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By James Hohmann (
mailto:jhohmann@politico.com
jhohmann@politico.com ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

CONSERVATIVES INTENSIFY ATTACKS ON LUGAR -As early voting begins today, there's growing excitement on the right that Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar could really be toppled in the Republican primary on May 8. Two deep-pocketed groups will announce plans today to go on the air against the six-term incumbent.

THE CLUB FOR GROWTHwill begin airing a 30-second TV ad and two 60-second radio spots tomorrow that criticize Lugar for supporting bailouts, tax increases and President Obama's nominees to the Supreme Court. The TV spot calls Treasurer Richard Mourdock "The Conservative Choice For Senate." In one of the radio ads, a narrator says: "Dick Lugar might be a statesman, but he's not a conservative...Indiana conservatives deserve better than Obama's favorite Republican." The group calls the statewide buys (broadcast and cable) substantial but is not disclosing the exact size. Watch the contrast spot:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa6bc1b0b0452b6743e3f333b5f91aa2bd8ab67414136e875
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa6bc1b0b0452b6743e3f333b5f91aa2bd8ab67414136e875 . Listen to the longer radio version:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f0958b267313b1ed1c5f89094777efd8c065ea6f568b52c27
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f0958b267313b1ed1c5f89094777efd8c065ea6f568b52c27 . Listen to the "statesman" hit:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f883b262fdc258765b20904aeaf7f37e6e79eb60fc7724eef
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f883b262fdc258765b20904aeaf7f37e6e79eb60fc7724eef .

THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATIONis launching its first wave of TV, radio and online attacks against Lugar today. The NRA Political Victory Fund will also sendover a million direct mail pieces into the state between now and the primary.A narrator warns in the 30-second TV spot, "Dick Lugar has changed...He's become the only Republican candidate in Indiana with an 'F' rating from the NRA." The group says the initial media buy, which also boosts Mourdock, is six figures. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fdb859e1c137b3e59ec5d0df834d4b8747cf40e5e9df21dde
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fdb859e1c137b3e59ec5d0df834d4b8747cf40e5e9df21dde . Listen to the radio hit:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6bdfb18213c79cbf92907698bc5b5bec00c138e2826c9ca7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6bdfb18213c79cbf92907698bc5b5bec00c138e2826c9ca7 . Microsite on Lugar's "anti-gun record":
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fbc809f7f0d09947899c09ded99232a943d0ef2a4e4eab83a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fbc809f7f0d09947899c09ded99232a943d0ef2a4e4eab83a .

FIRST IN SCORE - OBAMA LEADS AMONG "SWING INDEPENDENTS":Independents like President Barack Obama better but feel ideologically closer to Mitt Romney, according to a new poll of a dozen battleground states being released today. The survey, conducted by Global Strategy Group for the moderate Democratic think tank Third Way, honed in on the attitudes of "swing independents" who express neither a strongly favorable nor unfavorable view of Romney or Obama. The majority of those who call themselves politically independent typically lean toward one party or another, but about 15 percent of the total electorate (roughly 40 percent of independents) are thought to authentically swing between parties.
Obama won 57 percent of this group in 2008. In this poll, which took place in mid-March, he led Romney 44 to 38 percent."

MORE - HEARTS WITH OBAMA, HEADS WITH ROMNEY:"Yet when asked to assign a number on a scale of one to nine (one being liberal, nine being conservative and five being moderate), the swing independents put themselves at an average of 5.2 - slightly right of center - ranking Romney at 6.1 and Obama at 3.9... Romney is still perceived as significantly more moderate than congressional Republicans - who the swing voters assigned a 6.8 on the 1-to-9 scale. The full poll results:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f74abef7fa00c433270d4675a46f04b55c142e6281d2a9928
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f74abef7fa00c433270d4675a46f04b55c142e6281d2a9928 . My story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fcf6ae31d6c32e31e9b64da79a833099eb09408b44e232f0a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fcf6ae31d6c32e31e9b64da79a833099eb09408b44e232f0a .

** As I prepare to leave Asheville after a great weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains, Pennsylvania looks tougher than ever for Santorum and Ron Paul acolytes run for Congress, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

THE STAKES - FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD:Mitt Romney is going for the knockout blow against Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, hoping to humiliate his fading opponent in his home state and thus avoid the potential embarrassments that would come from prolonging the primary fight into May. Boston reportedly plans a $2.9 million advertising blitz between now and the primary two weeks from tomorrow (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f020987eb456b2695957f1ca3acf2fb0e5efd29ed95278088
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f020987eb456b2695957f1ca3acf2fb0e5efd29ed95278088 ). Santorum, meanwhile, continues to be dogged by buzz that he might get out of the race before the primary. He canceled private events today so he can be with his ailing toddler Bella. With that in mind, we have these five questions for the week ahead:

(1) By what multiple will Santorum be outspent on TV in Pennsylvania?

(2) Will any members of Pennsylvania's Republican establishment now on the sidelines endorse Santorum?

(3) How often will Santorum venture east of Lancaster County?

(4) Will Romney mention Santorum by name even once this week?

(5) Does Mary Fallin's Saturday radio response signal that GOP elders finally recognize the danger of the building "war on women" narrative?

CROSSROADS BUY COMING - ADS WILL TRY TO "DISLODGE" THOSE WHO LIKE OBAMA:"American Crossroads...is planning to begin its first major anti-Obama advertising blitz of the year...another sign that the general election is starting in earnest," Jeff Zeleny and Jim Rutenberg write on A1 of today's New York Times. "With an anticipated bank account of more than $200 million, officials at American Crossroads said they would probably begin their campaign this month. But they said they would focus the bulk of the first phase from May through July, which they believe is a critical period for making an impression on voters...Steven J. Law, the group's leader, said the ads would address the challenge of
unseating a president who polls show is viewed favorably even though many people disapprove of his handling of the economy. Basically, Mr. Law said, 'how to dislodge voters from him.' The ultimate goal ... would be to better connect Americans' disappointment with the economy to their views of the president, especially among crucial swing voters."

MORE - PRIMARY BATTLES PUT ROMNEY BEHIND SCHEDULE:"The prolonged and hard-fought nominating contest, Mr. Romney's advisers said, has put his campaign nearlytwo months behind on its initial plan to build political and field operations in the dozen states where both sides agree that most of the general election will be fought: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. (In the final phase of the campaign, Romney officials believe that the election could come down to just four states: Colorado, Nevada, Ohio and Virginia.)"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6f9a58b21e9a9c108589f658df0d2f0abc00b44a20e2a3fa
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6f9a58b21e9a9c108589f658df0d2f0abc00b44a20e2a3fa

BOSTON PREPS FIELD EXPANSION: "Romney aides say they've lined up staff to send out to states once Romney secures the nomination, and the campaign is preparing the first floor of its three-story Boston headquarters for the influx," the AP reports today. "Some key players have returned to states, such as Romney's Florida director...Once Romney seizes the nomination, he's expected to have little trouble taking over the party, considering his campaign's manager, communication director and political director all are RNC veterans...But an alliance with the RNC doesn't mean the party's rank-and-file will automatically rally behind Romney."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f00161bb4390b09887ec0df001087e3b56c98ff8a84ca0a05
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f00161bb4390b09887ec0df001087e3b56c98ff8a84ca0a05

PENNSYLVANIA SLIPS AWAY FROM SANTORUM-

RUNNING OUT OF MONEY, COMING TO TERMS WITH THE MATH:"Mr.Santorum's campaign had just $1.2 million at the end of March, according to Mr. Santorum's senior campaign strategist, John Brabender. The Santorum campaign plans to air TV ads in Pennsylvania, but it will be a much smaller advertising investment than Mr. Romney's, Mr. Brabender said," the Wall Street Journal's Danny Yadron reports. "Mr. Santorum has given no sign of plans to leave the race. But his advisers acknowledged difficulties ahead for the former Pennsylvania senator. Mr. Brabender said he still saw a path forward for Mr. Santorum but suggested the candidate would drop out if it became clear Mr. Romney would win the
1,144 delegates required to seal the GOP nomination. 'If we come to a conclusion that another candidate will get 1,144, we're going to respect that,' Mr. Brabender said in an interview."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb1ff519741e50fc756cf7516d5f915afc332782229d4df1f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb1ff519741e50fc756cf7516d5f915afc332782229d4df1f

