Citing his own experience as a father in the public eye, Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hammered the National Rifle Association Thursday for referencing the president's daughters in a "reprehensible" and "awful" web ad. 

"To talk about the president's children or any public officers children who have -- not by their own choice, but by requirement -- to have protection, to use that somehow to try to make a political point I think is reprehensible," he said at a news conference in Trenton.  

Christie, who has four children, said that his kids had "no choice, realistically" in his decision to become a public figure and themselves be subject to the media spotlight. 

"I think it's awful to bring public figures' children into the political debate," he said. "They don't deserve to be there. And I think for any of us who are public figures, you see that kind of ad and you cringe."

The web ad, released Tuesday night, questions the president's skepticism of the NRA's proposal to put armed guards in every school in America even though the First Family has Secret Service Protection. 

"Are the presidents’ kids more important than yours?”  a narrator asks in the short video. 

Christie, who was criticized by some on the right for praising the president in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, is up for re-election this year. He is commonly cited as a possible 2016 presidential contender for the GOP. 

The popular governor said Thursday that the controversial advertisement undermines the NRA's credibility as an advocate for gun rights. 

"Don’t be dragging people’s children into this,” he said. “It’s wrong and I think it demeans them and it makes them less of a valid trusted source of information on the real issues that confront this debate."

The region that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy last October is close to getting the federal aid that has been requested to help rebuild, but other disaster-hit areas of the country may be left waiting.

Colorado watersheds devastated by last June’s wildfires still need protection from melting snows, spring rains and mudslides. And Alaska fishermen are still looking for federal aid to cope with a fishery disaster and with industrial contaminants and debris from Japan’s 2011 tsunami.

But the chance to get emergency federal funds for those pressing needs is slipping away.

Susan Walsh / AP

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. walks out of the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, following the counting of Electoral College votes.

Next week the Senate is slated to take up the Disaster Appropriations Relief Act to aid individuals and businesses recovering from Hurricane Sandy. The House overwhelmingly passed the $50.7 billion bill Tuesday night.

“While the House bill is not quite as good as the Senate bill, it is certainly close enough. We will be urging the Senate to speedily pass the House bill and send it to the President’s desk,” said Sen. Charles Schumer, D- N.Y., a member of the Senate leadership whose state suffered massive damage from Sandy in late October.

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Congress was never legally barred from providing funds in that bill for other disasters far away from New York, even as far as away Alaska.

In fact, the disaster spending bill which the Senate passed last month to respond to Hurricane Sandy did provide $125 million for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, some of which would have been used to restore Colorado watersheds damaged by last June’s wildfires.

“No one questions that we need to help the hurricane victims in the Northeast, but wildfire-relief is not ‘pork,”” said Sen. Mark Udall, D- Colo., Wednesday.

In the past, emergency spending bills enacted in the immediate aftermath of one catastrophe have included funds for other disasters.

Related: House OK's $50.7 billion in Sandy emergency funding

Case in point: the emergency spending bill President Barack Obama signed in July of 2010 included $5.5 billion not only for recovery from the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil discharge off the coast of Louisiana, but also for hurricanes Katrina (2005), Rita (2005), Gustav (2008), and Ike (2008) as well as the 2010 floods in Rhode Island, Tennessee, and other states.

But members of Congress from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut want the $50.7 billion which the House passed on Tuesday to be available immediately.

Including funds for disaster relief in places that Sandy didn’t hit is a tough sell: any amendment added by the Senate would necessitate sending the amended bill back to the House for another vote.

“Sen. Begich is talking with Senate leadership and other senators affected by unaddressed disasters about amending the House bill to ensure fishermen in their states get their needs addressed,” said Amy Miller, Begich’s spokeswoman. “Historically, disaster-aid funding bills include multiple disasters, and that’s how Sen. Begich thinks it should be done,” she explained. “He may propose an amendment to make a point about how he thinks disasters should be funded, but if it’s not getting any traction he’s not going to make a big stand that winds up delaying aid to Sandy victims.”

Udall said Wednesday the House's decision this week to not include money for wildfire relief in the Sandy bill was “unbelievable.” He added that communities in his state “are now vulnerable to floods and other long-term effects of the 2012 fires. The long-term costs and damages will make this now-rejected relief funding seem like mere peanuts.”

