Long-time television sports and entertainment anchor Pat O'Brien was a guest in a pre-taped 40-minute appearance on the popular Adam Carolla Show podcast Tuesday and spoke long form about a variety of his life experiences such as his humble upbringing, secretly dating the senior prom queen as a 10th grader, becoming a one-hit wonder at age 17, his brief stint in the military, his early days working for David Brinkley at NBC, and his fight with alcoholism.

O'Brien, who now co-hosts the weekday radio program FOX Sports PrimeTime, had a long career at CBS Sports before delving into entertainment programs such as Access Hollywood and The Insider in the late 1990s and 2000s.

Now 65 years old, O'Brien grew up in Sioux Falls and attended the University of South Dakota where famed political science professor Dr. William Farber served as his mentor.

Farber picked out young Pat as one of his "Farber boys" - students the professor thought showed great promise that he would take under his wing (a fraternity which includes political luminaries such as U.S. Senators Tim Johnson and Larry Pressler and media giants like Tom Brokaw and USA Today founder Al Neuharth).

O'Brien, who has previously identified himself as a "George McGovern Democrat," evidently still has politics in his blood.

Approximately one-third of the way through the Carolla interview, O'Brien recalled his relationship with Doc Farber and then, unsolicited, added:

"(Farber) always wanted me to run for office in South Dakota - which I still may do."

Carolla did not offer any follow-up question, but O'Brien has flirted with politics before, making headlines in October 2003 when he revealed to GQ magazine his ambition to return to the Mount Rushmore State and potentially challenge then Republican Governor Mike Rounds in 2006.

At that time the 55 year-old O'Brien told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader he would like to run for some office in South Dakota: "I have always said I would like to come back and run for something there, participate in government."

And now O'Brien - seemingly with the 10-year itch once again - has restated his interest in a political run from South Dakota.

Could that run be for the state's 2014 U.S. Senate contest?

If so, that would give O'Brien a shot at Mike Rounds after all (Rounds currently has the inside track for the GOP nomination).

The battle to find a candidate to challenge Rounds has been brutal for the Democrats thus far, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid attempting (and failing) to recruit former U.S. Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and former South Dakota Senator and Majority Leader Tom Daschle nudging his friend Rick Weiland into the race.

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The announcement by Republican Sarasota Springs Mayor Mia Love that she would challenge Democratic seven-term U.S. Representative Jim Matheson in the 2014 cycle sets up a rematch that will be one of the most closely-watched contests next year.

Love - a frequently described "rising star" who would be the first black Republican woman in the U.S. House - spoke at the 2012 National Republican Convention and at CPAC this year while in between lost to Matheson in one of the most competitive races in the nation last cycle.

So will Love fare any better in a rematch in 2014?

Love is getting an earlier start at fundraising this cycle and will almost assuredly win her party's nomination, but challengers seeking rematches have not fared too well in Utah over the decades.

A Smart Politics review of Utah U.S. House election results finds that only three of 12 major party challengers have won rematches in races for the nation's lower legislative chamber in state history.

Matheson - the only Democrat elected to Utah's U.S. House delegation over the last nine cycles dating back to 1996 - surprised many prognosticators last November when he defeated Love in a district Mitt Romney carried by 37 points.

The Blue Dog Democrat's 0.31-point victory over Love (768 votes) was the sixth closest race among the 130 U.S. House contests that have been conducted in state history and one of just nine decided by less than one point.

Matheson was aided by Libertarian Jim Vein winning 2.6 percent of the vote.

The closest ever U.S. House race in the Beehive State occurred in 1960 when Democrat Morris Peterson defeated Republican A. Walter Stevenson by 0.06 points (68 votes).

Peterson would serve just one term in the chamber, losing the next cycle to GOPer Laurence Burton.

Matheson was also involved in the eighth closest House contest in Utah history when he won his first reelection bid and second term in 2002.

The Democrat beat Republican John Swallow by 0.74 points (1,641 votes) that cycle.

Top 9 Closest U.S. House Races in Utah History

And now, buoyed by her strong (although disappointing) second place finish in 2012 - Mayor Love is seeking a rematch against Matheson.

Such a rematch is not without precedent in the Beehive State, with nearly 10 percent of its U.S. House races involving major party candidates getting a second chance against the winning incumbent (12 of 130 races, 9.2 percent).

However, Matheson does have experience in fending off pesky challengers the second time around.

