Today is the Democratic primary in Wisconsin to determine who will square off with Gov. Scott Walker in the June 5 recall election. Indiana voters head to the polls to vote in the Republican Senate primary between Sen. Richard Lugar and Indiana state treasurer Richard Mourdock and voters in North Carolina will vote on the anti-gay marriage Amendment One on their ballots. Here are ten things you need to know today.
- Santorum endorses Romney: Rick Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney Monday evening in an open letter posted on the former Pennsylvania Senator’s website. Santorum said the endorsement came after a one-on-one meeting with Romney on Friday, in which they discussed policy. He assured his supporters that Romney “clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved.”
- Liberals prepare to give millions to help Dems: Liberals donors, including financier George Soros, are preparing to give up to $100 million to independent liberal and progressive groups to help Democrats this fall, the New York Times reports. But instead of donating to super PACs as conservative donors have done, “the donors are focusing on grass-roots organizing, voter registration and Democratic turnout.”
- Soros gives $2 million to progressive groups: In his first major political donations this election cycle, George Soros has pledged $1 million apiece to America Votes, a group that coordinates political activity for left-leaning groups like environmental and abortion rights groups, and American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC that focuses on election research, reports the New York Times.
- Romney takes heat over ‘treason’ question: Mitt Romney meant to talk about the economy at a townhall event in Ohio Monday, but perhaps the biggest headline from the event is that Romney failed to correct a woman who in her question to him suggested that President Obama should be tried for treason. The event was compared to a similar incident with McCain in 2008 which McCain treated differently. Team Romney pushed back that it’s not their job to police all Republicans’ speech.
- Pressure mounts on Obama over gay marriage: President Obama faces pressure from his own party to “evolve” towards a full endorsement of marriage equality. A series of recent events, including top Dems supporting adding ‘freedom to marry’ to the national party platform, are making the president’s current position on gay marriage increasingly difficult to justify.
- Romney says he deserves credit for auto rescue: Mitt Romney said he deserves some credit for the auto industry rescue Monday in an interview with WEWS-TV in Cleveland. “I’ll take a lot of credit for the fact that this industry’s come back,” Romney said. “My own view, by the way, was that the auto companies needed to go through bankruptcy before government help,” he added “And frankly, that’s finally what the president did. He finally took them through bankruptcy.”
- Lugar may lose his primary today: It’s not looking good for Sen. Richard Lugar, the 36-year incumbent Senator who will face primary challenger Richard Mourdock Tuesday. Last week, a bipartisan poll showed Lugar down 10-points. Lugar hasn’t won a reelection campaign with less than 67 percent of the vote since 1982.
- DSCC reserves air time for McCaskill: The DSCC’s independent expenditure has reserved $3.4 million in statewide broadcast air time for Sen. Claire McCaskill’s reelection in Missouri for the final month of the campaign, reports Politico. The NRSC has already placed a $5 million ad buy for that time to defeat McCaskill.
- Obama appears with Gov. Cuomo: President Obama will travel to Albany, New York on Tuesday where he will deliver remarks on the economy alongside Governor Andrew Cuomo at 1:25PM ET. Vice President Biden will attend a campaign event in Charleston, South Carolina Tuesday afternoon.
- Romney campaigns in Michigan: Mitt Romney will hold an event at Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan.