Ken Rudin
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The death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg has thrown a monkey wrench onto the plans of N.J. Gov. Chris Christie. Calculations about Lautenberg's successor, and when to hold the special election, may affect Christie's re-election path this year ... as well as a potential White House bid in 2016.
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The nomination of E.W. Jackson for lieutenant governor of Virginia has excited movement conservatives, who love his no-holds-barred rhetoric. Democrats are also pleased with his nomination, arguing that he can help turn moderate swing voters away from the GOP.
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After eight years of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles voters will pick a, shall we say, more charismatically-challenged successor.
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History says that if a sitting vice president wants to succeed his retiring boss, the nomination is usually his. Think: Nixon '60, Humphrey '68, Bush '88, Gore '00. But history may not help Joe Biden in 2016.
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Of the eight senators retiring in 2014, six of them are Democrats. Which should be good news for the Republicans. Maybe. Plus: take our poll, please, as to who will win in South Carolina next week.
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It's wrong, and journalistically lazy, to lump together every politician who was ever involved in a sex scandal. Still, there are a lot of similarities between Mark Sanford and Anthony Weiner — at least in their post-scandal "script."
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Is it too soon to be thinking about 2016? Not really, especially after watching Hillary Clinton talk on same-sex marriage and Rand Paul on changes to immigration policy. Plus: a brief history of the GOP's rise in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.
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Forget about 2012 presidential burnout. The 2016 campaign has already begun, at least according to what has been written in the past week about Jeb Bush's new book on immigration. Plus: Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) won't run again in 2014.
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Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, is immensely popular, an apparent shoo-in for a second term this year. But his decision to take Obamacare money and federal relief help in the wake of Hurricane Sandy cost him an invitation to speak at a key conservative conference this month.
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The President has been inaugurated. Now comes the hard part — getting his agenda through Congress. He also needs to fill the upcoming vacancies in his Cabinet.