After defeating State Representative (and current Utah Attorney General) John Swallow by 0.7 points in 2002, Swallow returned to the scene in 2004 for another crack at the son of the state's former governor.

Matheson ended up defeating Swallow by double digits (11.4 points) despite a popular president in the state at the top of the ticket (George W. Bush).

The most recent Utah U.S. House rematch came in 2010 when Democrat Morgan Bowen challenged Rob Bishop in back-to-back cycles in the 1st CD - getting trounced by 34.4 points in 2008 and 45.7 points during the GOP tsunami two years later.

The first challenger to win a rematch contest in the state was Republican William Dawson in 1952.

Dawson had served one term after winning the 1946 election in the 2nd CD, but was defeated handily in 1948 by Democrat Reva Bosone by 14.9 points.

Four years later Dawson got a rematch against Bosone and defeated her by 5.1 points during a cycle in which the GOP netted 22 House seats across the country.

Bosone then attempted a rematch against Dawson in 1954, but fell short by 14.3 points.

Dawson would serve two more terms before losing to Democrat David King in 1958.

King would find himself in a rematch eight years later courtesy of Republican Sherman Lloyd.

King defeated the State Senator Lloyd by just 1.1 points in 1960 to win his second term in the nation's lower legislative chamber.

In 1962, King's seat was open due to his unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid, and Lloyd won the 2nd CD race that cycle.

Lloyd's seat was open in 1964 when he ran for the U.S. Senate (and lost) and King won back his old seat.

That set up a Lloyd vs. King rematch in 1966 where the challenger Lloyd knocked off King by a whopping 22.5 points in a cycle in which Republicans picked up 47 seats nationwide.

Lloyd would serve two more terms before losing to Democrat Wayne Owens after redistricting in 1972.

The third and final challenger to win a rematch in a Utah U.S. House race came during the Republican Revolution of 1994.

One-term Democrat Karen Shepherd from the 2nd CD defeated Enid Greene by 3.7 points in 1992.

Changing her name to Enid Greene Waldholtz (in a soon to be scandal-filled marriage), Greene Waldholtz defeated Shepherd by 10.0 points two years later netting one of the 54 seats for the GOP that cycle in one of the most expensive House races in the country.

Greene Waldholtz would not run for reelection in 1996 due to election law violations during her victorious 1994 campaign after her husband deposited more than $1 million of her father's money into her campaign account.

All told, the three times in which U.S. House challengers defeated Utah incumbents in rematch contests involved Republicans winning during cycles in which the GOP won a cumulative 123 seats nationwide.

Matheson has continued to find ways to win in his reddish district, and Love may need the winds of another Republican tsunami at her back if she is going to knock off Utah Democrats' last best hope in 2014.

Utah U.S. House Rematch Elections Since Statehood

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When former Pennsylvania U.S. Representative and 2010 U.S. Senate candidate Joe Sestak raised a surprising $460K in receipts for the first quarter of 2013, it didn't take much imagination to suspect his political aspirations were still alive and well.

Sestak, who Republican Pat Toomey defeated by 2.0 points during the GOP wave that cycle, announced today that he is preparing to run again the next time the state holds a Senate contest - in a rematch against Toomey in November 2016.

By staking his claim this early, the former Congressman and Navy Admiral may have just cleared the Democratic field 3.5 years out from Election Day and can now simply focus on the general election.

(In 2010, Sestak had to first defeat Republican-turned-Democratic incumbent Arlen Specter in a closely fought primary campaign decided by 7.8 points).

A Sestak vs. Toomey rematch would be a rarity in Pennsylvania politics.

In fact, there has never been a rematch in a Senate race in the Keystone State.

A Smart Politics review of Pennsylvania U.S. Senate elections finds that if Joe Sestak wins the 2016 Democratic nomination, his rematch against incumbent Pat Toomey will be the first among major party candidates in the history of the state in the direct election era.

Pennsylvania has held 38 U.S. Senate special and general elections since its first popular vote contest for the office in 1914.

Not once has a defeated major party candidate sought and earned a general election rematch against the victor across these last 100 years.

Prior to Sestak's announcement most of the early 2016 chatter in Washington has been about the presidential race.

Sestak has demonstrated he is capable of raising plenty of money and probably expects the 2016 cycle won't be as GOP-friendly as the last go-around when he lost by just two points to Toomey.