SEEKING REDEMPTION, HE'S NOT GETTING TRACTION:"As with many presidential candidates who last till spring, he is finding it hard to acknowledge his fall," National Review's Robert Costa, a Philly native, writes. "He is slow to concede that Romney is picking up wide support, including among conservative leaders who want this brutal primary to end. Santorum is stubborn and hopeful...in the Philadelphia suburbs that will probably determine both the Pennsylvania primary and the fate of Santorum's campaign, the appetite for a 'Romney alternative' is small. Santorum's journey to this point may have been epic, but his arrival home has been mostly quiet and disconcerting for the former senator. His
poll numbers are sinking, and his ragtag campaign is struggling mightily to compete with Romney's machine. On the trail, Santorum isn't generating much enthusiasm among the state's many moderate Republicans."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fd3d6e5b0896e595a4ae1c2289cd20452537f37393f296fae
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fd3d6e5b0896e595a4ae1c2289cd20452537f37393f296fae

FAMILIARITY ALSO BREEDS CONTEMPT:"His warts are widely known, and success elsewhere hasn't altered his complicated relationship with state politicians - relatively few actively support him - and with ordinary Republican voters," The Los Angeles Times' Paul West notes. "'There are people here who like him and people here who hate him,' said Barth Levy, a 54-year-old architect from Zelienople, who attended a Santorum rally in Mars. 'I've been impressed by his ability to soldier on. He's far surpassed any expectations anybody had.' The Santorum fan also acknowledged that the GOP race 'is kind of over.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb8d8f46593ef5e1ffbebaaa55c94d87248f966a46a6acc4a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb8d8f46593ef5e1ffbebaaa55c94d87248f966a46a6acc4a

CONNECTICUT VOTES APRIL 24 - MITT LIKELY TO SWEEP:A story in The Day of New London says the big question is Romney's margin. "Connecticut has 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention in August, and 25 of them will be decided on primary results. Under new state party rules, three of the at-play delegates are awarded to the winner in each of the state's five congressional districts. The other 10 delegates would be distributed proportionally based on the statewide vote, unless a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, in which case he would get all of the 10...'We fully expect that Mitt will win all five congressional districts - so those 15 (delegates) are pretty much
in the bag,' said Tom Foley, the former ambassador and Republican gubernatorial candidate, who is chairman of the Romney campaign's steering committee in Connecticut. 'And the remaining 10, we believe he will get all of them.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f163aad60fa1c0133ab0fa1d7dbb2766e8bbb9696f3b6103e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f163aad60fa1c0133ab0fa1d7dbb2766e8bbb9696f3b6103e

NEWT DEATH WATCH, DAY 26-ALL BUT CONCEDES TO ROMNEY:"On Fox News Sunday, Mr. Gingrich called Mr. Romney 'far and away the most likely Republican nominee,' adding that he would throw his support behind the front-runner if Mr. Romney secured the required delegates for the nomination." (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fee54769b827eb89be738494c86036338d1b13608d9b5320b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fee54769b827eb89be738494c86036338d1b13608d9b5320b ) He also said he's self-funding "a little bit but not dramatically" and blamed staff overspending in Florida for his debt problems. (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fc2313ca42eafb4232a2ad0c35b3f55074d6dd3c943ab75c9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fc2313ca42eafb4232a2ad0c35b3f55074d6dd3c943ab75c9 ). The Washington Post's Karen Tumulty published an interview with Gingrich Sunday that covers both his lack of urgency to officially get out of the race and his musings on how he lost:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa8d1c50c45659ac60b9c9d021e1579e215366f6478e7dbe0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa8d1c50c45659ac60b9c9d021e1579e215366f6478e7dbe0 .

