Here are ten things you need to know today.
- Poll shows Obama would trounce Romney in Massachusetts: A new Public Policy Polling survey shows President Obama with a huge lead over Mitt Romney in his home state: 58% to 35%. Obama’s approval there is 57%-38%. In contrast, Romney’s favorable rating is about opposite, 37%, to 57%.
- McMahon leads in Connecticut Senate primary: A new Quinnipiac poll shows wresting executive Linda McMahon leading the GOP field in the Connecticut Senate primary. However, former Rep. Christopher Shays, 9 points behind McMahon in the primary, fares better against the Democratic candidates in general match-ups.
- Jeb Bush recommends Rubio as VP pick: Jeb Bush recommends Marco Rubio as Romney’s running mate. Bush praised the freshman Senator, calling him “the best orator of American politics today” and able “to communicate a conservative message full of hope and optimism”
- Ann Romney tells folks to lighten up: On ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’ Wednesday, Ann Romney said that she laughed at Robert De Niro’s joke about her and the other GOP candidates’ wives. “I took it for what it was: a joke,” she said. “We take everything so seriously.”
- Romney says Bush stopped a depression after financial crisis: Mitt Romney said at a Maryland event Wednesday that it was George W. Bush and his administration, not President Obama, who prevented a depression. “I keep hearing the president say he’s responsible for keeping the country out of a Great Depression,” Romney said. “No, no, no, that was President George W. Bush and [then-Treasury Secretary] Hank Paulson.”
- Mitt Romney’s gaffe curse: Every time Romney looks like he’s pulling ahead, he (or someone on his team) makes a comment that distracts from his momentum and message. The Etch A Sketch affair Wednesday was just one in a long line of gaffes that may be actually hurting the candidate, reports TPM.
- Obama continues energy tour: Thursday, President Obama will continue his two-day energy tour to shore up support for his energy policies as the GOP candidates hammer him on gas prices. He’ll stop in Oklahoma Thursday to address the building of a portion of the Keystone pipelines from Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico, before heading to Ohio.
- Gillibrand brings up a Hillary 2016 run: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said Wednesday that she would ask Hillary Clinton to run again in 2016. “I’m going to be one of the first to ask Hillary to run in 2016,” the woman who replaced Clinton in the Senate told BuzzFeed. “I think she would be incredibly well-poised to be our next Democratic president.” Clinton has said more than once she will not run.
- Romney to visit Louisiana: On Friday, the day before the Louisiana primary, Mitt Romney will finally visit Louisana. He has two events scheduled for Friday: a Repeal & Replace Obamacare Event in Metairie, then an Energy Event in Shreveport.
- Duggars aren’t giving up on Santorum: The Duggars, of TLC reality-show fame, remain loyal surrogates for Rick Santorum. The family will appear for Santorum at two churches, one in West Monroe and the other in Lafayette.
