Here are 10 things you need to know today.
- Republicans engage on gender gap: After more than a month of polls showing a growing gender gap with women favoring Democrats, Republicans are now actively trying to win some back. Likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign has used his wife Ann as a helpful spokeswoman for the cause, while Romney himself and other surrogates have tried to move the conversation from the debate that formed around social issues during the beginning of the year to one about the economy.
- Haley advises Romney on women voters: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley gave Romney some advice on how to win back a few women voters in an interview published Friday. “I think first of all, women are very thoughtful. They’re not one-issue type voters,” she told Newsmax. “They care about jobs. They care about the economy. They care about health care, and education, and the debt of our children and our grandchildren, and so I think what Gov. Romney needs to do is go to women and talk to them — and talk about their concerns and their issues. And that’s how you relate with them.”
- Giuliani may endorse Romney soon: Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) may endorse Romney soon, but he’s not excited about it, according to a report from the Washington Post. “He’s about to,” former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-NY) told the paper, citing “bad blood” from the 2008 campaign. “He wants to do it for the sake of the country, so he is willing to put his own feelings aside.”
- Cantor donated to anti-incumbent PAC: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) donated $25,000 through his personal political action committee to the Campaign for Primary Accountability, a group dedicated to attacking incumbents in congressional primaries. The move is unusual because as a member of congressional Republican leadership, he is expected to support incumbents.
- Scarborough: Romney will lose: On Friday morning, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough gave a stark assessment of Romney’s chances in a general election against President Obama. “Let’s just be honest. Can we just say this for everybody at home?” he said. “The Republican establishment — I have yet to meet a single person from the Republican establishment who thinks Mitt Romney’s going to win the general election this year. They won’t say it on TV, because they’ve got to go on TV, and they don’t want people writing them nasty e-mails. I obviously don’t care. But I have yet to meet anybody in the Republican establishment that worked for George W. Bush, that works in the Republican Congress, that worked for Ronald Reagan that thinks Mitt Romney’s going to win the general election.”
- Walker signs repeal of equal pay law: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), headed for a recall election June 5, signed a repeal of a state law aimed at making the workplace more equal for women. “The 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act was meant to deter employers from discriminating against certain groups by giving workers more avenues via which to press charges,” the Huffington Post wrote. “Among other provisions, it allows individuals to plead their cases in the less costly, more accessible state circuit court system, rather than just in federal court.” The repeal is particularly bad timing because of other issues the GOP is facing with women.
- Obama team attacks on Walker action: As soon as Walker signed the repeal of the equal pay law in Wisconsin, the Obama team tried to tie Romney to the move. “Mitt Romney has repeatedly dismissed the effect of Republican efforts to roll back access to contraception and other health care services on the women’s vote, saying that he would appeal to women by talking about their economic concerns,” said Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith in a statement. “If this is the case does Romney think women should have ability to take their bosses to court to get the same pay as their male coworkers? Or does he stand with Governor Walker against this?”
- Cuccinelli unhappy with Romney candidacy: Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) knows that Mitt Romney will be the likely Republican nominee, but he’s not excited about it, he said in an interview with The Daily Caller: “Asked by The Daily Caller how, in a nation of a roughly 310 million people, the Republican Party is set to nominate the only person other than President Barack Obama to sign an individual health insurance mandate into law, Cuccinelli said he was “not quite sure how to answer.”
- Scott Brown posts strong fundraising numbers: Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) posted a $3.4 million take this quarter, and has $15 million in the bank, his campaign announced. The Boston Globe reported that his chief rival may surpass him, however. “His main Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Warren, has not released her full tallies, but they are likely to be higher,” the paper wrote. “Her campaign said earlier this week that she had raised $2.5 million from Massachusetts residents alone. She has previously raised more money out of state.”
- No publicly scheduled campaign events today: None of the candidates will be making any stops today on the trail, the second day of Easter weekend and Passover.
