EMAIL DETAILS

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

SANTORUM ENDORSES ROMNEY...IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT:Though more explicit and less tepid than Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum offered a lukewarm and somewhat tortured endorsement of Mitt Romney in an email to supporters that went out around 11 p.m. ET. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's June 2008 rally in Unity, New Hampshire, it was not. Musing on their meeting in Pittsburgh last Friday, the former Pennsylvania senator said he "strongly encouraged" Romney to hire more conservatives. "The primary campaign certainly made it clear that Governor Romney and I have some differences," Santorum said in his note. "But there are many significant areas in which we agree...I am also comfortable with Governor
Romney on foreign policy matters...And while I had concerns about Governor Romney making a case as a candidate about fighting against Obamacare, I have no doubt if elected he will work with a Republican Congress to repeal it and replace it with a bottom up, patient, not government, driven system. Above all else, we both agree that President Obama must be defeated...It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious." Here is the letter:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794e0b354685c5613d4cc4f8aac2855068e03ca3d49d95cb9ec
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794e0b354685c5613d4cc4f8aac2855068e03ca3d49d95cb9ec .

SNEAK PEEK - CHICAGO TO ATTACK ROMNEY ON STUDENT LOANS:The Obama campaign will pounce later this morning on largely overlooked comments from Romney's Ohio town hall yesterday, in which they say he somewhat contradicted what he's said the last couple weeks on the student loan issue. They're determined to not let Romney get away with moderating his position. Since the vote is today and Romney is appearing on a college campus, they think it's especially timely to slam him for telling a college student to "shop around" for lower prices and for supporting a Ryan budget that they say would cut Pell Grants. Campaign surrogates will point to tuition hikes and funding cuts in state higher education
while Romney was governor of Massachusetts. OFA press secretary Ben LaBolt will convene a 10:30 a.m. conference call with Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer to bracket Romney's event two hours later.Here's a first look at the prebuttal research hit going out to reporters later this morning:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794fc9bc6370b10e1b3306d823b6bf3215a605b9b767c0d8fc5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794fc9bc6370b10e1b3306d823b6bf3215a605b9b767c0d8fc5 .

ARIZONA SPECIAL - HOUSE MAJORITY PAC TO SPEND $340K:The Democratic groupHouse Majority PAC is placing a $340,000, three-week buy in the AZ-08 special. The ads, which go up Friday, will aim to define Republican Jesse Kelly as "extreme" - with video of his past statements.

MISSOURI SNEAK PEEK - BRUNNER BIO SPOT SAYS HE KNOWS HOW TO CUT SPENDING:Republican Senate frontrunner John Brunner is going on TV with a 30-second spot that links the Democratic incumbent to the president. "Under Barack Obama and Claire McCaskill, gas prices have doubled, a half a million more Americans are out of work and our national debt up five trillion dollars," Brunner says, using his hands for dramatic effect. He adds that he cut spending to protect jobs at his family business, presenting himself as an outsider. Watch the TV spot:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794def35954e3a862713fc9dfe9dc15191c5438eabe734c9b73
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794def35954e3a862713fc9dfe9dc15191c5438eabe734c9b73 . Listen to the accompanying radio commercial:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794cc339f1f62ec4b3f156ccadf73589ab7a0bc906a2a616490
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794cc339f1f62ec4b3f156ccadf73589ab7a0bc906a2a616490 .

As Biden's relationship with Obama gets scrutinized, Romney claims credit for the auto industry's comeback and North Carolina Democrats admit using a secret fund to settle a sexual harassment complaint, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

SOROS GIVING $2 MILLION - LIBERALS STEERING OUTSIDE MONEY TO GROUND GAME:"After months on the sidelines, major liberal donors including the financier George Soros are preparing to inject up to $100 million into independent groups to aid Democrats' chances this fall. But instead of going head to head with the conservative 'super PACs' and outside groups that have flooded the presidential and congressional campaigns with negative advertising, the donors are focusing on grass-roots organizing, voter registration and Democratic turnout," scoops the New York Times Nicholas Confessore. "In a move likely to draw in other major donors, Mr.Soros will contribute $1 million each to America Votes, a
group that coordinates political activity for left-leaning environmental, abortion rights and civil rights groups,andAmerican Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC that focuses on election-oriented research. The donations will be Mr. Soros's first major contributions of the 2012 election cycle."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794ca890d690f471cbaadf10b5f25c1a0728a3f18e3545e50db
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794ca890d690f471cbaadf10b5f25c1a0728a3f18e3545e50db

ELECTION DAY:Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin vote today. Polls close at 7 ET in the Hoosier State, 7:30 ET in NC/WV and 9 ET in WI.

INDIANA SENATE - LUGAR POISED TO LOSE PRIMARY:The Associated Press leads its final day main-bar with Lugar throwing darts in a retirement home on Monday and only hitting the board with two of six. "The first landed on the floor. Another nearly hit a camerawoman standing off to the side...It was a poignant reminder of a grueling campaign so fraught with missteps... 'Presidents can't serve more than eight years, why should anyone else?' asked Chuck Williams, a resident at Wesley Manor retirement home in Frankfort, Ind., where Lugar made one of his last stops of the primary campaign Monday."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67944678813e16f67ef409af5e22665ed78e0102ad61dfa58379
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67944678813e16f67ef409af5e22665ed78e0102ad61dfa58379

OTHER HEADLINES - FOX NEWS:Lugar "heads into GOP primary as underdog" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794cadde4330b78061881a962ef5f22f8136d5e1057e81d5133
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794cadde4330b78061881a962ef5f22f8136d5e1057e81d5133 ).POLITICO: "Lugar: Tea party trespassed on my farm" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794e02b68b28a1008240b28314034e1ee9533334970afe6de0c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794e02b68b28a1008240b28314034e1ee9533334970afe6de0c ).WLFI TV (West Lafayette): "Lugar visits wastewater plant during last-minute campaign visit" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67947c9c1acb87ecf84a36998f2437ac60eab9b771e5fdfb1fc5
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67947c9c1acb87ecf84a36998f2437ac60eab9b771e5fdfb1fc5 ).TPM: [Joe] "Donnelly Assumes He'll Face Mourdock In General Election" (
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794732385ed581be579a4b59dee5da982204b918327f15189e4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794732385ed581be579a4b59dee5da982204b918327f15189e4 ).

WISCONSIN RECALL - BARRETT FAVORED TO BEAT FALK FOR DEM NOD:"Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk...told reporters [yesterday] she considers herself the underdog to Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in Tuesday's primary. 'I have been all along because Tom [Barrett] just ran for governor a year ago,' she said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67943dd92e81c4504201020876b356241ae26d424abe5932e700
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67943dd92e81c4504201020876b356241ae26d424abe5932e700

THE PRESIDENTIAL -

WHAT ROMNEY IS UP TO:Romney is in Michigan for a 12:35 event at Lansing Community College.

WHAT OBAMA IS UP TO:The President will travel to Albany, New York. At 12:10, he'll tour the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's NanoTech Complex at the State University of New York. He'll give a speech at 1:25. Governor Andrew Cuomo will accompany the President on the tour. After flying back to DC, Obama addresses the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Annual Gala Dinner at 5:55.

WHAT BIDEN IS UP TO:At 10:45 a.m., the Vice President will deliver remarks at the Rabbinical Assembly's annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia. At 2:15 PM, he speaks at a fundraiser in Charleston, S.C. Then he flies back to DC.

BOTH CAMPAIGNS SPENT YESTERDAY ON DEFENSE -

OBAMA'S GAY MARRIAGE MUDDLE -"President Barack Obama was cruising along happily in the slow lane on gay marriage, but he's been sideswiped by his own vice president and [Education Secretary Arne Duncan] his best friend in the Cabinet - who have veered off-message in a provocatively public way," Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Martin and Glenn Thrush write in the story leading our site this morning. "Obama wants to target Mitt Romney but suddenly finds himself playing defense on marriage equality, a social issue that poses a political triple threat: Embracing it risks alienating religiously conservative independents, blacks and Latinos in swing states. Delaying or opposing it ticks off gay
Democratic donors and young voters who overwhelmingly support it. But the third path adopted by the president and his advisers...could undermine Obama's 2012 message that he's still a new-breed leader willing to brave political peril for principle."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67947af0bd5c532de6c0fdcd17448896525139556aa2f9f64c43
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67947af0bd5c532de6c0fdcd17448896525139556aa2f9f64c43

EXPOSES INTERNAL WHITE HOUSE TENSIONS - 1 IN 6 BUNDLERS ARE GAY:"Several people close to the White House said the episode has exposed internal tensions within Obama's team between those who want the president to say he favors same-sex marriage before the November election and others who worry about a political backlash if he does," Peter Wallsten and Dan Eggen write on the front of today's Washington Post. "About one in six of Obama's top campaign 'bundlers' are gay, according to a Washington Post review of donor lists, making it difficult for the president to defer the matter...Strategists for [Romney] think that any sustained focus on same-sex marriage could help unite the conservative
coalition behind his candidacy, particularly in key swing states such as Iowa, where the Republican Party remains deeply fractured after a bruising primary campaign."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794f1c56ebec113c0ff21851e5624d541355344ee2956f5fef9
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794f1c56ebec113c0ff21851e5624d541355344ee2956f5fef9

NEW GALLUP POLL - AMERICANS EVENLY SPLIT ON GAY MARRIAGE:A Gallup poll out this morning findsthat50 percent believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid with the same rights as traditional marriages. That's steady with a year ago, when their poll found 53 percent approve. This week 48 percent say it should not be legal. Among Democrats, 65 percent support legalization. Among independents, it's 57-40. Meanwhile, three-quarters of Republicans continue to oppose gay marriage. Gallup graphic tracks how opinions have shifted since 1996:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67941629a4e52ee7da643e946e89b924ed4ef3bcd70141b29f3d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67941629a4e52ee7da643e946e89b924ed4ef3bcd70141b29f3d . A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll in March found 49 percent favoring gay marriage and 40 percent opposed:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67946a2b95e9df259648a803fbf3cbe9be7936a726260b9d45b0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67946a2b95e9df259648a803fbf3cbe9be7936a726260b9d45b0 .

FROM THE TRENCHES OF THE MARRIAGE WAR -

THE NORTH CAROLINA AMENDMENT banning gay marriage will almost certainly pass today.

DAVID AXELROD struggled on CNN last night to explain the president's position:"I'm not going to make news for the President," he said. "The President speaks very well for himself, Piers." Video of Axe:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794413aceb67d219defae9aa8df45cf5d54438cf66dc2762adc
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794413aceb67d219defae9aa8df45cf5d54438cf66dc2762adc . Jay Carney said he doesn't have an update on where the president's views have evolved to during yesterday's briefing:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794c44244e491b9d680a71fb9c05db328408e8be91af97f1812
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794c44244e491b9d680a71fb9c05db328408e8be91af97f1812 . Video of Arne Duncan on Morning Joe:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794a5a71c04f939d1decff923177d0cbf3d7e3e94a45beeaa34
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794a5a71c04f939d1decff923177d0cbf3d7e3e94a45beeaa34 .

FRANK BRUNI, the New York Times columnist, writes today that he understands why continues to officially oppose gay marriage: "It's smart politics. But it's hardly audacious, and not so inspiring." He notes the irony that the president is appearing with Andrew Cuomo today, who helped spearhead legislation allowing gay marriage.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794579d13168048bbd115867b21d796425c8bf97eb410ebdcbc
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794579d13168048bbd115867b21d796425c8bf97eb410ebdcbc

DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, the DNC Chair, opened a one-day White House LGBT Conference on Aging in Miami that drew 160 gay activists yesterday. The Miami Herald:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794f50a4769aabef9007f5d97146831cb9154b245fdcb2273a1
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794f50a4769aabef9007f5d97146831cb9154b245fdcb2273a1 .

