinson said. After this year’s city elections, the 15-member city council may have just one-woman member. ‘Our government is lacking in balance,’ he said. ‘It seems undemocratic to me.’ But Robinson, 75, who restores fine art, appreciates Garcetti’s eloquence.”

Los Angelenos will pick its mayor May 21^st.

MASSACHUSETTS: “Environmental activists are vowing to do everything they can to help Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Edward Markey in his special election battle with Republican challenger Gabriel Gomez,” AP writes. “During the Democratic primary, environmental groups spent nearly $1.8 million in outside money to help Markey defeat Stephen Lynch. Markey and Lynch had agreed to the so-called People’s Pledge, which discouraged outside groups from launching television, radio or Internet campaign ads. That forced the groups to spend most of their money on organizing and get-out-the-vote efforts. But Gomez has rejected the pledge, allowing environmental and other groups on both sides to pour millions into ads if they want. For many environmental advocates, the most pressing issue is the fate of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which Markey opposes but Gomez supports.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE: So much for a Scott Brown New Hampshire comeback. He trails incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in a hypothetical matchup 44%-30%, per aDartmouth poll. Shaheen leads all comers. 

Since the gun debate, Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s negative rating has gone up 7 points – going from 36%/24% to 37%/31%.

In 2016 politics, Hillary Clinton edges out New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 37%-32%, and beats Florida Sen. Marco Rubio by 11 points, 44%-33%. (H/T: Political Wire.)

NEW JERSEY: Maggie Haberman: “Sky-high approval ratings be damned — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is going on air next week with an ad that paints his Democratic rival Barbara Buono as a tax-hiker who is yoked to unpopular former governor Jon Corzine …  The spot, which begins running Monday, is part of an $800,000 ad buy over the course of roughly a week, a source tracking the air wars in New Jersey” said.

NEW YORK: According to Page Six, Anthony Weiner shouldn’t expect the Clintons’help or support.

Arms race: “On Wednesday morning, the NRA announced a $25,000 television week-long television ad buy to support Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a New Hampshire Republican who’s been under attack by gun control groups on the airwaves and in town halls for her vote on the Senate bill,”  Politico reports. “Just hours later, Giffords’ gun control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, hit back – announcing it raised more than $11 million in its first four months of operation – a staggering figure even in the age of super PACs and big outside money groups.”

 National Journal: “Senate Democrats began the 2014 election cycle facing a challenging political landscape, without many promising opportunities to take back Republican seats.  And with news that a top recruit in Georgia passed up a campaign for an open seat, along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell still without a Democratic challenger, there’s a growing possibility Democrats could be playing exclusively on defense in 2014.” 

USA Today on Census report: “President Obama won a second term thanks to record high turnout among black voters and the first-ever decline in the number of white voters, a U.S. Census report released Wednesday shows. For the first time, African Americans were more likely to vote than non-Hispanic whites were: 66.2% of eligible blacks voted, compared with 64.1% of whites. Since the Census Bureau began publishing voting data by race in 1968, whites had voted at higher levels than black.”

FLORIDA: Charlie Crist now backs gay marriage despite having supported a gay-marriage ban just in 2006.

MASSACHUSETTS: “A new WBUR poll in Massachusetts shows Rep. Edward Markey (D) leading Gabriel Gomez (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 41% to 35%.  Markey's lead expands to eight points, 46% to 38%, when undecided voters leaning toward one candidate or the other are included,” Political Wire writes.

The Boston Globe: “Republican US Senate nominee Gabriel E. Gomez claimed a $281,500 income tax deduction in 2005 for pledging not to make any visible changes to the facade of his 112-year-old Cohasset home, a concession so valuable that it is classified as a charitable contribution under a federal law designed to protect historic homes. But Gomezand his wife, Sarah, were already barred from making any changes to the exterior of their home under the bylaws of the local Historical Commission, raising the question as to whether their donation — the price of which is based on the loss of value in their real estate— had any monetary worth.”

“The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee today knocked Republican Senate hopeful Gabriel E. Gomez for saying he was ‘never associated’ with a group on whose behalf he appeared on national television,” the Boston Globe writes. Despite appearing twice on television for the group, Gomez contended yesterday, “As far as OPSEC, I did two interviews for OPSEC. I was never associated with OPSEC. I never donated to OPSEC. I wasn’t part of OPSEC.” And: “I was never connected with them in the first place. I just went on there because we overlapped on that issue about the president taking too much credit and, more importantly, they leaked information that was bad for the unit down there and it put their lives at risk.” The special election is June 25. 

SOUTH CAROLINA: USA Today: “Mark Sanford and his ex-wife have settled her complaint that he was trespassing at her South Carolina home, so the newly elected congressman will not have to appear in court on Thursday.”

