House GOPer Putnam Retiring

More bad news for the GOP: Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, a hotshot young Republican considered a possible speaker of the House one day, is leaving his seat to run for the glamorous Florida state agriculture commissioner post. Putnam, who was elected to the House in 2000 at the age of 28, rose quickly in the ranks to become the third-ranking Republican in Congress in 2006. However, with the party stuck in the minority for the foreseeable future and an opportunity to position himself for a gubernatorial run in 2014, Putnam is bailing out, further weakening a congressional GOP already decimated by a wave of retirements.