Udall spokesman Mike Saccone said Wed that “We suspect this (the disaster relief bill) will be sent through by unanimous consent,” which would mean no opportunity for adding amendments.

Just as New Yorkers such as Schumer can make the case that Sandy funding is urgent – in order for homeowners to hire contractors to rebuild homes, for instance – so, too, time is of the essence in the aftermath of Colorado’s wildfires: spring rains means clogged streams and reservoirs and more outlays by local water districts.

Of course, another disaster need not wait until the spring tornado season or the late summer hurricane season. It may be just a few weeks away.

For example, on Jan. 30, 2010 Obama signed a disaster declaration for the state of Oklahoma after a severe winter storm hit the state two days earlier.

But in an era of fiscal strain, with Obama and GOP congressional leaders struggling over spending cuts and an increase in the government’s borrowing limit, a new disaster might not necessarily mean a new disaster relief bill any time soon.

Two and a half months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Northeast coast, the political fight over federal spending to assist the recovery efforts continues in Congress.

In the end, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will almost certainly get more than $60 billion in federal aid to help them recover and rebuild.

But efforts by some House members even as late as Monday night to add unrelated funds to the Sandy emergency aid bill provided an object lesson in why such emergency bills are perfect vehicles for adding more spending.

The House on Tuesday will be voting on both a larger Sandy bill, costing $33.7 billion, offered by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R- N.J., a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, and a smaller one, costing $17 billion, offered by Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky.

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If the House were to pass both those bills and if one adds the $9.7 billion that the House OK’d on Jan. 4 in additional borrowing authority for the National Flood Insurance Program, the total aid, at least for now, would be $60.4 billion.

At Monday night’s hearing of the House Rules Committee that considered 92 amendments to the bill, Rogers explained that his version was “Sandy only. We tried to rifle-shot money to this immediate catastrophe…. We kept everything out of my bill except Sandy.”

Rogers reminded committee members that tens of billions of federal dollars have already been spent on helping people hurt by Sandy. “So far FEMA has been able to award states a total of $3.1 billion for the immediate needs that have been taking place while we were scouring the numbers (in the big Sandy relief bill),” he reported. “For example, New York has received $2.1 billion and New Jersey almost $900 million, Connecticut $38 million.”

Among the differences between Frelinghuysen’s bigger bill and Rogers’s smaller one: Frelinghuysen would provide more funding for the operations of federal agencies in the Sandy-affected states – even if the agency is not directly engaged in helping people or businesses hit by the storm. For instance, Frelinghuysen’s bill would provide $50 million to the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund for “expenses related to the consequences of Hurricane Sandy” and another $10 million for Sandy-related building and construction expenses for the federal prison system. Rogers’s bill does not include this funding.

Some House Republicans are still balking at the sheer size of the bills and at the near certainty that some money won’t be going directly to victims or towns hit by the storm.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, walks to a strategy session with GOP members, on Capitol Hill, Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at the start of the first full day of business for the new 113th Congress.

Rules Committee member Rep. Rob Woodall, R- Ga., said Monday night, “If we have an urgent need, let’s agree on that number we can agree on and let’s get it out the door with haste, but if we have a giant need, then let’s give it the slow and thoughtful scrutiny that we owe folks back home.”

He noted that a $60 billion bill for Sandy – to be given just a few days of debate -- would be larger than the normal appropriations bills for the State Department or the Homeland Security Department on which Congress deliberates for months.

Disaster relief bills are massive, have emotional appeal, and aren’t subject to as much scrutiny as spending bills that go through the normal Appropriations Committee process.

This bill has particular momentum since House Speaker John Boehner was so harshly criticized by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and House members from the Northeast for not allowing a vote on a Sandy relief bill on New Years’ Eve.

And the bigger the emergency, the better the opportunity to add more money. Last June’s wildfires in Colorado and the 2011 tsunami in Japan both occurred months before Sandy and hundreds or even thousands of miles away from Sandy, but emergency bills are an opportunity to get aboard a moving train and get money for disasters in one’s own district.

