Political insiders say Cumberland Mayor Daniel J. McKee is still seriously weighing a run for Congress. And with other potential candidates for Patrick Kennedy's seat falling by the wayside in recent days - former Congressman Bob Weygand, State Representative Ed Pacheco, and investment banker Nick Pell - his potential candidacy becomes all the more intriguing.

National Journal has published its annual vote rankings and Rhode Island's senators, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, are tied with three other Democrats - Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Roland Burris of Illinois, and Ben Cardin of Maryland - as the most liberal in the chamber.

With neither senator up for re-election this fall, Rhode Island Republicans will not be able to exploit their records when the attacks might have the maximum appeal.

The Providence Journal has a story today suggesting that Congressman James Langevin could be a pivotal vote on health care reform, given the thin margins in the House and Langevin's position as a pro-life Democrat. Abortion restrictions, after all, are a flashpoint in the debate. And a handful of pro-life Democrats managed to win tougher-than-expected provisions in the initial House version of health care reform because their votes were so valuable.

A.H. Belo, the Dallas-based parent of the Providence Journal, reported a preliminary fourth-quarter profit of $5.6 million today. That's compared to a fourth-quarter loss of $33.1 million in 2008. But the profit, which owes much to heavy cost-cutting, comes in the face of a 15.3 percent decline in overall revenue.

Here at N4N, we're not above an occasional spot of celebrity news. So here's a tidbit. Patrick J. Kennedy may be set to retire, but the family legacy will not disappear anytime soon. Deadline.com has the scoop on an RFK biopic in the works that would star Matt Damon.

In this tough marketplace, if you want to make another movie about a complex historical figure like Robert F Kennedy, you'd better bring to the table an actor with chops and bankability to excite a financier.

Gina Raimondo, Democratic candidate for treasurer, has added Mark Rhoads, a former aide to Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, to her campaign staff. Rhoads will serve as director of operations, managing day-to-day affairs. “Mark is a very talented individual and we are thrilled to welcome him to the campaign as we continue to gather momentum,” Raimondo said, in a statement.

After some strong polling results - at least in the Democratic primary match-up - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio continues to build a case for momentum with local party endorsements. This just in from the campaign:

Just days after both the Smithfield and Foster Democratic Committees voted unanimously to endorse Caprio's gubernatorial candidacy, and on the heels of recent polls which also show Caprio with substantial leads over his opponent in the primary, the Bristol Democratic Town Committee has voted to endorse Frank Caprio's candidacy for Governor.

A new poll out of Brown University this morning has independent Lincoln Chafee leading the gubernatorial race and the electorate down on incumbents.

The poll shows Chafee with a 34 to 28 percent edge over Democrat Frank Caprio, should he win the party's nomination. The gap is even wider in a match-up with Democrat Patrick Lynch - 33 percent to 18 percent.

Matt Jerzyk over at rifuture has a post on State Senator Juan Pichardo's decision to pass on the Providence mayoral election and seek re-election. A recent note to supporters has him seemingly throwing his support behind an Angel Taveras run for mayor.

Taveras, himself, has been sending strong signals that he will run for the job, with Providence Mayor David N.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Lincoln Chafee is holding a press conference this afternoon in front of Central Falls High School. He'll call on the school district and teachers' union to engage a third-party mediator to resolve an emotional dispute over plans to fire the school's staff in a bid for a turnaround.

Drinking Liberally, the lefty drinking club, will be hosting Congressional candidate Bill Lynch at the Wild Colonial bar Wednesday nigt at 8 p.m. The event is free. Should provide an early glimpse of Lynch on the stump - and an early test of his appeal to the party's progressive wing.

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, also in the race to succeed Patrick Kennedy, should have a natural purchase on this constituency given his history as a liberal legislator and broader progressive image.

Gail Collins, perhaps the most amusing columnist in America, has an op-ed in the New York Times today that notes a workshop at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington titled "When All Else Fails: Nullification and State Resistance to Federal Tyranny."

How many of you out there thought we had settled the question of whether states have the right to nullify federal laws during the Lincoln administration? Can I see a show of hands?

This just in from the Archambault campaign:

Steve Archambault, Democratic candidate for Attorney General, today announced that Samantha Cotter has been hired to serve as his campaign manager. Cotter will be responsible for coordinating all day-to-day campaign activities.

Samanth Cotter served as a New Hampshire field organizer for President Obama in the 2008 general election--a winning state for Obama.

My look at the wide-ranging fallout from Representative Patrick Kennedy's decision to stand down at the end of this term should be on-line shortly and will hit the newsstands tomorrow. The piece focuses on the likely contours of the race to replace Kennedy in Congress. But it also looks at the burgeoning race for Providence mayor, in the wake of incumbent David Cicilline's decision to run for Kennedy's spot.

Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts has taken a pass on the race to succeed Patrick Kennedy, as expected. With Myrth York weighing a run for Providence mayor and M. Teresa Paiva-Weed expected to skip the race - she is pro-life, which wouldn't play well in a Democratic primary and, as Senate president, carries the weight of a much-maligned General Assembly - that focuses the attention on little-known lawyer Donna Nesselbush as the likely woman candidate.