Here are ten things you need to know today.
- Rubio endorses Romney: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio endorsed Mitt Romney Wednesday on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News. Rubio said Romney offers “a stark contrast” to the President’s record. Rubio said that calls for a brokered convention from Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were a recipe for re-electing Obama and that “We have got to come together behind who I think has earned this nomination and that’s Mitt Romney.” On rumors that Rubio could be Romney’s VP pick, he said: “I don’t believe I’m going to be asked … that’s not what I want.”
- Adelson says Newt’s ‘at the end of his line’: Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate who kept Newt Gingrich’s campaign alive with big donations, said on Monday that he thought Newt’s campaign was virtually over. Adelson and his wife have have given $15 million in donations to a pro-Newt super PAC. Newt’s “at the end of his line,” Adelson said.
- Romney’s joke about lay-offs draws criticism: Mitt Romney joked on a conference call Wednesday about the time his father closed a factory in Michigan, and then tried to downplay the fact when he ran for governor. Democrats pounced on the comments as yet more evidence that Romney is out of touch.
- Obama up by 11 points in new poll: A new CNN poll shows President Obama up 11 points over Mitt Romney, 54% to 43%. The poll comes just as others show Obama’s favorability rising and Romney’s sinking.
- Nelson ahead in Florida Senate poll: Incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is leading Republican challenger U.S. Rep. Connie Mack by 8 points, breaking out of what was a dead-heat race, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Nelson leads 44% to 36%. The two are tied among men but Nelson leads by 14 points among women.
- Brown up by 10 in Ohio Senate race: A new Quinnipiac poll of the Ohio Senate race shows incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown ahead of State Treasurer Josh Mandel by 10 points, 46% to 36%. While the two candidates are virtually tied among male voters, women go for Brown by 48% to 31% and among independents 46% to 28%. Still, the 10-point spread is down slightly from Brown’s 13-point lead in the same poll in mid-February.
- NC Dem governors’ primary ‘as low-key as you can imagine’: A new survey from Public Policy Polling shows people’s uncertainty about the candidates has actually grown since last month. The percentage of undecided voters actually grew this month from 41% to 45%, prompting PPP to write that “This is about as low key an election for a major office as you could ever imagine.”
- Santorum to speak at Jelly Belly HQ: Rick Santorum is scheduled to make an address on foreign policy at the Jelly Belly Candy headquarters in Fairfield, California Thursday.
- Romney receives endorsement from Bush senior: It was announced yesterday that George H.W. Bush was endorsing Mitt Romney. Romney, still in Texas as he fundraises, will get the official endorsement in Houston Thursday afternoon.
- Gingrich and Paul in Wisconsin: Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul seem to be on a similar schedule lately. Both were in the Washington, D.C. area Wednesday, and Thursday both are in Wisconsin to campaign ahead of Tuesday’s primary there.