It should be noted a handful of minor third party candidates have run in multiple elections against the same opponent, though they are not top-billed 'rematches' per se:

· In 1922 and 1928 Socialist William Van Essen ran against Republican David Reed, winning 5.6 and 0.8 percent respectively.

· In 1930 (special election) and 1932, Van Essen won 1.3 percent and 3.3 percent against Republican James Davis.

· In 1944 and 1950, Socialist Labor candidate Frank Knotek won 0.05 percent and 0.04 percent of the vote against Democrat Francis Myers (who lost his '50 reelection bid to Republican Jim Duff).

· In 1946, Knotek won 0.4 percent as a Socialist Laborite in a race won by Republican Edward Martin and then won 0.04 percent against Martin in 1952 under the Industrial Government banner.

· In 1958, Socialist Labor candidate George Taylor carried 0.3 percent of the vote as Republican Hugh Scott won his first of three terms. Taylor won 0.1 percent six years later against Scott in 1964.

As of the end of March, Senator Toomey had nearly $2.4 million cash on hand for his Senate campaign.

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Congress approved the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day by a joint resolution 99 years ago, but it wasn't until the mid-1970s that presidents consistently issued proclamations on the occasion, such as Barack Obama yesterday.

In addition to celebrating the work mother's do, Obama discussed the continuing problems mothers and women face such as workplace inflexibility and wage inequality.

Over 50 such proclamations have been made by presidents, including one each year since Gerald Ford in 1975.

At 39 consecutive years and counting, presidential proclamations on Mother's Day have now become a tradition that seems unlikely to end, with the commander in chief honoring the work mothers do inside and outside of the home and the sacrifices they have made.

Below is a word cloud displaying how presidents have talked about mothers in over four-dozen such proclamations during the last century...

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For the last few months, Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker has been coy about whether he would serve a full term if reelected in November 2014.

Walker is one of at least a dozen names currently being floated as potential Republican presidential candidates for the 2016 cycle.

While that cycle would land right in the middle of Walker's (possible) second term, he would of course need to take steps toward a serious presidential bid much earlier than that - probably shortly after the 2014 election.

Walker is also technically being coy about his 2014 plans, as he has not announced his candidacy as of yet, though all signs suggest he will run.

The governor told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week that he will not divulge his intentions on whether he would pledge to serve a full term until he is officially a candidate.

Walker would not be the first elected governor to fail to complete a term in the Badger State, but the examples are few and far between.

Wisconsin held 71 gubernatorial elections prior to the election of Scott Walker in 2010 (and his recall election victory in 2012).

Three of these winners did not complete their term due to death:

Republican Louis Harvey (elected 1861) died less than four months into office in April 1862 on a relief expedition he led to assist Wisconsin units in the Civil War after the Battle of Shiloh. Harvey fell into the Tennessee River and drowned.

Progressive Orland Loomis (elected 1942) died from a heart attack in December after decisively defeating two-term Republican incumbent Julius Heil in the previous month by 13.2 points in a six-candidate race. Republican Lieutentant Governor Walter Goodland, who was reelected on a separate ballot line that cycle, subsequently ascended to the governorship in January 1943.

Walter Goodland was then elected governor in 1944 and 1946 but became the next and last Wisconsin chief executive to die in office. Goodland died after serving two months into his third term in March 1947.

Of the remaining 68 winners of gubernatorial elections in the Badger State before Walker, 65 served out their full term, or 95.6 percent.

(Note: Not included in the tally below is Democrat William Barstow. As a one-term incumbent Barstow initially appeared to win reelection in the Election of 1855, but resigned from office after a few months in 1856 after Republican Coles Bashford was ultimately deemed the winner because Barstow's winning vote count had been fraudulently gained. As such Barstow is not counted as the elected winner of the 1855 race).

The first elected Wisconsin governor to resign his seat in the middle of a term was the state's most famous politician, Robert La Follette, Sr.

La Follette served two complete terms after being elected as a Republican in 1900 and 1902.

Almost immediately after being elected to a third straight term by double-digit margins in 1904, La Follette was elected to the U.S. Senate by the Wisconsin legislature in January 1905.

La Follette served another year before resigning with one year left in his governorship in January 1906. "Fighting Bob" would go on to win reelection to the Senate in 1911, 1916, and 1922.

The second elected governor from Wisconsin to fail to complete his term other than by dying was Democrat Patrick Lucey in 1977. Lucey was first elected in 1970 and then reelected by 11 points in 1974.