SUPER DELEGATES RALLYING TO ROMNEY:The AP, in a story heavily picked up by local papers and TV affiliates, surveyed automatic delegates to the Republican convention and found both 35 of 120 committing to Romney (compared to two for Santorum) and a growing consensus that he's inevitable. 'Look, Gov. Romney's going to be the nominee, and he's going to have enough votes,' said Ohio's Bob Bennett, who is publicly neutral but notes he supported Romney four years ago.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f58dc3dd60b0b09285a3291b8f00f3139e4cf9d87bc920110
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f58dc3dd60b0b09285a3291b8f00f3139e4cf9d87bc920110

THE REELECT -

HALF THE STAFF IN CHICAGO FOCUSES ON DIGITAL:"There are now close to 700 hundred full time employees, an entire floor of office space, thousands of volunteers in well over 100 field offices across all 50 states, and the most impressive digital team a presidential campaign has ever assembled," BuzzFeed's Michael Hastings, Zeke Miller and Ben Smith write. "More than half of the headquarters staff works for the campaign's digital department. [Campaign manager Jim] Messina even consulted with Palo Alto execs to find the 'best practices,' says an Obama official, including carpets (quieter), mixing the staffs on the floor into teams rather than departments, bouncy balls, and communicating with
instant messages and Twitter."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187feed2f78723ff63b8fbbb88c7c8a94386c5256d9799970e3b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187feed2f78723ff63b8fbbb88c7c8a94386c5256d9799970e3b

DRIVING THE WEEK - OBAMA WILL PUSH BUFFETT RULE:"Governor Romney will have to explain this week why he believes the he and the wealthiest Americans should pay a lower income tax rate than middle class Americans," a reelection campaign official emails, previewing the messaging push for the next few days. "In advance of the Senate vote on the Buffett Rule, Senator Dick Durbin, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, and Campaign Manager Jim Messina will hold a conference call today highlighting the President's call for tax fairness and Governor Romney's opposition to it. Democrats, including the Vice President (@JoeBiden will have further updates today), will hold events in key states throughout
the week highlighting this message." The president travels to Florida tomorrow to push the rule ahead of a Senate vote next Monday on whether to debate the measure. Senate Democrats also plan to get involved.

TODAY - WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO:At 10:30 a.m., "the President and the First Lady will host the 2012 White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. The event will feature live music, sports courts, cooking stations, storytelling and, of course, Easter egg rolling...Later, President Obama will host President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil for meetings at the White House as part of the Leaders' on-going dialogue regarding the growing partnership...These meetings will also provide the two Leaders the opportunity to again meet with the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum and continue efforts to grow commercial, economic, education, and innovation ties between our two countries. There will be a pool spray with
statements at the bottom of the meeting in the Oval Office."

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO:It's a quiet day on the trail. Romney has no public events. Santorum canceled his private meetings to focus on his daughter, who remains in the hospital. Paul is off. Gingrich has two events in Raleigh - a 10 a.m. meeting at a law office and an 11:45 lunch at a cafe. Details:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f8150046ecb6086e3ec58124f530380f1dcc93c95d0e2f44d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f8150046ecb6086e3ec58124f530380f1dcc93c95d0e2f44d .

TOP TALKER - "ORPHAN" STATE PARTIES WORRY GOP:"National Republicans have begun to intervene in a handful of key Senate and House battlegrounds where state parties are in disarray, seeking to head off the possibility that local mismanagement could cost the party control of Congress," Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns write in the story leading POLITICO this morning. "What especially worries Republican operatives are ['orphan states,] where there is no competition on top of the ticket but which feature a number of pivotal Senate and House contests. The Republican National Committee is going to set aside at least $10 to $15 million to aid states where there are competitive House and Senate races
but minimal presidential action...Half of the money will go to the states with hard-fought House contests, including the blue mega-states [e.g. California, Illinois and New York], and the other half will be directed to states like Montana and North Dakota, where there are crucial Senate battles."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187ffda7b5ad7de7a8e85e1ef537a4793a9b451714fc147206ce
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187ffda7b5ad7de7a8e85e1ef537a4793a9b451714fc147206ce