The Boston Globe: “One of Mitt Romney’s former campaign aides is planning to ­release a new book next week that is being pitched as an insider’s account that provides ‘an unblinking look at the tactical and strategic miscalculations’ made by the former presidential candidate.

The NewsJournal (Wilmington, Del.): “Delaware became the 11th state Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage after a lengthy debate in the state Senate that saw one lawmaker disclose her longtime same-sex relationship and the surprise support of two senators who could have tipped the outcome the other way. A half-hour after the 12-9 Senate vote, Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill into law on the main stairs in the lobby of Legislative Hall.”

The Minneapolis Star Tribune: The Minnesota House will hold a final floor vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday. House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said he would not bring the measure up for a floor vote until he was certain it had the votes to pass. The Senate is expected to take up the measure soon after. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton is a supporter of same-sex marriage and said he will sign the proposal into law.”

Chris Christie at a press conference yesterday on his weight surgery: "I'm doing it for my long-term health. This is about being healthier for the rest of your life." (Christie, by the way, makes another humorous video – this one with him searching for the fleece he wore in the aftermath of Sandy.)

USA Today: “Christie rejected the idea the weight-loss surgery is a bid to boost his political career as he seeks a second term in November and is frequently mentioned as a 2016 presidential contender. ‘This is a hell of a lot more important to me than running for president,’ he said. … Political analysts said Tuesday they take Christie at his word that the surgery was done for his health, but they acknowledged there could be an upside.”

“A coalition of liberal and environmental groups announced Tuesday that members would stop advertising on Facebook for two weeks to object to the ‘cynical advertising strategy’ of a pro-immigration group linked to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg,” USA Today writes.

Politico: “Mark Zuckerberg is used to being disruptive — but this time it’s in politics and that is making some in the tech world uneasy. The Facebook chief executive’s big foray into politics — with a focus on comprehensive immigration reform — has rattled some tech leaders who worry the Zuckerberg group’s cozy ties with conservative lawmakers are damaging the industry’s image. Usually, tech prefers to stay above the political fray.”

GEORGIA: Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) will not run for the Senate in Georgia, a Democratic operative confirmed to First Read yesterday. The conservative Democrat was perhaps the party’s best shot at winning the open seat to replace the retiring Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Sean Sullivan at the Washington Post: “Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) will not run for the Senate in 2014, he announced Tuesday, ending months of speculation over whether the conservative Democrat would make a bid. … Barrow’s conservative profile would have made him the most attractive Democratic candidate for retiring Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss’s seat. Now, Democrats will likely turn their attention to Michelle Nunn, another potential candidate. She is the daughter of former senator Sam Nunn.”

SOUTH CAROLINA: The Island Packet headline: “Mark Sanford: The new comeback kid.” “The big victory Tuesday suggests First Congressional District voters cared more about a consistent voice for limited government and no new spending than transgressions that seemed certain to torpedo Sanford’s political career four years ago.”

Shortly after Sanford was declared the winner, Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) and the DCCC tried to make Sanford the face of the GOP with women. Israel said in a statement, in part: “House Republicans’ outreach to women voters now has Mark Sanford as the face. Republicans now have to defend him and stand with him until Election Day.”

USA Today: “Republican Mark Sanford won South Carolina's congressional special election Tuesday, but the results may not conclude the drama of a disgraced former governor on the outs with his own party.” For example, “On Thursday, however, Sanford will appear in a televised court hearing to answer a charge of trespassing from his former wife. Then he'll head to Washington, where he made few friends during his previous three terms in office bucking the Republican leadership.”

Said political scientist Danielle Vinson of Furman University in Greenville, S.C.: "I don't see him having a lot of trouble if he can just shut his mouth about his private life and stop making an enemy of his ex-wife." If he can't, Vinson says, "the frustration with being a national punch line is pretty high in that district."

That’s the question – can he do that?

To sum it up, here was Sanford the newly and openly religious Sanford in his victory speech, (h/t Political Wire): "I want to acknowledge a God not just of second chances. But a God of third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth chances because that is the reality of our shared humanity."

VIRGINIA: Jill Lawrence looks at Terry McAuliffe’s potential problem with women voters because of passages in his book that include him “ditching his wife Dorothy while she was in labor, to dash to a party for a Washington Post reporter.” And, Lawrence writes, “The more problematic anecdote to me is one that involves the birth of another baby, in this case a newborn son whom McAuliffe left in the car with Dorothy on the way home from the hospital while he spent 15 minutes at a fundraiser. She was in tears, he writes. How the heck did he think women would react to that?”

On top of that… “Then there’s what McAuliffe told the late writer Marjorie Williams for a profile in Vanity Fair. He said his wife ‘has no idea’ how much money he has, and implied she doesn’t need to know: ‘She’s got a great life. Listen, her credit cards are paid and all that. She knows I do very well.’”

