Hotline On Call

The race to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., has dominated the headlines in the Garden State over the last week. Cory Booker launched his campaign Saturday, with an assist from Bill Bradley. Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone jumped into the race Monday. Rep. Rush Holt, another Democrat, got in last week, and a fourth Dem, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, also plans to seek the Democratic nomination. The star-studded primary field is good news for reporters and political junkies but problematic for one other New Jersey Democrat: gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono.

Gabriel Gomez, the Republican nominee running in this month's special Senate election in Massachusetts, is a Republican, supported by Republicans, with a long history of voting for Republicans. That's the singular message Democrats plan to hammer home to Bay State voters over the next three weeks as the race for Secretary of State John Kerry's old Senate seat enters the final stretch.

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes says she hasn't made up her mind yet about whether she'll challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2014, but she sure sounded like a candidate at a party fundraiser last night.

Pennsylvania Democrats are well-positioned to oust Republican Gov. Tom Corbett next year, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll that shows the governor's approval rating hitting an all-time low.

Two major Democratic groups are spending a combined $1 million on advertisements on behalf of Rep. Ed Markey, a major investment in the race for Secretary of State John Kerry's old Senate seat.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's choice to succeed the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, state Attorney General and longtime Christie aide Jeffrey Chiesa, won't run in the special election later this year. But he's not alone: Most of the names listed over the past few days as top potential GOP candidates are passing on the special.

Washington Democrats aren't afraid to play favorites in House primaries. That's an unavoidable (and sometimes desired) effect of efforts like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Jumpstart" program, which gives early financial and organizational backing to promising challengers in Republican-held districts. And though their efforts have led to a recent bout of criticism from other candidates, the national party still remains far more comfortable getting involved in primaries than their Republican counterparts, who have had well-documented difficulties in that arena.

Gov. Susana Martinez has a one-word answer for anyone who asks whether she'll run for president: No.

The world's best-known polling firm has 4 reasons for why they badly miscalculated the election outcome.

With the passing of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie now faces the politically complicated decision of appointing an interim replacement. Running for reelection in a blue state, Christie could boost his bipartisan credentials by appointing a caretaker who wouldn't run in a subsequent special election -- someone like former Gov. Tom Kean or attorney Bill Palatucci, a longtime Christie friend and ally. Alternatively, Christie could appoint a Republican who plans to hold onto the seat, giving Republicans a leg up in their effort to hold the seat in a likely campaign against Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Republicans lack a strong bench in the Garden State, but here are five names to watch in the event Christie chooses the second option:

The Texas legislature is holding a special session to consider another round of redistricting, but pols at the state Capitol in Austin are more interested in the answer to that other burning question: Is Gov. Rick Perry running for a fourth term?

National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Jerry Moran says the race between Democratic Rep. Edward Markey and businessman Gabriel Gomez is a three-to-six-point race just three weeks before voters head to the polls for the June 25 special election.

It has all the trademarks of a battleground. But Colorado, home of Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, is turning into the forgotten race of 2014.

Heritage Action Fund is targeting three Republicans and a Democrat in agriculture-heavy districts over the farm bill with a round of radio ads, a spokesman tells Hotline.

Jon Corzine is avoiding the spotlight in New Jersey. At an event billed as "The Governor's Summit" in Newark on Thursday, Corzine will be the only living former Garden State governor not in attendance -- and he reportedly didn't even reply to the invitation. But his name and image are becoming fixtures in this year's gubernatorial race, as Republicans seek to portray likely Democratic nominee Barbara Buono as the second coming of Corzine.