THE DCCC sent a fundraising solicitation Monday off House Speaker John Boehner's support for the House defending the Defense of Marriage Act.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794921c840c8faf9e7a11b39e4971610cd84c6436898949094e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794921c840c8faf9e7a11b39e4971610cd84c6436898949094e

OBAMA himself is holding a fundraiser for his LGBT Leadership Council in Beverly Hills on June 6.He formed the National LGBT Leadership Council in 2007 to gather gay supporters into "one fundraising and organizing powerhouse," according to the Huffington Post.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794df38cd7457da561e9d262493d573157be4d8b6578c78939a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794df38cd7457da561e9d262493d573157be4d8b6578c78939a

COLORADO CIVIL UNION BILL COULD PASS WITH GOP BACKING:"Supporters of a bill that would allow civil unions for same-sex couples in Colorado were hopeful on Monday that the legislation, buoyed by the support of key Republican lawmakers who broke party ranks, would pass before the legislative session ended this week," the New York Times reports. "The bill, which has already cleared the State Senate, passed a pair of House committees last week capping a whirlwind few days where its fate was uncertain. The bill was poised to pass a final committee before facing a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a 33-to-32 majority. Supporters say they have the votes
to send the legislation to Gov. John W. Hickenlooper, who has said he would sign it. But it was still uncertain whether the bill would reach the final committee in time, or if the Republican leadership would bring the bill to the House floor - effectively killing it."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf679452795268fc50b23f462f0ca802914e59bda3095ba800fdb4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf679452795268fc50b23f462f0ca802914e59bda3095ba800fdb4

FLAP HIGHLIGHT'S BIDEN'S "UNEASY SUPPORTING ROLE":The New York Times puts a Joe Biden story, pegged loosely to the Sunday comments that started this firestorm, on A1. "Mr. Biden's effort to subordinate his own voice (or manhood) to the broader enterprise has been a struggle," Mark Leibovich writes. "As with any union of opposites, the one between the rambling vice president and his cautious boss has required time, patience and adjustments. Early on, for instance, it would drive Mr. Obama nuts to stand onstage waiting for Mr. Biden to introduce every dignitary in the room. So the president dispatched a top adviser, Valerie Jarrett, to relay his displeasure to Mr. Biden's office, according to
top aides to both men. They initiated a fix: in future joint appearances, the president would remain offstage until the verbose vice president finished talking."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794237a538536e5b3fb3d79cb253fcf44574c4747edd98db804
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794237a538536e5b3fb3d79cb253fcf44574c4747edd98db804

ROMNEY OHIO EVENT DID NOT GO WELL:Here's how Romney's visited to Euclid, Ohio, plays in theColumbus Dispatch: "A high-ranking Ohio Republican likened the president to Ronald McDonald and a Mitt Romney supporter said Obama should be 'tried for treason,' all in the span of about an hour during Romney's visit to northeast Ohio [Monday]. During the course of Romney's town hall-style stop at Stamco Industries, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee appeared blindsided by a question from the audience about taxes he paid to foreign countries based on his offshore personal investments... Romney was introduced to the crowd of more than 700 by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost who said
[regarding the Osama bin Laden raid] ... 'It strikes me as a little weird. That's like giving Ronald McDonald credit for the Big Mac you had for lunch,' Yost said. 'Everybody knows it's really the guy at the grill that deserves the credit, right, not the pitchman on TV.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794b1aef46415af99e985cbee93bc06dbeb0d7d507a5625330a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794b1aef46415af99e985cbee93bc06dbeb0d7d507a5625330a