For example:
• Rep. Cory Gardner, R- Colo. and other Colorado members proposed $125 million for watershed protection and flood mitigation around the nation, including about $20 million for areas in Colorado burned by last summer’s wildfires. This watershed protection money was in the Sandy bill that the Senate passed last month.
• Rep. Rick Larsen, D- Wash. proposed an amendment to allow the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration greater leeway over the $290 million in Sandy marine debris cleanup funds so that Pacific Coast states could get some of that money to cope with their own marine debris from the March 2011 Japanese tsunami.
“Just last month, an entire Japanese dock washed up on the Washington state coast,” Larsen said in a statement. “Our state and local governments do not have the resources to deal with this problem, which can cost as much as $4,300 per ton of debris that comes ashore.”

Ultimately the Rules Committee did not allow those two amendments to proceed to the House floor for Tuesday’s debate. It did allow a few amendments to try to offset the cost of the Sandy aid.

For example the House will consider a proposal by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R- S.C. to offset $17 billion in Sandy funding by a 1.63 percent across-the-board cut in non-Sandy discretionary funding.

“I’ve lived through a hurricane myself; I’ve had my office destroyed by a flood; I think this (emergency aid) is a proper function of the government….I just want to try to find a way to pay for it,” Mulvaney told the Rules Committee. “This is important; there is no question. Is it important enough to borrow money from China to do it, especially when we’re already borrowing money from China to do so many other things?”

Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) has filed a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission -- as part of his all-but certain effort to run for Senate in 2014.

The FEC filing, which the Newark Star-Ledger first reported, is dated Jan. 8

Booker released a video back in December saying that he wouldn't run for governor in 2013 but was instead eyeing a bid for Senate -- even though the seat is currently occupied by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

A recent Fairleigh Dickinson University poll found Booker leading Lautenberg by more than 20 points among New Jersey Democrats in a hypothetical Dem primary, 42%-20%.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, talk as they look over the 9/11 Memorial in New York.

An annual speech by a Northeastern governor focusing entirely on disaster recovery efforts wouldn't normally make national news.

But when that governor is a possible presidential contender, a symbol of Republican infighting and the proud owner of a sterling 73 percent state-wide approval rating, it's a different story. 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of several governors whose rumored presidential ambitions offer a larger national platform for annual "State of the State" speeches that can contain hints of their policy ideals, political goals and personalities.

Republicans Christie, Virginia's Bob McDonnell, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, and Wisconsin's Scott Walker have all been discussed as future GOP standard bearers. Democrats Martin O'Malley of Maryland and Andrew Cuomo of New York are also thought to be eyeing national office.

From policies to address economic concerns to commentary on Washington political culture, those who have delivered their State of the Union equivalents have offered glimpses of their governing style, as well as the challenges facing them in their current jobs. 

In his State of the State address Tuesday, Christie suggested little in the way of new proposals, but touted his own record as a reformer and offered a rhetorical pep rally for a state battered by last year's superstorm Sandy.

Slideshow: Chris Christie

Mel Evans / AP

The N.J. politician's straight-talk and tough policies put him in the national spotlight — but after considering a presidential bid, the governor decided he wasn't ready.

Launch slideshow

"Despite the challenges that Sandy presented our economy, I will not let New Jersey go back to our old ways of wasteful spending and rising taxes," he said. "We will deal with our problems but we will continue to do so by protecting the hard earned money of all New Jerseyans first and foremost. "

Christie, who is preparing his own re-election bid in New Jersey, pointedly thanked his Democratic colleagues in the heavily blue state. 

"Maybe the folks in Washington, in both parties, could learn something from our record here," he said.

The relative lack of controversy from the famously blunt Christie Tuesday contrasted with neighboring state head and possible Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Cuomo. 

Cuomo, a popular New York governor and formidable fundraiser, grabbed headlines for his Wednesday afternoon address, during which he proposed a specific new gun policy that would "enact the toughest assault weapon ban in the nation, period."

The outspoken governor dismissed critics who say an assault weapons ban would infringe on the rights of sportsmen and women --an argument echoed at the federal level as the Obama administration weighs gun control measures. 

