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By James Hohmann (
mailto:jhohmann@politico.com
jhohmann@politico.com ) and Alexander Burns (
mailto:aburns@politico.com
aburns@politico.com )

DRIVING THE 2012 MORNING - ROMNEY GOES HOME - Mitt Romney returns to his native state of Michigan this morning for two events aimed at amplifying his message on the economy. At 8 a.m., he meets with voters at a restaurant in Livonia, and an hour later he'll hold a roundtable conversation at a business development center, Bizdom U. The trip is a political and messaging test for Romney: He won the Michigan primary in 2008 and it's a place where his all-economy sales pitch should resonate deeply. Add to that the fact that Romney's father was governor of the state, and it's not a bad place for him to make the case that he's the Republican best prepared for a national debate about President
Obama's record on the economy.

INCOMING - THE DNC POUNCES: Democrats aren't about to let Romney get his punches in for free. The DNC is blasting out a video this morning attacking Romney over his criticism of the Obama administration's auto bailouts, spotlighting the Republican's advocacy for letting "Detroit go bankrupt." Watch it here:
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BREAKING OVERNIGHT - PAWLENTY GETS WILSON - South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson has signed on to co-chair Tim Pawlenty's campaign in the early primary state, in an endorsement that could signal Pawlenty's congressional outreach is paying off. Wilson explained his decision in a statement, calling Pawlenty "the best man to get our nation back on the right track" and predicting: "As South Carolinians get to know Governor Pawlenty, as I have, they will see someone with a remarkable record of conservative accomplishments in a politically tough state for Republicans." Wilson, a 2008 John McCain endorser, had also previously talked up Jon Huntsman. CNN had the news first:
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PLUS - SMILES IN MSP - Former General Electric CEO and business legend Jack Welch sang Pawlenty's praises on CNN, telling Piers Morgan that the Minnesotan is "starting to intrigue the hell out of me." Morgan's question: "Do you see anybody emerging on the Republican side who is the kind of leader that you're looking for?" Welch's answer: "If you had asked me that a month ago, I would have said, well, Mitt Romney might be the best guy, et cetera. The most obvious guy. But everything (I've seen) Tim Pawlenty say in the last month appeals to me."
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FROM PALIN-LAND - WRAPPING THE BUS TOUR: Palin's political operation, Sarah PAC, has posted a three-minute web video about last week's bus tour through the Northeast. The high-production value segment splices together original footage of Palin with friendly clips from MSM coverage and voter interviews. It was, Palin says in the video, "one of the best weeks of my life."
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As Bob McDonnell goes west, Glen Beck hugs Herman Cain, and Bob Filner advances in a different direction, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

SNEAK PEEK - MEDICARE WARS - The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching robo-calls today against a lucky group of 13 Republican lawmakers, attacking them for voting "to end Medicare and increase the deficit." From one script targeting New Jersey Rep. Jon Runyan: "For all of Runyan's talk about reducing the debt, his plan to end Medicare actually increases the debt by almost $2 trillion because of more tax breaks for millionaires and corporations. We must cut spending and tighten our belt, but Runyan made the wrong choice." Also targeted: Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle, Florida Rep. Dan Webster, Iowa Rep. Steve King, Illinois Rep. Bobby Schilling, New Hampshire Rep. Charlie Bass,
Nevada Rep. Joe Heck, New York Reps. Nan Hayworth and Ann Marie Buerkle, Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot, Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta, South Dakota Rep. Kristi Noem and Virginia Rep. Scott Rigell.

RECRUITMENT WATCH - GOP SCORES BARR - Kentucky attorney Andy Barr told Hohmann that he'll seek a rematch in 2012 against Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler, the congressman he very nearly defeated last year. Barr could give Republicans a rare pickup opportunity in a cycle when the GOP is mostly on defense: "Though the GOP's tidal wave crested in 2010, Barr thinks having President Obama at the top of the ticket will put him over the top in the Bluegrass State. John McCain beat Barack Obama 55 percent to 43 percent in the district in 2008, and President George W. Bush won by 17 points in 2004. 'The issues that we talked about in 2010 are in large measure going to be the same in 2012, except that
the presidential election will be in the background,' Barr told POLITICO. 'That can only help in my congressional bid.'" More:
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PERRY WATCH - 'VOID' IN THE FIELD - Texas Gov. Rick Perry believes there is a big space in the GOP presidential field for someone just like him, the Wall Street Journal reports, and the Republican's been musing about his prospects in the race in private conversations "over the past two weeks" From the paper: "'He thinks there is a void [in the current field of candidates], and that he might be uniquely positioned to fill that void,' said one Perry confidant who talked to the governor last week ... In these conversations, the governor has emphasized his own track record in bringing jobs to Texas, which has created more jobs than any other state in recent years. ... Republican operatives in
Washington and elsewhere say they have received calls recently from prominent Texas GOP donors seeking advice on how Mr. Perry might navigate a late entry into the field. It was unclear whether Mr. Perry or anyone on his team had instigated the calls."
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HONEST QUESTION - IS HE THE ONE YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR? Most strategists we know think Perry would be a potent GOP primary candidate, but have more serious doubts about him in a general election. What about you? Can any Score readers make the case that Perry is the strongest Republican to go up against Barack Obama? Email us - anonymity guaranteed, if desired.