VEEPWATCH-RUBIO SEEKING MIDDLE GROUND ON IMMIGRATION:"Two years after embracing hard-line immigration positions during his rapid political climb, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is on a difficult quest for middle ground," The Tampa Bay Times' Alex Leary writes in Monday's paper. "He emerged on the issue late last year with calls for less heated rhetoric and is now working on an alternative to the Dream Act.The plan, not yet public, is generating widespread discussion, underscoring Rubio's status and potential as a Hispanic voice for the GOP. It would grant legal status to children of undocumented immigrants, but not a path to citizenship, as the Dream Act would.'You have to wait in line, but you
get to wait in line in the U.S. legally,' Rubio said in an interview. His leap into the contentious immigration issue carries great risk and reward, both for his personal ambitions and the GOP, which is staring wide-eyed at a growing Hispanic population turned off by the tone of debate and aggressive enforcement policies."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb66fcb06a5876c49d772f00616830657c28afb0ff7dfdeda
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb66fcb06a5876c49d772f00616830657c28afb0ff7dfdeda

MASSACHUSETTS SENATE - BROWN RAISED $3.4 MILLION IN Q1:That gives him $15 million cash on hand. The Boston Globe: "Elizabeth Warren has not released her full tallies, but they are likely to be higher. Her campaign said earlier this week that she had raised $2.5 million from Massachusetts residents alone. She has previously raised more money out of state. About 71 percent of Brown's first-quarter donors are from Massachusetts, his campaign said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f527e73ed89238394c966bc9c9260aee124d774e01fd55418
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f527e73ed89238394c966bc9c9260aee124d774e01fd55418

FORMER BOSTON MAYOR FLYNN SUPPORTS BROWN:Democrat Ray FlynntoldWBZ in Boston yesterday that he will again support Scott Brown in 2012, as he did in 2010. "I support Scott Brown strongly," said the former ambassador to the Vatican. "He adds a dimension what is needed in the United States Senate-a bipartisan voice, one will play the interest of all the people, not just Republicans, in the center." This is notable because it comes just two weeks after the current Democratic mayor of Boston, Tom Menino, declined to endorse Elizabeth Warren during an interview on the program. He said he's uncommitted. Video of Flynn:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f5aeff9dcd0aff371d28d47e9eb365a289f148e3f8ab124c8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f5aeff9dcd0aff371d28d47e9eb365a289f148e3f8ab124c8 .

NEBRASKA SENATE - AFP HITS KERREY:"The national conservative group Americans for Prosperity, which has spent several hundred thousand dollars pummeling the former senator on the air over the last few weeks, is up with a new spot this weekend," per Alex Burns. "The commercial...is a twist on Kerrey's own advertising -- which features ordinary Nebraskans welcoming the Democrat back to his home state. Except the Nebraskans in AFP's ad have a different message: 'Not in our home'; 'not here'; 'not in my house.'" Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6a15217882a5fa40823c3fb0104999d3783130ea27f45453
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6a15217882a5fa40823c3fb0104999d3783130ea27f45453 .

THE HOUSE - PAUL SUPPORTERS RUNNING DOWN TICKET:"There's no exact way of measuring how many Paul-inspired candidates are running this year. But Jared Paine, a Paul supporter who operates a website that tracks the campaigns of libertarian-minded candidates, said he counted around two dozen active Paul backers who are running for House or Senate seats and another 200 or so who are seeking local offices - almost all of them running as Republicans," Alex Isenstadt reports. "It's a measure of the depth of the passion Paul inspires from his supporters, which is marked by a ferocity and commitment to the cause that few other pols can command... The rise of the Paul babies also reflects the
increasingly central role of the Internet in political organizing... For some of his backers, Paul has begun offering endorsements."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fc337680002f0a482f794ba8f84a7ca7aba2ae6b3745da1c0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fc337680002f0a482f794ba8f84a7ca7aba2ae6b3745da1c0

SUNDAY SHOW HIGHLIGHTS - REALLY QUIET BECAUSE OF EASTER:

DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ(DNC chair) to CNN: "What's really bothersome to me is that it almost seems like my Republican colleagues in Congress and Mitt Romney are rooting for economic failure."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187faf421ce3f682caf3d7cf45c62702a87119365be69908225e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187faf421ce3f682caf3d7cf45c62702a87119365be69908225e