"I say to you, forget the extremists," Cuomo declared loudly. "It's simple. No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer. And too many innocent people have died already."

His address included a laundry list of policy measures that thrill the Democratic base, including election funding reform, climate control measures, the passage of a women's equality act and fortified abortion rights legislation.

"Because it's her body, it's her choice!" Cuomo repeated three times to applause from the crowd 

Virginia's McDonnell, whose fast-growing state suffers from a dearth of transportation funds, used part of his remarks to outline plans to overhaul the way roads and bridges are paid for by taxpayers.

The plan would eliminate an existing gas tax -- which is based on overall gasoline volume rather than price at the pump --  in favor of a sales tax hike to help fill Virginia's yawning transportation funding gap.

By tying the transportation funds to sales, the logic goes, the pool of funds for construction and maintenance will grow with the state's economy. But it risks complaint from some in the national Republican base who object to tax increases of any kind. 

The Virginia governor also echoed the rhetoric of national Republicans by underscoring his efforts to make "government live within its means."

And, like Christie, the Virginia governor poked fun at the federal city no more than a few hours' drive away. McDonnell slammed the lack of "bipartisan consensus" in Washington, saying that Capitol Hill is seized by "dysfunctional governing paralysis."

"In Washington, we see debt, taxes, delays, blame, and dysfunction. Here in Virginia we see results, solutions, job growth, surpluses, and cooperation," he said. "What a difference 100 miles makes."

President Obama released a statement Wednesday calling on the House of Representatives to pass disaster-related funding for the areas of the East Coast impacted by Hurricane Sandy last fall: 

It has only been two months since Hurricane Sandy devastated communities across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as other eastern states. Our citizens are still trying to put their lives back together. Our states are still trying to rebuild vital infrastructure. And so, last month, working closely with the Governors of the affected states, I sent Congress an urgent request to support their efforts to rebuild and recover.

The Senate passed this request with bipartisan support. But the House of Representatives has refused to act, even as there are families and communities who still need our help to rebuild in the months and years ahead, and who also still need immediate support with the bulk of winter still in front of us.
 
When tragedy strikes, Americans come together to support those in need. I urge Republicans in the House of Representatives to do the same, bring this important request to a vote today, and pass it without delay for our fellow Americans.

Updated 7:48pm ET In the storm-ravaged states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, officials have moved some Election Day voting locations, although many remain unchanged.

As of noon Monday, Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill said that utility companies in her state have reported that electricity has been restored to all but two of 773 voting precincts in the state.

Her Web site posted the two voting place changes:

· Bridgeport’s Longfellow School polling place has been relocated to Aquaculture School, 60 St. Stephens Road, Bridgeport.

· New London’s Ocean Beach polling place has been relocated to Harbor School, 432 Montauk, Ave, New London.

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In New Jersey, storm-displaced voters who are temporarily staying in a part of the state where they are not registered, are permitted to go to any polling place in New Jersey on Election Day and vote by using a provisional ballot. The ballot will be forwarded to the county of the voter’s residence.

Tim Aubry / Reuters

Utility trucks and first responders navigate flood waters on the main stretch of road in Peahala Park, N.J., in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, in this photograph taken on October 30, 2012 and released on Oct. 31.

Displaced New Jersey voters also have until 5 p.m. ET on Election Day to fax or e-mail a request for a mail ballot to their county clerk.

More information is available at the New Jersey Division of Elections website, on voting by fax or e-mail.  The voter must transmit the ballot to the county board of elections no later than 8 p.m. ET on Election Day.

Some counties in New Jersey have posted changes in voting locations or have alerted voters about the status of voting locations in their area.

Here are a few:

· Union County: County officials have posted an announcement that “almost all polling places are expected to be open on Election Day, Tuesday November 6. An updated list will be available later today.”

·   Ocean County: The county has posted a list of changes in voting locations here.

·  Atlantic County: The elections board has posted a list of changes in voting locations here.

·  Monmouth County: The county has posted a list of locations here.

The county also says: “Provisions have been made for residents in two of the most severely storm-ravaged boroughs to vote in neighboring communities. Sea Bright residents will vote at the Fair Haven Fire House on 645 River Road in Fair Haven. Loch Arbour residents will be voting at the Allenhurst Fire House on 311 Hume Street in Allenhurst. All other residents will vote in their own community.”