SKY DARKENS IN QUEENS: We wondered yesterday: "Will Anthony Weiner be a congressman next week?" Today, the betting odds have shifted in a negative direction for the New Yorker, as growing numbers of Democrats call on him to step down and the race to replace him begins to stir. POLITICO's Jon Allen: "Two former Democratic National Committee chairmen, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and former Virginia governor and current Senate candidate Tim Kaine, have called on Weiner to tender his resignation, as has Rep. Allyson Schwartz, the Pennsylvania Democrat who runs the recruitment and candidate-services operations for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ... Democratic sources
told POLITICO that members of Weiner's staff were looking into new job opportunities...Had the House been in session, the dam could have given way completely."
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AND - LIFE AFTER WEINER - POLITICO's Haberman and Isenstadt relay the chatter about which Democrats might make a move on Weiner's seat: "Among the Democratic names circulating are City Councilman Mark Weprin, former City Councilwoman Melinda Katz and former City Councilman Eric Gioia...Party officials said Rep. Joe Crowley, a seven-term congressman who heads the Queens Democratic Party, would hold wide sway in picking a candidate, effectively determining the nominee along with the Brooklyn Democratic leader, Assemblyman Vito Lopez."
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POLLING TALKER - NOT PULLING FOR PALIN - A 54-percent majority of Republicans does not want Sarah Palin to run for president, according to a CBS News poll published last night. Among self-identified tea partiers, that number is almost the same: 50 percent don't want Palin in the 2012 race. The same poll shows decent news for Romney: His favorability ratings are 26 points in the positive direction, and there are signs he still has room to grow. CBS: Romney is the best-known official candidate in top-of-mind response: asked to volunteer the first Republican candidate that comes to mind, Romney is most often named, cited by 34% of voters. 36% cannot name anyone."
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OBAMA'S NUMBERS - NOT A GOOD TREND - The ABC/Washington Post poll touched off an "Obama slump" narrative earlier this week, and a few more data points add to the renewed sense that he's vulnerable in 2012. Both CBS and CNN show his approval rating at 48 percent - in CBS's case, that's down from 57 percent right after the death of Osama bin Laden. More alarming: CNN finds 30 percent of Americans worried that someone in their household will lose their job and 41 percent saying it's likely another Great Depression could happen in the next year. That's amazing pessimism, given that the country's technically out of recession.
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PLUS - OUTLIER OR TREND-SETTER? Palin has had a run of bad polling this week, between the CBS numbers, a Quinnipiac survey and an ABC News/Washington Post poll suggesting she's pretty much unelectable. But a Reuters/Ipsos survey released yesterday put her at the top of the 2012 primary field, leading Romney, 22 percent to 20 percent. The catch: Ipsos also showed Romney trailing Obama by 13 points, Pawlenty behind by 19 points and Palin behind by 23 points.
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MCKENNA IS IN: Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna announced for governor on the GOP side yesterday, surprising no one but kicking off the campaign for Gov. Chris Gregoire's job all the same. McKenna picked up a quick endorsement from Rep. Dave Reichert, who at one point looked like a potential primary opponent. And Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, the vice chairman of the Republican Governors Association, will raise money for McKenna on Friday, in a sign that the national party is squarely behind his campaign. AP: "Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire has not announced her plans for 2012. She is widely expected to not seek a third term. U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, the seven-term Bainbridge Island
Democrat, has been preparing to run if Gregoire bows out."
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THE 2014 SCORE - BOOKER FOR SENATE? Newark Mayor Cory Booker has formed a federal political action committee, in a move that the Star-Ledger suggests might presage a run for Senate down the line. An anonymous Booker source told the paper: "There's a potential for a Senate run if the lane opens up for a Senate run ... We plan to be very engaged as President Obama campaigns to be elected to a second term. This is a tool that will help us to raise money as we travel across the country." Booker is one of the top potential opponents for Republican Gov. Chris Christie in 2013.

METRO SECTION - FILNER ADVANCES IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION - California Rep. Bob Filner filed paperwork Wednesday to run for mayor of San Diego, raising the prospect of an open House seat after redistricting. The San Diego Union-Tribune: "Filner, 68, a former San Diego school board and City Council member, said he's running because of his frustration with the inability of current and past city leaders to solve San Diego's fiscal woes ... Filner is the fourth major candidate to enter the race following three Republicans: City Councilman Carl DeMaio, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and state Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher. They'll square off in a June 5, 2012, primary and, if no one wins more
than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers would compete in a November runoff."
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CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Herman Cain, what a man." - Glenn Beck, after the former pizza executive pledged during a Wednesday interview to attend Beck's rally in Israel this August.
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