Elections | featured news

Anthony Weiner says he will soon decide whether to run for mayor of New York. As the former congressman weighs the pros and cons, he might want to keep an eye on Mark Sanford's comeback attempt in South Carolina.

New York State Sen. Malcolm Smith and five other politicians pleaded not guilty Tuesday to corruption charges in connection with an alleged plot to buy a line on New York City's mayoral ballot. The allegations revived public concerns about a documented culture of exploitation in Albany that has prompted officials to seek legal recourse to induce change.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised a record $22.6 million during the first three months of the year, officials announced Thursday. It ended March with $8.9 million in cash reserves and $4.5 million in debt.

Italy's parliament failed to elect a president in its first vote on Thursday, with internal party divisions undermining the center-left's official candidate, former trade unionist and ex-Senate speaker Franco Marini.

A Pakistani court disqualified the country’s one-time military leader and president Pervez Musharraf from taking part in coming national elections on Tuesday, dashing his hopes of rejoining Pakistani politics.

A Kentucky Democratic official said Thursday two men tied to an anti-Mitch McConnell super PAC took credit for secretly recording a meeting in which the GOP senator's aides discussed political attacks on Ashley Judd.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who resigned over a sexting scandal in 2011, says he's weighing a run for New York City mayor this year.

From the Appalachian trail to the campaign trail, former Governor Mark Sanford is back on the grid. After defeating Curtis Bostic in the GOP primary runoff on Tuesday, 57% to 43%, Sanford should be the favorite to win the vacated congressional seat in South Carolina first district. The district has become heavily Republican.

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford vowed Wednesday to define Democratic rival Elizabeth Colbert Busch, saying the only thing voters know is that she's the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert. "She's not held office," Sanford said in an MSNBC interview. "Stephen Colbert's a very popular, you know, well-regarded comedian but at the end of the day he's not on the ticket."

Italy's new parliament met on Friday for the first time since last month's inconclusive election with no sign of a deal to end the stalemate and yield a government able to address the deep problems in the euro zone's third-largest economy.