House races

Former Madison County Chief Judge Ann Callis (D) will run against freshman Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), she announced to supporters via email Monday night. Read more...

The endorsements are a sign of lingering tensions between Baca and some of his former colleagues.

Illinois Judge Ann Callis (D) has resigned from the bench, a move that allows her to run against freshman Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.). Read more...

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's ex-wife has asked a judge to ban cameras from a hearing scheduled this week to examine allegations that the Republican congressional candidate trespassed at his former home.

The State reported that Jenny Sanford does not seek to ban all press coverage, but wants a restriction on cameras and audio recording devices.

Jenny Sanford alleged in a complaint that her former husband entered her Sullivan's Island, S.C., home in early February, part of a "pattern of entering" the home without permission. Sanford maintained that he visited simply to watch the Super Bowl with his son.

The former South Carolina governor has a one-point edge on the eve of Tuesday's House election, says Public Policy Polling.

The nation's largest Tea Party political action committee said Saturday that it would endorse former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) in his special election bid against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

"The decision in this race is simple: do the people of the First Congressional District want to elect another rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, or do they want to send a proven conservative to Washington who will get the job done?" Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer said in a statement. "We need leaders like Governor Mark Sanford in office if we are ever going to grow our economy and end the reckless spending and debt that plagues Washington."

Voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide between Sanford, who used to hold the 1st District seat, and Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert. Sanford was the early favorite in the race, but the House Republican campaign committee pulled support after new allegations surfaced that Sanford had violated his divorce agreement.

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) and businesswoman Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D) are tied in their House race with just days until the election, according to a new poll.

Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) won a spot on the board of Montana's largest publicly traded company on Thursday, a move that could impact his thinking on whether to run for the Senate.

A group he was involved with that opposed the Stillwater Mining Co.'s focus on investing in Argentina won control of half of the company's board, a split decision after they were pushing for majority control. Though his side had initially rejected an offer to get the same number of board members without the vote, Schweitzer called the result a "huge victory."

The former governor, who is likely Democrats' best hope of holding onto Montana's Senate seat now that Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is retiring, told The Hill in late April that he would consider a bid after the vote for control over the company.

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The Iowa state Senate Ethics Panel voted to ask for a formal investigation of Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) former Iowa presidential campaign chairman, a move that could continue a rash of unfavorable headlines for the congresswoman and potentially damage her chances at reelection.

The panel voted on Wednesday to request a formal investigation of Iowa state Sen. Ken Sorenson (R), who was one of Bachmann's top surrogates in the state until he switched late in the campaign to back then-Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).

Sorenson has been accused of stealing a private email list of homeschooling parents for campaign purposes, and for illegally receiving a salary from Bachmann's campaign while serving in the state senate.

While another former Bachmann staffer says she knew about the payments, that former staffer insisted that the campaign was told by Sorenson that he was allowed to receive them and blamed Sorenson for misleading them.

The back-and-forth between Sorenson and other former Bachmann staffers has been an unwanted distraction for her as she seeks to move past her failed presidential bid and renew ties with her Republican-leaning district.

Bachmann barely survived a tough challenge in 2012, winning by fewer than 5,000 votes, and is facing the same opponent this election. The ethics investigation has continued to create unhelpful local headlines — and now that it's progressing those are likely to continue.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has endorsed Mark Sanford (R) for his old House seat in a statement focused on the former South Carolina governor's fiscal conservatism.