The New York Post reports that Chris Christie had lap band surgery Feb. 16 and checked into a facility for the procedure under a false name. Christie told the Post: “I’ve struggled with this issue for 20 years. For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them.”

And Christie says this has nothing to do with running for president. “It’s so much more important than that,” he said. Because of the operation, Christie can’t eat as much, and he says he’s lost about 40 pounds already. “A week or two ago, I went to a steakhouse and ordered a steak and ate about a third of it and I was full,” he said.

“Sens. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio are facing a big obstacle if they seek the White House in 2016 — and it’s not each other,” Politico writes. “State laws could force the two GOP senators into a difficult choice: run for president or run for reelection to the Senate that same year. Because in their home states of Kentucky and Florida, neither Republican can be on the ballot for both offices at the same time.”

HAWAII: EMILY’s List endorsed Colleen Hanabusa in her Senate race against appointed Sen. Brian Schatz (D).

IOWA: Can a Ron Paul Republican win statewide in Iowa? The Des Moines Register: “Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker is taking steps to run for the U.S. Senate, saying he would vote only for legislation that’s constitutional and would pattern himself after tea party favorite U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.”

Other Republicans, like state Sen. Joni Ernst, are still considering bids. Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds is encouraging Ernst to run. Reynolds passed on a bid.

MASSACHUSETTS: The AFL-CIO endorsed Rep. Ed Markey.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Sanford could win Tuesday, Roll Call notes. But political observers are shrugging their shoulders and giving a collective, “So what?”

Charlie Cook: “If not on Tuesday night, then certainly by Wednesday and maybe even through Thursday or beyond, one party will be crowing that its victory in the special election for now-Sen. Tim Scott’s former seat in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is a sign that it is doing great and will have a successful 2014 midterm election. The other party will be downplaying the national significance of the special election, declaring that the results have nothing whatsoever to do with what happens next year. Mark me down as agreeing with the latter. The voting in South Carolina means nothing other than which side can lay claim to that seat for the rest of this year and next.”

Stu Rothenberg: “When the results are in Tuesday night, the spinning will begin. But while the contest has received plenty of national attention, it now appears that the outcome will be largely devoid of significance."

The State on today’s special election in SC-1: “More than former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford’s chance at political redemption is riding on the outcome of Tuesday’s special election for the state’s 1st District congressional seat, political observers say. A win for Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch could ignite hopes that S.C. Democrats again can compete against Republicans for congressional seats and statewide offices, and help them lay the groundwork for picking up support among Lowcountry voters in 2014. A loss, some say, could emphasize just how difficult a statewide win for a Democrat will be.”

NBC’s Michael O’Brien: “Voters in South Carolina’s first congressional district head to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether to offer former Gov. Mark Sanford a chance at political redemption, or instead send the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert to Congress.”

Polls are open from 7:00 am ET to 7:00 pm ET. Results will be posted here on the South Carolina State Election Commission site.

Sanford was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and was defensive about his personal failings. “I guarantee you’ve made some mistake in your life,” Sanford said to Mika. He said everyone on that set has had some personal failings. But “one offense does not define your life.”

He defended paying the ethics fine. “I think we explain it because it’s explainable,” he contended. He said that half of the fines were because he used business class tickets for legitimate Department of Commerce trips, something he said “was not an anomaly. There was more to the story than met the eye.”

He said he would have voted against the Toomey-Manchin gun background check bill. “I’m a big Second Amendment guy,” he said, adding that what the gun-show loophole is should be defined more clearly. He said a “couple of guys trading guns in the back of a pickup truck” does not qualify in his view.

On immigration, he said he would vote against the Gang of Eight bill: “We can learn from history,” he said, noting that the “last big immigration bill offered amnesty.” He was referring to the 1980s legislation. He added that any immigration reform should “begin with enforcement first before you get to amnesty. I would not support the bill in the present form.”

The bill in its “present form,” however, does not offer amnesty first, as he claims.

TEXAS: Rick Perry says opposing a ban on gay scouts is like supporting slavery? The Dallas Morning News via Political Wire: "Perry, speaking from the library in the Governor's Mansion, referred to a portrait of Sam Houston, whom he called Texas' greatest governor. He told how Houston's principled stand against slavery and Texas' joining the Confederacy cost him his governorship." Said Perry: "That's the type of principled leadership, that's the type of courage that I hope people across this country on this issue of Scouts and keeping the Boy Scouts the kind of organization that it is today. If we change and become more like pop culture, young men will be not as well served, America will not be as well served and Boy Scouts will start on a decline that I don't think will serve this country well as we go into the future."

VIRGINIA: Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) gets a 64% approval in the latest Washington Post poll.