A new Rasmussen survey in Indiana shows Joe Donnelly (D) and Richard Mourdock (R) locked in a dead heat in their U.S. Senate race, 42% to 42%.
Become a member to get many great benefits -- exclusive analysis, trending news, a private podcast, no ads and more!
If you're already a member, log in for the full experience.
McCotter May Not Qualify for Primary Ballot
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) said that he “may not have turned in enough valid signatures to qualify for the Aug. 7 Republican primary in his suburban Detroit district,” the Detroit News reports.
Said McCotter: “Fully respecting the accuracy and integrity of the Secretary of State’s Office, we will thoroughly review our petition signatures for their sufficiency or insufficiency. Out of respect for Memorial Day, an announcement of our findings will be made public on Tuesday.”
“If his signatures are ruled insufficient, McCotter would still have options. He could run as a write-in Republican candidate or as an independent.”
Most Say They’re Conservative on Economic Issues
A new Gallup poll finds Americans are more than twice as likely to identify themselves as conservative rather than liberal on economic issues, 46% to 20%.
The gap is narrower on social issues, but conservatives still outnumber liberals, 38% to 28%.
Democratic Poll Also Shows Walker Ahead
A new Wisconsin poll commissioned by the Democratic Governors Association finds Gov. Scott Walker (R) with a narrow lead over challenger Tom Barrett (D) in the recall election, 49% to 46%.
Clinton Took Photo After Agents Rebuffed Porn Stars
After porn stars Brooklyn Lee and Tasha Reign were shooed away from Bill Clinton by a Secret Service agent, the former president called them back over for a photo, ABC News reports.
However, the two were uncertain, but hopeful, that Clinton knew who they were.
Said Lee: “I kind of feel like he knows. We hope he likes us and we hope he likes to watch our movies.”
Reign concurred: “I have a feeling that everyone watches adult entertainment.”
Obama Inhaled
BuzzFeed compiles excerpts from Barack Obama: The Story by David Maraniss that deal with the “elaborate drug culture” surrounding Barack Obama when he attended Punahou School in Honolulu and Occidental College in Los Angeles.
The bottom line: “He inhaled. A lot.”
Trump Insists Again Obama Wasn’t Born in the U.S.
Donald Trump told Lloyd Grove that President Obama was born in Kenya, not the United States.
Said Trump: “That’s the way life works… He didn’t know he was running for president, so he told the truth. The literary agent wrote down what he said… He said he was born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia… Now they’re saying it was a mistake. Just like his Kenyan grandmother said he was born in Kenya, and she pointed down the road to the hospital, and after people started screaming at her she said, ‘Oh, I mean Hawaii.’ Give me a break.”
House Plans Vote on Bush Tax Rates
House Republican leaders “unveiled a legislative calendar for the summer, revealing plans to hammer President Obama and Democrats on the economy, energy, taxes and other divisive issues in the months leading up to November’s elections,” The Hill reports.
The schedule includes a July vote to extend the Bush-era tax rates for all Americans.
Obama Strays Off Message
President Obama, not Mitt Romney, “is the one with the muddled message — and the one who often comes across as baldly political,” Politico reports.
“Obama, not Romney, is the one facing blowback from his own party on the central issue of the campaign so far – Romney’s history with Bain Capital. And most remarkably, Obama, not Romney, is the one falling behind in fundraising.”
However, First Read points out there is “one big exception to this: Donald Trump. Yesterday, we found out that Romney will attend a fundraiser in Las Vegas on Tuesday with Trump, and the campaign is also pushing a “Dine with Donald Trump and Mitt Romney” competition. This now makes Trump an unmistakable surrogate for the Romney campaign, especially considering his other assistance to Romney (his endorsement, attendance at other fundraisers). And as we’ve seen in the past, candidates are often forced to own what their surrogates say.”
Quote of the Day
“Mitt Romney did what he had to do in order to become the nominee.”
— Newt Gingrich, in an interview on MSNBC.
Women May Provide Edge to Obama
Ron Brownstein: “The new round of national and state surveys this week generally showing President Obama clinging to a tenuous advantage over Republican Mitt Romney reinforce the conclusion that socially liberal, upscale white women may stand as the president’s indispensable line of defense in his struggle for reelection.”
“Both the national ABC/Washington Post survey released earlier this week, and the NBC/Marist Polls released Thursday in the battleground states of Ohio, Virginia and Florida show Obama retaining preponderant support among minority voters who were critical to his 2008 victory. Conversely, in almost all of the surveys, Obama faces a consistent pattern of erosion from his already meager 2008 levels of support among whites without a college education.”
Walker Spending Much More on Television Ads
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and his Republican allies have outspent Tom Barrett (D) and supportive groups more than 3-1 on TV ad buys during the three months leading up to the June 5 recall election, The Hotline reports.
Rubio Plans Swings State Book Tour
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) “is planning a swing-state summer bus tour that will also roll through South Carolina, the early presidential primary battleground,” the Miami Herald reports.
“It’s officially aimed at selling books, not winning votes, but the freshman senator and possible vice presidential pick is set to make multiple stops not just in his home state of Florida but also in North Carolina and Virginia, critical presidential battlegrounds this fall. On the way, he’ll make several appearances in South Carolina, where Republicans hold their first-in-the-South presidential primary.”
An American Son will be released in June.
Perry Reasserts Himself in Texas
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) “is now embarking on an all-out effort to revive his standing in Texas and prove he’s still a dominant force in the Lone Star State,” Politico reports.
“Unlike other failed White House candidates — Tim Pawlenty, for example — Perry has declined to become one of many full-time foot soldiers for Mitt Romney’s general election campaign. And unlike Sarah Palin, another superstar governor who flamed out as a national candidate, Perry still has a taste for wielding power on the state level. He has toyed publicly with the idea of running for governor again in 2014, and even with another presidential bid down the line.”
“The governor has endorsed 16 candidates for state and local office this year, including throwing his full weight behind Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who is locked in a battle for the Republican Party’s Senate nomination next Tuesday… The decision to back Dewhurst so aggressively represents a gamble that as a three-term governor, Perry is still the political king of Texas.”
Marion Barry Digs a Deeper Hole
Washington, D.C. Council member Marion Barry “stepped up his campaign to mend relations with Asians, apologizing again for disparaging remarks he made about Koreans and Filipinos,” noting the United States “has had racial tensions since it was founded,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Barry: “The Irish caught hell, the Jews caught hell, the Polacks caught hell.”
Asked later about his reference to “Polacks,” Barry at first denied using the word, then retracted it. “I meant Poles.”
Halperin Interviews Romney
Andrew Sullivan comments on Mark Halperin’s recent interview with Mitt Romney:
“If you do not feel the urge to cut out your own heart with a dull knife after reading it, there’s something wrong with you.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’ve had a couple of those during the campaign, which have haunted me a
little bit, but I’m sure before this is over will haunt me a lot.”
— Mitt Romney, in an interview with Peggy Noonan, speaking about gaffes “that make me want to kick myself in the seat of my pants.”
Romney Has Edge in North Carolina
A new Civitas Institute poll in North Carolina shows Mitt Romney just edging President Obama in the battleground state, 47% to 45%.
