Campaign Finance

BOSTON (AP) — National Republicans cheered former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez's Massachusetts primary victory, but Democratic Congressman Ed Markey enjoys tremendous advantages in the special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Tuesday's primary elections set up an eight-week sprint to the June 25 election.

ATLANTA (AP) — A rare open U.S. Senate seat in Georgia promises a scrambled 2014 campaign that already has some Republicans quietly nervous about retaining it.

Democrat Barack Obama lost the state in both of his White House races, and it's a seat that Republicans cannot afford to lose as they try to regain a Senate majority for the final two years of his presidency.

The question is whether a bruising party primary becomes a liability, particularly if voters nominate U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, who once called evolution and the Big Bang Theory "lies straight from the pit of hell."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The advocacy group born out of President Barack Obama's campaign organization raised just under $4.9 million in its debut quarter, a modest sum illustrating the challenges of keeping campaign-year fervor alive once the voters have all gone home.

Organizing for Action told supporters Friday that more than 109,000 people donated money to the fledgling group, with the average donor handing over about $44. The group claimed that the preponderance of low-dollar contributions reflected powerful grassroots momentum.

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with Facebook says CEO Mark Zuckerberg is forming a political group to address issues such as education reform, immigration and scientific research.

The person says the group will formally launch in the coming weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is not public. The San Francisco Chronicle, Politico and others reported on it earlier.