House races

Comedian Stephen Colbert said Thursday that he hopes his late-night television persona parodying conservative talk-show hosts doesn't "sully" his sister's congressional bid in South Carolina's first district.

Former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez (R), who served under President George W. Bush, is leaving his job at Citigroup to run a super-PAC backing Republicans who support immigration reform.

"The upcoming immigration reform debate will be one of the most important public policy discussions America engages in this century.  Our country must get it right," Gutierrez said in a statement put out by the group. "In this spirit and with this understanding, I've decided to dedicate my full time and energy to Republicans for Immigration Reform and this critical legislative effort."

Gutierrez, who'd chaired Mitt Romney's Hispanic outreach effort, had already been involved with setting up the super-PAC and has been heavily focused on immigration reform since the election.

But his decision to put his focus solely on the effort is the latest sign the group will be a force to be reckoned with. He'll run the group along with Charlie Spies, a veteran of Mitt Romney's campaigns who ran the pro-Romney super-PAC Restore Our Future during the last election cycle.

Two conservative Republicans announced their support for South Carolina state Sen. Larry Grooms (R).

Democrats continue to line up for the chance to take over Rep. Edward Markey's (D-Mass.) seat if he's elected to the Senate in the upcoming special election, with two new possible contenders filing their statements of candidacy.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching paid online advertising that attempts to saddle House Republicans with responsibility for the impending series of automatic cuts known as the sequester.

A super-PAC that spent millions to elect Republicans to the House in 2012 is launching its first attack on a handful of House Democrats, attempting to tie them to cuts to a Medicare program resulting in part from President Obama's healthcare law.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) sought to clear the field for Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s (D-Ill.) old seat so that one candidate could coalesce support to stop former Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.), according to a report from NBC Chicago.

Emanuel has stayed publicly neutral in the race. But sources tell NBC Chicago that he called some candidates and asked them to drop out.

Halvorson, who is the only major white candidate in the race and also opposes some gun control measures, has benefited so far from a split field in the heavily African-American, Democratic district. But a number of candidates have recently dropped out, most significantly Illinois state Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D), clearing the field for former Cook County Administrator Robin Kelly (D).

A source with knowledge of Emanuel's involvement tells The Hill that he has been working behind the scenes to winnow the field, and though he didn't ask Hutchinson to drop out, he called her after she made her decision.

A Democrat running for former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s (D-Ill.) old seat is furious with the party establishment for lining up behind one of his opponents — and he's taking his frustration out on President Obama. 

Anthony Beale, a Chicago alderman, is criticizing Obama for not doing enough in his career to tackle gun control, an issue that has become central in the campaign to represent Illinois's 2nd Congressional District. 

Beale argues he's been on the front lines of the fight for gun control while Obama has only signed legislation to make guns more available.

"All of my opponents are saying I will stand with the president, but President Obama needs to stand with us in Chicago," Beale said in a statement released by his political consultant. "We never stopped fighting this fight."

The DCCC holds $2 million more cash on hand than its GOP counterpart, but still faces more debt as well.

Brooklyn councilman Domenic Recchia is the latest New York Democrat looking to unseat Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), according to recent reports. 

"We are going for Congress," Recchia told the Staten Island Advance on Monday, accusing Grimm for not fighting hard enough for the people in the district, covering Staten Island and south Brooklyn. 

Grimm, who was redistricted into the 11th, won reelection by defeating Democrat Mark Murphy last November. 

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