NOT CORRECTING A WOMAN WHO WANTS TO TRY OBAMA FOR TREASON:"During the question-and-answer portion of Romney's stage time, a woman told Romney she believed Obama 'should be tried for treason.' ... Romney didn't address the woman's comment at the time - the woman prefaced her statement by stating Obama was 'operating outside the structure of the Constitution' but he reportedly said 'no, of course not' when asked by reporters while shaking hands on the rope line if he agreed with the woman's statement." Video of the CNN embed approaching Romney on the rope line:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67942d33227de174f1fb1022618dc13b176984cc52f99154ad5d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67942d33227de174f1fb1022618dc13b176984cc52f99154ad5d . During his Indianapolis fundraiser later, it sounds like he made no news:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794a5f716ec804cc8d707e86f6edf74811b3f40b1d8a48d0c38
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794a5f716ec804cc8d707e86f6edf74811b3f40b1d8a48d0c38 .

ROMNEY TAKES CREDIT FOR AUTO INDUSTRY SURVIVAL:'I'll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry's come back,' Romney told WEWS-TV in Cleveland. CNN: "Speaking after a campaign stop at a metal stamping facility in nearby Euclid, Romney said the industry needed to enter a 'managed bankruptcy' process in order to fully recover - and that was what eventually helped American automakers get back on their feet. 'My own view is that the auto companies needed to go through bankruptcy before government help,' Romney said. 'And frankly, that's finally what the president did. He finally took them through bankruptcy.'" CNN:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794060839ccf83803780617d8c54c2dd072e08e4a726df553ac
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794060839ccf83803780617d8c54c2dd072e08e4a726df553ac . How the affiliate played it:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf679481ed86d8c731e8302d99aaed01b11a3bb93860ec272975df
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf679481ed86d8c731e8302d99aaed01b11a3bb93860ec272975df .

VEEPSTAKES-

FIRST IN SCORE - DAILY KOS/SEIU POLL FINDS MARCO RUBIO MOST POPULAR VP CHOICE:Public Policy Polling's State of the Nation poll for the progressive blog and labor organization finds that Obama leads Romney 48-45 among registered voters, with seven percent undecided. Among Republicans, 25 percent picked Marco Rubio from a list of eight names as the best VP candidate. Chris Christie was second at 19 percent. Jeb Bush was third at 16 percent. Paul Ryan was fourth with eight percent. This largely tracks name ID. One-fifth said someone not on the list of names provided. See a four-page preview of the results:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67945de7d4049e8f69469babe9c05b8a70dea72cfea034a8e8ed
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67945de7d4049e8f69469babe9c05b8a70dea72cfea034a8e8ed .

CHRIS CHRISTIE APPROVAL AT 56% IN FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON POLL:"That's Christie's highest ever rating in a Fairleigh Dickinson poll," today's Star Ledger reports. "It's hard to imagine that a minority party governor could really do much better," said poll director Peter Woolley. "Unless maybe he runs into a burning building and rescues an old lady. But that trick has been taken." Christie's disapproval is only 33 percent. 50 percent say the state's on the right track.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794fd07e9c3643eae3d76b33af8dd749d1aab6cee86c8eae3af
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794fd07e9c3643eae3d76b33af8dd749d1aab6cee86c8eae3af

BOB MCDONNELL APPROVAL AT 56% IN WASHINGTON POST POLL:"The approval rating for McDonnell (R) dropped six points over the past year, from 62 percent to 56 percent. Thirty-five percent disapprove of the job he is doing - a nine-point increase from a year ago. The governor still has firmly positive ratings at a time of political discord nationwide. But he has lost support among independents and urban women after a 12-month period that closed with a partisan standoff over the state budget and an uproar over a bill requiring women seeking an abortion to first undergo a vaginal ultrasound."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67943b19033dda42b5340833d25102555c4ab77353941532321b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67943b19033dda42b5340833d25102555c4ab77353941532321b