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In New York, as of Monday morning, some counties were still in the process of finding new voting locations but had not yet posted them on their Web sites.

Suburban Nassau County, which was hit especially hard by last week’s storm surge and flooding, has posted a list of the voting locations that have been moved or consolidated, here.

In addition, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order on Monday that will allow displaced voters from one of the federally-declared disaster counties, such as Nassau, who may temporarily be in a county other than where they live to vote by affidavit ballot.

The affidavit ballot will be sent to the board of elections where the voter is registered. According to Cuomo’s press office, these votes by affidavit ballot will count for the office of president and United States senator “and for any other candidate and ballot initiative that appears on the official ballot where the voter is registered.”

Listed below are links to the polling place search tools that each state offers, but be aware that in some cases changes in polling locations might not be reflected in the voter lookup tool databases.

· Search tool for New Jersey voters here.

· Search tool for New York state voters here.

· Search tool for New York City voters here.

· Search tool for Connecticut voters here.

For voters who want to use early voting or an absentee ballot, here’s some information:

· In New York, a voter needs a specific reason to vote by absentee ballot, such as being out of the state on Election Day, having a disability, or being in prison due to having been convicted of a non-felony offense. The State Board of Elections has announced that the deadline for applying in person for an absentee ballot is Monday. Absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than Monday, Nov. 5. Those mailed ballots have until Nov. 19 to arrive at the local Board of Elections.

· In New Jersey, any voter can vote by mail. A voter may apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m. ET Monday. Vote by mail ballot must be received by the County Board of Elections no later than 8 p.m. ET on Election Day.

· In Connecticut, voting by absentee ballot is limited  to the sick and disabled, those in active service in the armed forces, and those absent from their town for all of Election Day. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is Monday and the deadline for returning the absentee ballot is 8 p.m. ET on Election Day.

Jason Reed / REUTERS

Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker addresses delegates during the first session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 4, 2012.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Newark Mayor Cory Booker on Thursday gave another hint that his political future could involve a run for governor in the Garden State.

The New Jersey Democrat assured the LGBT caucus (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) gathered here at the Democratic National Convention that a marriage-equality bill would soon pass in the state, and it could be his signature that enacts it into law.  

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"I’m telling you right now, it’s not a matter of if we’re going to win marriage-equality in New Jersey," Booker said. "It’s a matter of when we’re going to win it. And I know in my heart of hearts, if God is willing, I will be there on that day that bill is signed. I might even have a very good seat when it gets done.”

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In recent months, rumors have swirled that Booker could be interested in facing off against current New Jersey governor and rising star of the Republican party, Chris Christie. The men are friendly -- and even made a parody YouTube video together earlier this year -- but Booker's remark today may be further proof that the prominent mayor would not back down from squaring off against Christie.

During the DNC this week, Booker's name has even been mentioned as a possible contender for the White House in 2016, though that would be a difficult thing to pull off. If he were to win the governorship -- no easy task against a so far fairly popular Christie -- he would only be in office a year and a half before he would have to start campaigning for the Democratic presidential primary.

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It would also be crass for Booker to appear to be looking like he was thinking about running for president and leaving the job of governor even before he had it. 

Booker has spoken to the delegations of important primary and caucus states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Booker was swarmed by admiring Democrats after his speech to Granite State delegates Thursday morning, hoping for pictures and a chance to shake his hand.

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Booker was even more well received later Thursday when he spoke to the LGBT caucus.

"I'm at home," he said to thunderous applause when he took the stage. "When it comes to movements for justice in the United States of America, this room is full of heroes each and every one of you.”

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He related the struggles of African Americans, Irish and Jews to the hurdles the gay community now faces.

"Hatred is hatred," Booker said. "Bigotry is bigotry. And we need to wake up America to understand that inequality is inequality. Every person who says I am a citizen of the United States of America should have equal citizenship rights."

Booker took the stage shortly after Second Lady Jill Biden, who had similar praise for President Obama's support for gay rights.

