In/Out: New Hope for Massachusetts G.O.P. BOSTON -- With just over three weeks to go before candidates need to submit 10,000 signatures to the state, the special election for Senate in Massachusetts is still waiting for its first major Republican contender after several of the party's prominent members declined to make a run. On Tuesday morning, one such candidate took a step toward getting in. State Representative Dan Winslow, of Norfolk, Mass., announced plans to form an exploratory committee for the seat that was vacated when John Kerry, a Democrat, became secretary of state last week. "If we continue to elect the same Washington politicians, we cannot expect different results," Mr. Winslow said. A second-term representative, Mr. Winslow was a Massachusetts district court judge in the 1990s, and was the chief legal counsel to Gov. Mitt Romney from 2002 to 2005. In that job, he trained state and local officials on how to administer some of the nation's first same-sex marriages, after the practice was legalized by a Supreme Judicial Court decision here in 2003. The only other declared Republican candidate is Douglas Bennett, a Boston real-estate agent who has run unsuccessfully for the state Senate in Nantucket and Boston's City Council. Gabriel Gomez, a Massachusetts businessman and former Navy SEAL, is also said to be eyeing a run. Meanwhile, two United States representatives, Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch, are squaring off in the Democratic primary for the seat. The primary election is April 30, with the special election scheduled for June 25. The winner will be up for re-election in 2014, at the end of this seat's full Senate term. In/Out in 2014 Senate Races SOUTH CAROLINA: As expected, Senator Lindsey Graham faces a potential primary challenge from his right. Lee Bright, a Republican state senator from Spartanburg, told GreenvilleOnline.com that he believes "South Carolina is more conservative than what Senator Graham represents" and will make a decision about a bid within the next few months. A friend and ally of Senator John McCain of Arizona, Mr. Graham has drawn the ire the Republican Party's right wing at various points over his 10 years in the Senate, notably on immigration. IOWA: Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, is retiring, and Republicans really want his seat. Some national strategists are afraid Representative Steve King - who has not announced whether he will run - could hurt their chances. Representative Tom Latham, a moderate Iowa Republican, said Mr. King's ultimate choice would not affect whether he dives in, but for now, "it's way early" to say. GEORGIA: Two nationally known figures ruled themselves out of the race to replace Senator Saxby Chambliss on Monday, including Kasim Reed, Atlanta's Democratic mayor, and Representative Lynn Westmoreland, a Republican from outside Atlanta. But a third of Georgia's nine Republicans in the House have expressed interest: Paul Broun (expected to announce his candidacy on Wednesday, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), as well as Jack Kingston and Phil Gringey. NEW JERSEY: One thing for Geraldo Rivera to keep in mind as he mulls a Republican Senate bid: he would have to leave his job at Fox News. The most prominent potential entrant in the race is, of course, Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, who is considering taking on Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, 89, in a Democratic primary. Jess Bidgood reported from Boston and Sarah Wheaton from Washington.