ROB PORTMAN WILLING TO BE AN ATTACK DOG:ABC's Jon Karl notes four examples of the normally soft-spoken Ohio senator stepping up his attacks on Obama. "By today's standards, these attacks are actually fairly tame...but the tough new tone shows Portman is not afraid to play the traditional attack-dog role of a vice presidential candidate," Jon says.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794a66da337023a88fb5f4887969325c65d1004167600acdfba
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794a66da337023a88fb5f4887969325c65d1004167600acdfba

CORRECT LINK FOR SGLF AD:Yesterday's Score included the wrong link to the State Government Leadership Foundation's ad campaign that decries the "big money and bully tactics" of teachers unions. The six-figure campaign by the conservative affiliate of the State Government Leadership Foundation is targeting New York, New Mexico, Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut. Watch the ad:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67942aa35aff2a6fe84c93a25dbf804a2f429b8efb05fadc1844
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf67942aa35aff2a6fe84c93a25dbf804a2f429b8efb05fadc1844 .

NEVADA SENATE - BERKLEY'S 1ST AD FOCUSED ON VETERANS:Shelley Berkley introduces herself as a champion for veterans and VA funding. The AP reports that it highlights the father of an Iraq war vet who died after being diagnosed with PTSD. The ad goes on the air Thursday. Story (no ad yet):
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794734d09b10b3e54a008fc85ade7b9438ac71b5845b2ec959c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=40fbdd94cdaf6794734d09b10b3e54a008fc85ade7b9438ac71b5845b2ec959c .

FLORIDA SENATE - MACK HIT ON RESIDENCY:George LeMieux again goes after fellow Republican Connie Mack for spending very little time in Florida with a web video.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db66c3b9d861f6fd2a8f7c55fcf11e8c4f0a6cf78359f4d98af
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db66c3b9d861f6fd2a8f7c55fcf11e8c4f0a6cf78359f4d98af

OKLAHOMA HOUSE - MULLIN IS FIRST ON BROADCAST:In the Republican primary to run for the seat opened by Democrat Dan Boren's retirement, Mark Wayne Mullin is going up this morning on local broadcast and will stay up through the primary. Mullin's spot is a 30-second version of the introductory ad they ran on Fox News cable earlier this year when the presidential primary was still raging. The spot highlights his faith, family, and business background. The campaign is also up on News-Talk and Christian radio district-wide. Strategy Group for Media made the ad. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db66c978e7188cde49b55468baa3e802fe66911d8f4ba7a7598
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db66c978e7188cde49b55468baa3e802fe66911d8f4ba7a7598 .

NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATS USED SECRET FUND TO SETTLE HARASSMENT CLAIMS:"The N.C. Democratic Party made a $9,135 transfer on March 19 to its secretive legal fund as part of a partial financial settlement with a former staffer who alleged he was sexually harassed, new documents indicate," the Raleigh News and Observer reports. "John Wallace, the party's attorney, confirms that the legal defense fund -- never acknowledged until the controversy exploded at Democratic headquarters in April-- is the source of the payment, according to a letter sent Friday to the state Board of Elections... Former staffer Adrian Ortega alleged that he was fired in November weeks after he reported being
inappropriately touched and sexually harassed by his boss, Jay Parmley, the executive director... Party Chairman David Parker has refused to disclose the total payment but told party leaders it was not a large amount."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db60ba8a9cdf04fd1036fa068ff20df204f1d82b22961c08ff1
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db60ba8a9cdf04fd1036fa068ff20df204f1d82b22961c08ff1