 By Sandra Lilley, NBC Latino

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For the first time in the Democratic party’s history, and in a sign of Latinos’ growing significance as a key voting block, San Antonio Texas Mayor Julian Castro was the first Hispanic to deliver the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Castro, the son of a Latina community activist and an increasingly visible young Latino Democrat, had one overarching message to his speech — America is the land of opportunity, as long as it is a collective priority.

“Of all the fictions we heard last week in Tampa, the one I find most troubling is this: If we all go our own way, our nation will be stronger for it,” said Castro, adding, “because if we sever the threads that connect us, the only people who will go far are those who are already ahead. We all understand that freedom isn’t free — neither is opportunity. We have to invest in it,” said Castro.

The 37-year-old Mayor of San Antonio spoke lovingly of his grandmother, who left Mexico as a little girl, never made it past the fourth grade, worked as a maid, cook and babysitter, and later in life taught herself to read and write in Spanish and English. Castro said only in America would the grandsons of this woman would end up as Mayor (himself) and the other on his way to the U.S. Congress (his twin brother Joaquin). In fact, it was his twin brother Joaquin who introduced Julian, a powerful image of two young Latino politicians who were raised in modest circumstances and are now in the national spotlight.

More coverage from NBCLatino

“The dream of raising a family in a place where hard work is rewarded is not unique to Americans,” said Castro. “The dream is universal, but America makes it possible, and our investment in opportunity makes it a reality — America didn’t become the land of opportunity by accident,” said Castro. Castro then gave a vigorous defense of Obama’s policies, saying Obama saved a million jobs by rescuing the auto industry, made a historic investment in public schools, and expanded college opportunities through Pell grants. Castro also said Obama succeeded where seven other American Presidents had not, in passing health care legislation.

Then Castro praised Obama for taking action on the Dreamers. “And because he knows we don’t have an ounce of talent to waste, the President took action to lift the shadow of deportation from a generation of young, law-abiding immigrants called dreamers.” He then urged Congress to “enshrine into law their right to pursue their dreams in the only place they’ve ever called home: America,” bringing cheers from the crowd.

Castro’s speech then went on offense against the Republican presidential candidate. “Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn’t get it,” said Castro. Criticizing Romney for telling students to “borrow money from your parents,” and saying to laughter, “Gee, why didn’t I think of that?” Castro said, “I don’t think Governor Romney meant any harm.  I think he is a good guy.  I just don’t think he has any idea how good he’s had it.”

Castro then added, “The Romney-Ryan budget doesn’t just pummel the middle class — it dismantles it.”  He then said Romney says “no” to getting the middle class back to work, respecting women’s rights, “letting people marry whomever they love,” and expanding access to good health care . He also accused him of undergoing an “extreme makeover” on issues.

Castro  then ended his historic keynote speech on a note that touched on his immigrant grandmother’s journey.

“In the end, the American dream is not a sprint or even a marathon, but a relay…My mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone,” said Castro, urging the re-election of Barack Obama to build on “shared prosperity.”  Castro’s speech was well received on the convention floor, eliciting enthusiasm and cheers of “four more years.”

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After Castro, First Lady Michelle Obama gave a heartfelt speech in defense of her husband.

“After so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are — it reveals who you are,” said the First Lady to rousing applause. “But at the end of the day, all you have to guide you are your values — so when it comes to rebuilding our economy, Barack is thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother,” said Michelle Obama, who talked of her father’s struggles with multiple sclerosis, his pride at paying part of her college tuition, and Barack’s childhood as the son of a single mother who spent much time with his grandparents.

And in a pointed remark aimed at Republican comments that Obama has pitted classes against each other, the First Lady said “our families didn’t begrudge anyone else’s success or care that others had much more than they did — in fact, they admired it.”

Michelle Obama then passionately defended her husband’s record, saying he tackled health care reform, signed the Lily Ledbetter act,  and kept student loans from increasing, because for Obama, “these issues aren’t political — they’re personal.”  Saying he reads letters from Americans late into the night, she says, “I see how those stories … that’s what drives Barack Obama every single day.”

The First Lady also said, “If immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores, then surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at the American Dream.”  She then said, “we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward,” her husband, Barack Obama.

