A new Florida Opinion Research poll finds former Gov. Charlie Crist (I) would trounce Rick Scott (R) in Florida’s 2014 gubernatorial race if Crist ran this time as a Democrat, 48% to 34%.
John Edwards Hits the Bar Scene
As the jury in the John Edwards trial continues deliberations this week, the New York Post reports the former presidential candidate “flexed his trial-lawyer charm on pretty Andrea Love, 25, at the dive Bowbarr just outside of Chapel Hill, NC, last spring.”
Said Love: “I met him by the bar. I was kind of amused by the situation. He seemed like a charming guy.”
“Love said Edwards tried to schmooze her by telling her he was looking forward to practicing law again — and wanted to represent the poor.”
Gawker: “Leering, accusatory articles such as these are just media voyeurism dressed up as concern trolling. Being very concerned about John Edwards hitting on a 25-year-old is much more perverted than John Edwards hitting on a 25-year-old.”
Romney Leads Among White Workers in Rust Belt
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll of white working-class voters across the Rust Belt — Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and parts of New York and Pennsylvania — finds Mitt Romney leading President Obama, 44% to 30%.
Quote of the Day
“I have no interest in politics. Never have. Never will.”
— First Lady Michelle Obama, on The View, when asked if she would ever run for office.
Just 244 of 2,000 McCotter Signatures Were Valid
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) “turned in 2,000 petition signatures to get on August primary ballot, but all except 244 have been deemed invalid because of rampant duplicated copies,” the Detroit News reports.
“A review by The Detroit News of the petition signatures found full copies of a sheet of signatures that were photocopied once and in some cases two times and mixed in with the 136-page stack of signatures. In some cases, a different petition circulator’s name was signed to the duplicate copy.”
McCotter accepted the findings and will now run as a write-in candidate.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports the Michigan attorney general is investigating the McCotter campaign for possible fraud.
Obama Way Up in Michigan
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Michigan finds President Obama leads Mitt Romney by 14 points, 53% to 39%.
Key finding: “Obama’s crushing Romney on what will doubtless be one of the biggest issues in the campaign in Michigan: 55% think that he’s been better for the automotive industry in the state to only 31% who say Romney wins out on that front.”
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Booker Aide Quits
Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s (D) communication director confirmed to the Newark Star Ledger that she is resigning in the wake of Booker’s disastrous appearance on Meet The Press last week.
Said Anne Torres: “I just decided it is best if I pursued other opportunities. We have very different views on how communications should be run.”
The New New Deal
A must-read book out later this summer: The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era by Michael Grunwald.
Trump Steps Up Birther Charges
On the same day Donald Trump hosts a fundraiser for Mitt Romney in Las Vegas, he stepped up his accusations in a remarkable CNBC interview that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States.
Trump also confirmed he would start a Super PAC with up to $10 million to “do your own thing.”
Billionaires for Romney
Rolling Stone takes an interesting look at 16 Mitt Romney donors who have put up $52 million in a Super PAC that supports his campaign.
“This unprecedented infusion of money from America’s monied elites underscores the radical transformation of the Republican Party, which has made defending the interests of 0.0001 percent the basis of its entire platform.”
Kirk’s Ex-Wife Charges He Illegally Paid Ex-Girlfriend
Sen. Mark Kirk’s (R-IL) ex-wife filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that her former husband and then-girlfriend may have broken campaign finance laws, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“The girlfriend, Dodie McCracken, who works in public relations, has acknowledged receiving more than $143,000 in fees and expenses for her campaign work. A former live-in girlfriend, she is no longer romantically involved with Kirk… At the heart of the matter is Vertolli’s assertion that the Kirk campaign may have improperly hidden money to McCracken by paying her through another company working for the campaign. Because the money was not paid directly to McCracken, her name does not appear in Kirk’s federal disclosures.”
Interestingly, Kirk also “quietly paid” his ex-wife $40,000 in campaign funds after she publicly said she wouldn’t support his campaign in 2010.
McCotter Will Run as a Write-In Candidate
Admitting there were “some irregularities” in his signatures to qualify for the Michigan GOP primary ballot, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI said he is running for re-election to Congress as a write-in candidate, the Detroit News reports.
Obama Leads in Colorado
A Project New America poll in Colorado finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney by four points in the presidential race, 48% to 44%.
Obama Crushes Romney in California
A new USC Dornslife/Los Angeles Times poll in California finds that women, independents, moderates and Latinos help President Obama take a commanding lead over Mitt Romney, 56% to 37%.
Two Republican Nominees
The Obama campaign released a video showing how Sen. John McCain distanced himself from extremist positions in 2008 while Mitt Romney refuses to do so when it comes to Donald Trump.
Sarah Palin in the Minor Leagues
Politico: “This year, Palin has become almost irrelevant in the context of the presidential race she once had a chance to dominate, and is seen more than ever as a sideshow by the Republican establishment. But after seeing her celebrity peak last year, Palin has settled into a role as something of a strong Triple-A political ballplayer, picking well on down-ballot races and earning credit as she goes.”
“If she jumps into the right streams, the ex-veep nominee’s backers will cite her endorsements as fresh evidence of her clout — even if she’s being carried by the tide. Yet her durability among the grassroots of the party, even with the tea-party movement diffusing in 2012, is clear.”
How Obama Learned to Kill
The Daily Beast runs excerpts from a new book, Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency, which shows President Obama wasn’t always “the commander in chief who never flinches” as the White House likes to portray.