DICK DURBIN(Illinois Democratic senator) on NBC: "In terms of the role of government, 10,000 people reached the age of 65 today...The obvious question for Mitt Romney is what would you do with these people?'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa42283a6c9a12b7cd19897bd1fa77cc54f33744ede01812f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa42283a6c9a12b7cd19897bd1fa77cc54f33744ede01812f

JOHN KASICH(Republican governor of Ohio) on NBC: It'll be tight as a tick out here. It always is...Ohio is a battleground state."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187ff1c938141ad370106c8bc9bc48ba74b37a86d1aa1b01e9a1
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187ff1c938141ad370106c8bc9bc48ba74b37a86d1aa1b01e9a1

EMANUEL CLEAVER(Missouri House Democrat): 'I think we need to take God off the ballot. There is no war on religion in this country...I think people exaggerate certain positions in order to help themselves politically."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f4adffe7e99eeb6cddc64acd0e3e203f4c6c59ba0fa051204
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f4adffe7e99eeb6cddc64acd0e3e203f4c6c59ba0fa051204

RAUL LABRADOR(Idaho congressman and Mormon) on religion in the race: "The most biased people are the Democrats...Well, [Romney] should talk about who he is and what formed him. And I think he discusses missionary work...It's one of the most formative things that you can do in your life."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa40c238d771d05d525864a256a72f18d66a998bc1c71dd79
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa40c238d771d05d525864a256a72f18d66a998bc1c71dd79

LIGHTER CLICKS -

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVEopened with a 5-minute skit that depicted over-the-top pandering by Romney to a variety of groups - from a piercing society to Oklahoma sportsmen, Jews, diabetes advocates and supporters of spaying cats. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f11a6e979621520e024fa66c49d4c27c50182fc224143ece8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f11a6e979621520e024fa66c49d4c27c50182fc224143ece8 .

ROMNEY could become the first president ever whose party fails to win a House seat in his home state, according to an analysis by the University of Minnesota's Eric Ostermeier:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fe4234e75385240490699e95ac81494c3b96a9308c7786e9e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fe4234e75385240490699e95ac81494c3b96a9308c7786e9e .

MIKE WALLACE(R.I.P.) interviewed Romney in May 2007. Videos from the package:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f9e35f2518d8935683af043605bdae3955f9726e4681488bf
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f9e35f2518d8935683af043605bdae3955f9726e4681488bf .

ROMNEYwas photographed by a Reddit user as he prepared to go boogie-boarding in La Jolla. The image leads the Drudge Report:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6751f6dcab076b68881e9e75a464bf5840470b93b41cfe60
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f6751f6dcab076b68881e9e75a464bf5840470b93b41cfe60 . The Los Angeles Times writes on his relaxing weekend:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa9ace70e7d1f80dc6d1af8110750fe454812bafde5d09cb5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fa9ace70e7d1f80dc6d1af8110750fe454812bafde5d09cb5 .

BUBBA WATSONwon the Masters in a sudden death playoff. Final leaderboard (via Sports Illustrated):
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fc5529b43a43f9a506238c23b2402c20c32d7dbe28d4df088
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fc5529b43a43f9a506238c23b2402c20c32d7dbe28d4df088 .

HILLARY CLINTONwill not be at the DNC because of her job as Secretary of State, but Bill will. Charlotte Observer:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb45e4cbcbdbd991e86c405f4f34bf943ed5bd64ed4e1cac8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fb45e4cbcbdbd991e86c405f4f34bf943ed5bd64ed4e1cac8 .

OBAMAstill does not have a campaign slogan:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fdefe128fdb9cbc4c7818ce745b73f5f6f46c42a0c7c820d0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187fdefe128fdb9cbc4c7818ce745b73f5f6f46c42a0c7c820d0 .

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"He feels bad that I'm single, so anytime there's a girl around that's my age, he always puts his arm around me and talks me up." - Garrett Jackson, Romney's 25-year-old body man, humanizes the presumptive Republican nominee/his wingman
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f52dc4b8408489c4b660fffde3a200a1eb856c11218507c81
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dda7407623d187f52dc4b8408489c4b660fffde3a200a1eb856c11218507c81

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