Castro’s and Michelle Obama’s speeches definitely roused the convention floor, and Democrats hope the energy and enthusiasm continue in the next two nights of the convention.

Full political coverage from NBCLatino

The early returns are in, and the winner as the Democratic convention's most ubiquitous and energetic politician so far is Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker. Seemingly everywhere you look, Booker is addressing a state delegation, speaking at a rally, or greeting his fans.

On Tuesday night as a summer storm boomed in Charlotte, Booker won thunderous applause as he addressed the convention on the platform.

"When your country is in a costly war with our soldiers sacrificing abroad, and our nation is facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn't class warfare, it's patriotism," he said, arguing the need for tax increases.

John Brecher / NBC News

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, addresses the Florida delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning.

But the mayor’s appearance on the dais was just his highest-profile one in a series of stops this convention week. On Tuesday morning, Booker brought the Florida delegation to its feet with a rousing speech.

“We can’t make the mistake that they (the Republicans) make of thinking this country is hungry for bash and slash and trash,” he said. “This country is hungry for hope.”

He got a huge laugh with his joke about New Jersey being superior to Virginia – despite the slogan, “Virginia is for lovers.” He said, “In New Jersey we invented the drive-in movie theater,” adding that his mother told him, “You were conceived in a double feature. Sidney Poitier, ‘In the Heat of the Night’ – and ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’”

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Tuesday afternoon, Booker was the leadoff speaker at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund rally at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte. “He ran into a burning building to save a woman’s life,” actress and emcee Aisha Tyler said as she introduced Booker – a reference to his actions to save a neighbor from a fire earlier this year.

Booker told the crowd he’d made a mistake last week thinking he could do his usual late-night routine of simultaneously watching television and eating ice cream. While watching the Republican convention, he said he found that “Ben & Jerry does not mix with Mitt and Ryan ... that ice cream was curdling before I even got it to my mouth.”

He bashed New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie – although not identifying him by name – for proposing a 2010 budget that cut funding for Planned Parenthood, resulting in the reduction of clinic hours.

“They may tell us they love women, but when they do things like that, they are setting all of us back,” he said. When a woman goes to a Planned Parenthood clinic, Booker said, “This is an opportunity for them to get contraception that could prevent the abortion that you are so much against.”

On Monday, Booker was up early to address the Iowa delegation where he got a wildly enthusiastic reception during his 25-minute speech and told that his grandmother was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

"My grandma back in 1918 was born in Des Moines, Iowa ... My grandmother grew up there, my grandmother's siblings went to college there. My family is still spread out all through Iowa ... I'm proud, proud of those roots," he said.

Booker told the delegates that great-grandparents moved from Alabama to Buxton, Iowa which in the early 1900s was a big coal mining town with a large African-American population. Booker’s mention of Buxton got a big round of applause. "Some people know what I'm talking about!" he said.

John Brecher / NBC News

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, addresses the Florida delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning.

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It’s not clear where Booker’s relentless energy will lead the mayor electorally. Two possible opportunities await back in his home state: to run for senator if Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., decides to retire in 2014, or to run for governor next year against Christie.

“I think even he may not know yet,” said David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll and professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “He's ambitious, but ambition in New Jersey usually runs up against various power brokers. I don't think he'd want to take on Lautenberg in a primary, so the Senate depends on what the current senator decides to do. He has, of course, insisted he will be running again.”

Redlawsk added, “Governor is also tricky, given that Christie's ratings have held up, and that right now you'd have to say he has the inside track for a second term. A loss to Christie would certainly be painful. The Senate seat is far more likely to stay in Democratic hands than Christie is to lose at this point. Thus, if Booker could somehow clear the decks for a Senate run, and Lautenberg retired, that would give him the highest probability of success.”

No matter how high he is able to climb in New Jersey politics, Booker is tirelessly building a national following here in Charlotte – and on Thursday he'll be addressing the New Hampshire delegation's breakfast. 

California voters turned out in low numbers on Tuesday for a primary that could pave the way for a shakeup of the state's congressional delegation following election rule changes and an overhaul of the state's political district boundaries.

While new maps and new rules may have changed the way the game of California politics is played, making some districts more competitive across party lines, early official estimates of statewide turnout hovered at just over 15 percent.

