A new Democracy Corps survey in the 56 most-competitive Republican held congressional districts finds President Obama now edging Mitt Romney, 48% to 47%. In December, Obama trailed by seven points.

Key finding: “Democrats are winning the image battle, up and down the ticket. While half of the voters in these districts register cool feelings toward the Republican Party and Republican Congress, the Democratic Party has enjoyed an 8-point bump in favorability since September 2011, and Democrats in Congress have seen a 7-point rise.”

Also interesting: “The Ryan budget is in trouble. Just 41% support it in these Republican districts with no description other than the fact that it cuts spending. When described, including using Ryan’s own language, support collapses to 34%.”

A new Dan Jones & Associates poll of Utah Republican state delegates shows Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is on the cusp winning 60% at this weekend’s state Republican Party Convention, and thus winning his record-setting seventh nomination.

It Hatch gets 60% at the convention, he’ll avoid a June 26 Republican primary against Dan Liljenquist (R).

Jon Karl takes a look at the possible contenders to be Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate.

Top Tier: Rob Portman, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush

Second Tier: Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, Bob McDonnell, Paul Ryan

Women: Kelly Ayotte, Mary Fallin, Nikki Haley, Susana Martinez

Others: John Thune, Jim DeMint, Tim Pawlenty

Tom Friedman urges New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for president this year as an independent.

“Bloomberg doesn’t have to win to succeed — or even stay in the race to the very end. Simply by running, participating in the debates and doing respectably in the polls — 15 to 20 percent — he could change the dynamic of the election and, most importantly, the course of the next administration, no matter who heads it. By running on important issues and offering sensible programs for addressing them — and showing that he had the support of the growing number of Americans who describe themselves as independents — he would compel the two candidates to gravitate toward some of his positions as Election Day neared. And, by taking part in the televised debates, he could impose a dose of reality on the election that would otherwise be missing. Congress would have to take note.”

A new Tribune Review/Susquehanna Research survey finds Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) leading Rep. Mark Critz (D-PA) in their primary showdown, 43% to 39%.

The winner will face Keith Rothfus (R) in the fall election.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) plans to air “positive” television ads in the coming weeks “as he looks to bolster his approval ratings and remind viewers of Virginia’s successes following a spate of bad publicity,” the Washington Post reports.

McDonnell is term-limited and can’t run for re-election in Virginia but the move indicates he’s very serious about boosting his image in a key battleground state in advance of Mitt Romney’s running mate selection.

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) may be rooting for the Red Sox against the Yankees this weekend, but Yankees president Randy Levine donated the maximum $2,500 to the senator’s re-election campaign last month, the Boston Herald reports.

“That’s right, the commander of the Evil Empire is helping to pay for all those Brown ads championing his support of the Red Sox.”

“Many progressive donors think President Obama has it in the bag. But he doesn’t even have it in the shopping cart yet, much less in the bag.”

— Paul Begala, in an interview with Greg Sargent, saying Democratic donors need to step up.

Charles Mahtesian
believes that Rep. Allen West (R-FL), best known for his strong Tea
Party affiliation and controversial attacks on Democrats, is likely to
run for president in 2016 or 2020.

“The conservative congressman
hasn’t explicitly said as much, but he’s following a path blazed by
Michele Bachmann, Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul… Thanks to Internet and
direct mail fundraising and the national platform offered by cable news
shows, even a House backbencher can now build a well-financed national
following. And Barack Obama’s victory, just four years removed from the
Illinois state Senate, suggests the boundaries surrounding the question
of office-holding experience have been erased.”

Bill Clinton’s “recent endorsements in a handful of House primaries have conjured up memories of the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, as he has sought to reward his wife’s supporters and candidates with loyalties to the couple,” Roll Call reports.

Said one Democratic fundraiser: “There’s nobody in this business that keeps score like the Clintons.”

The AP
reports that Rev. Robert Jeffress, an evangelical leader in Texas, has
called on Christians to support Mitt Romney “in spite of his Mormon
faith.”

Jeffress has previously called Mormonism a cult and said Mitt Romney is not really a Christian.

A new CBS News/New York Times poll finds Mitt Romney has closed the gap with President Obama among registered voters nationally with the two now tied at 46% each.

Alex Burns: “This is what you’d expect to see at the outset of the general election, as the challenger candidate solidifies his stature as his party’s nominee, but before either campaign really unloads on the other in a comprehensive, expensive way. But it’s helpful to Romney to get a spate of polling that may reassure voters and GOP leaders that his poor favorability rating won’t stop him from making this thing competitive.”

Jesse Kelly (R) won the Republican primary and will face Ron Barber (D) in a special election to fill the remaining months of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ (D-AZ) term in Congress, the Arizona Republic reports.

“Kelly, who lost narrowly to Giffords in 2010, had a campaign ready to go when Giffords resigned in late January to focus on recovering from a 2011 shooting outside a Tucson constituent event. The 30-year-old Kelly benefited from voters knowing his name and having a strong base of ‘tea party’ support built two years ago, when Republicans reclaimed a majority in the House.”

“As Giffords’ former district director, Barber is a formidable candidate… He is also forever linked to the 2011 tragedy, which left six
dead and 13 wounded, including Barber, who survived shots to the leg and
face.”