After the election of Jimmy Carter to the White House, Lucey was asked to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and resigned from the governor's office in July 1977.

The most recent Wisconsin governor to resign from office was Tommy Thompson in 2001.

Thompson, elected to four four-year terms in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998, served longer than any Wisconsin governor in history and boasts the 10th longest tenure of any state governor in U.S. history at 14 years and 28 days.

George W. Bush selected Thompson to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services. After a quick Senate confirmation, Thompson's last day as Governor was February 1st of 2001 with 23 months remaining in his fourth term.

So what do La Follette, Lucey, and Thompson (and possibly Walker) all have in common?

All left their job at the highest level of state government for a federal office or post.

And all three also later sought an even higher political office.

La Follette sought but failed to win the Republican presidential nomination in 1912 and 1916. In 1924, he won the Progressive Party nomination, recorded 16.6 percent of the nationwide general election vote, and carried his home state of Wisconsin and its 13 Electoral College votes.

Lucey, meanwhile, ended up running against the Carter-Mondale ticket as the vice-presidential running mate of John Anderson. Anderson, a Republican U.S. Representative, and Lucey, a former Democratic governor, ran as independents and won 6.6 percent of the vote.

Thompson launched a presidential campaign for the Republican nomination in 2008. That campaign, however, was short-lived and ended after the Iowa Straw Poll in August 2007.

As for Walker, the only scenarios in which he would likely resign his governorship if reelected in 2014 are a) if he sought the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, or b) he was asked to be the Republican nominee's VP running mate.

Almost getting lost in this speculation of Walker's 2016 plans is the 2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial race itself.

However, with no big-name Democrats yet putting their hat in the ring, it is perhaps assumed that the office is Walker's for the taking in what would be his third election to the governorship in four years.

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Reading the campaign website biographies of the two major party candidates in Tuesday's South Carolina 1st Congressional District special election reveals not only individuals with different personal and professional backgrounds, but also stark differences in what they choose to emphasize about their lives.

Both candidates are divorced, but only one shies away from discussing family.

Mark Sanford, of course, has been famously dogged by his high-profile affair while governor with a woman (Maria Chapur) who is now his fiancée, as well as recent charges of trespassing at his ex-wife's house.

Not surprisingly, Sanford overwhelming highlights his professional career and downplays his family life in the 527-word biography on his Congressional campaign web site.

Overall, 81.8 percent of Sanford's bio discusses his past experiences and accomplishments as Governor of the Palmetto State, as a former U.S. Representative from the 1st CD, and through his post-officeholder career as a political commentator and board member.

Sanford focuses in particular on his eight years as governor, highlighting the work he did on cutting taxes, stopping wasteful spending, and refusing to accept stimulus spending from the federal government.

By contrast, just 46 words, or 8.7 percent of the biography, addresses Sanford's personal or family life, including one sentence near the beginning:

Mark first learned the themes of hard work and frugality growing up with two brothers and a sister on their family farm near Beaufort, SC.

And two short sentences at the very end:

Mark has four sons, Marshall, Landon, Bolton and Blake, and is engaged to Maria Belen Chapur. He currently lives in Charleston.

Sanford devotes another 4.7 percent of his web site bio each to his educational background and to his general policy goals in Congress (tackling "runaway government spending").

Meanwhile, more than one-third of Elizabeth Colbert Busch's campaign website bio discusses her family life and background (282 of 819 words, 34.4 percent).

That is four times the rate of Sanford and more than six times the total number of words Sanford used to discuss his family life.

Colbert Busch leads with the family in four of the first six paragraphs of her biography discussing her life growing up, the tragedy she experienced as a young adult when three members of her family were killed in a plane crash, and life as a single, divorced mother of three.

Even when discussing her career accomplishments, the Democratic nominee gives a shout out to her folks:

Inspired by her parents' commitment to education, Elizabeth proudly serves as an advisor to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Coalition..

She ends her bio mentioning the "love of her life," husband Claus Busch, plus her children and grandchildren.

Colbert Busch still uses the plurality of her biography to discuss her professional career in the maritime and energy industries (386 words, 47.1 percent) including a list of some of the accolades she has received and the boards on which she sits.

A total of 5.6 percent of Colbert Busch's bio discusses her education with another 12.8 percent on her general outlook on Congress and goals moving forward.

Two candidates. Two different narratives.

Which one will prevail on Tuesday?

Subject Matter of Colbert Bush and Sanford Campaign Website Biographies by Percent

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