Under California's new open primary rules, the two top vote getters in each district will proceed to the general election in November regardless of party, so two Democrats or two Republicans could be competing for the same seat come Nov. 6.

Redistricting has also tossed some longtime incumbents into the ring against each other after a decade of remarkable stability in the state's majority Democratic delegation in the House of Representatives.

In one of the most closely watched races, where two Democratic incumbents appeared poised to face off against one another in the general election, just a trickle of voters cast ballots on a sunny day in California's 30th district in Los Angeles County, according to early results.

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Among those casting ballots there were 82-year-old Ester Berrenson and her husband of 64 years, 86-year-old Manny, who walked to their polling station during the breezy afternoon. Both voted for Democratic incumbent Brad Sherman against fellow Democratic incumbent Howard Berman.

"He comes out and talks to us," Manny Berrenson said, explaining why he and his wife had voted for Sherman. "He goes to the high school at least half a dozen times a year. He goes there and talks about what he's doing."

Due to the "top two" rule, both are likely to advance to a final competition in November, according to early returns. Sherman had 40.3 percent to Berman's 32.6 percent just after midnight with 18 percent of precincts reporting.

In their newly redrawn district, about 50 percent of voters there come from Sherman's old stomping ground, while just 25 percent come from Berman's prior district.

"Tonight is far from over, but we're confident about our momentum moving into the general election," a senior adviser to Berman's campaign, Brandon Hall, said in a statement.

Changes favor Democrats

The changes in California are generally seen to favor Democrats in a state that gave President Barack Obama a 24-point margin of victory over his Republican rival John McCain in 2008, analysts said.

Two incumbent Democratic congresswomen, Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson, also appeared set to face off against each other in November in the 44th district in Los Angeles County in a race in which no Republicans were running.

Shortly after midnight, Hahn was leading with 62.1 percent with 6.5 percent of precincts reporting.

For years, political stability in the nation's most populous state was a result of the deliberate creation of electoral districts to favor incumbents, a process known as gerrymandering. In 263 elections from 2002 to 2010, only one congressional seat changed political party.

But ahead of this election, a non-partisan citizen's commission was put in charge of redrawing congressional districts. The number of districts did not change, but the boundaries were adjusted to reflect population shifts since the last national census in 2000.

"With non-partisan redistricting and this new 'top two' primary system, California suddenly becomes very interesting and one of the more competitive states in the entire country," said Kyle Kondik, political analyst at the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

In their quest to win back a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats would have to gain at least four or five seats in California, which Kondik said would be difficult but not impossible.

Democrats made progress in one key U.S. House race where analysts had said they risked being frozen out of the general election should a Republican and a right-leaning independent candidate advance to the November polls.

But, as early returns trickled in, Democratic state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley appeared poised to face a Republican challenger, state Senator Tony Strickland, in November in California's coastal 26th district.

Republicans control the House with a 242-190 majority, with three seats vacant. Outside California and Illinois, Democrats are mainly playing defense, trying to hold existing seats.

Nationwide battle

Primaries were also held on Tuesday in New Jersey, New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa.

In Montana, the U.S. Senate battle is one of the nation's hottest with the state's only House member, Republican Denny Rehberg, challenging first-term Democratic Senator Jon Tester.

Both candidates are known across the state and are expected to easily win their respective party primaries on Tuesday.

In Iowa, State Representative Pat Grassley - the grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley - won his primary, defeating another Republican in the Iowa House in a contest forced upon him and State Representative Annette Sweeney by redistricting.

Republicans are targeting the New Mexico U.S. Senate seat of retiring Democratic Senator Jeff Bingaman in their quest for a U.S. Senate majority in 2012. Democrats hold a 51-47 majority, with two independents who usually vote with Democrats.

Republican Heather Wilson and Democrat Martin Heinrich are projected to win their respective party races and run against each other for the coveted Bingaman seat, according to Brian Sanderoff, president of Research and Polling Inc in Albuquerque.

In New Jersey, polls are closed in the vote to fill the seat of U.S. Representative Donald Payne, the state's first black congressman, who died in March. His son is among the candidates.