MINNESOTA GOP - NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS "QUESTIONABLE DECISION-MAKING":"Minnesota Republican Party officials on Monday disclosed a recent history of 'questionable decision-making and a lack of accountability' among 'serious concerns' about the party's financial management," the Star Tribune reports. "In a new report, the party listed a litany of concerns: significant credit card charges, more than $120,000 in payments to Republican candidates and donors, $17,000 in payments to investigate medical marijuana, and questionable responsibility for a private corporation that still owes attorneys more than $719,000 from the 2010 gubernatorial recount. The report, drafted by a dozen party
insiders, comes as the state GOP is seeking to repair relations and its reputation after questions, rumors and leadership changes that buffeted it for more than a year. The party also has struggled with debt. It now owes about $1.3 million, whittled down from $2 million late last year."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6aba1a61132b0fb474b672dc4ac4495bc2b6dce82eb43b964
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6aba1a61132b0fb474b672dc4ac4495bc2b6dce82eb43b964

LIGHTER CLICKS -

STEPHEN COLBERTmade fun of Joe Biden's comments about gays on TV:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6c8f504adbc55f29ed65e2fd4f9ef950ad2b313e664dbacea
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6c8f504adbc55f29ed65e2fd4f9ef950ad2b313e664dbacea .

THE DAILY SHOWmocked the media focus on the youth vote:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6633d6f216c6e77b1a483661e12a86ca1efc8cb437699c83c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6633d6f216c6e77b1a483661e12a86ca1efc8cb437699c83c .

JON STEWARTalso pondered the significance of the European elections:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db69c257a334a67ec31f64c991bfe6dfe53fd744c1e64946472
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db69c257a334a67ec31f64c991bfe6dfe53fd744c1e64946472 .

THE FIRST TRAILERfor Will Ferrell's political comedy "The Campaign" went up yesterday. The 2.5-minute video is built around two faux campaign ads:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db68ec0bf5cf64f4e625485c08d9e9ff6d974b64e295dac303a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db68ec0bf5cf64f4e625485c08d9e9ff6d974b64e295dac303a .

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVEconsidered but decided not to run a cold open that made fun of the president's handling of the one-year anniversary of the bin Laden raid:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db62cb6653bc3c40f8a7d3f6360166ac035d8f937e82c516bec
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db62cb6653bc3c40f8a7d3f6360166ac035d8f937e82c516bec .

KRISTI NOEM, the photogenic "farm girl" turned House Republican freshman, earned her degree from South Dakota State University Saturday. The 40-year-old mother got incredible earned media with this three-minute CBS package yesterday morning:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6b340daff411ffed84b580180a2255437ccc69badcbe3af20
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6b340daff411ffed84b580180a2255437ccc69badcbe3af20 .

GARY CONDITis campaigning for his son Chad in his California race for Congress:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6baa6e30640fbe295adde25584d9f68ba09fa6a2c1afa0d5a
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6baa6e30640fbe295adde25584d9f68ba09fa6a2c1afa0d5a .

THE DNC HOST COMMITTEEannounces winners of a barbecue sauce competition:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6a5b24596c5a2053f041fc94c742ede3b3dbf67baf7d3a0c0
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6a5b24596c5a2053f041fc94c742ede3b3dbf67baf7d3a0c0 .

A TEXAS REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP FIGHTturns nasty as a state senator emails colleagues to suggest that a rival is having marital troubles. The Austin American-Statesman gets the emails:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6ce66f6a00b1e8303431052542002b8855410a2eb7999dacd
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6ce66f6a00b1e8303431052542002b8855410a2eb7999dacd .

TAXPAYERSspent $3 million last year paying expenses of the four surviving former U.S. presidents. Jon Karl has a four-minute package:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6d1101eb320339ad565ce1ef21571a4259451b1f98deeac12
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6d1101eb320339ad565ce1ef21571a4259451b1f98deeac12 .

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"I think Governor Kasich is doing a heckuva job." - Mitt Romney in Ohio

Go to POLITICO Morning Score Now >> http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6acc2f781140eaac05a9267726bcd364b06f21ff77374a4fd

=================================
2012 POLITICO, LLC
POLITICO Morning Score.
To unsubscribe, http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=cd213c7865094db6b02eae55f32a1cb90b587dc1ccb344024bb16d7a95bf52ec
=================================