Here are ten things you need to know today.
- Romney readies big speech in New Hampshire Tuesday: Today, five states — Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware — will hold their GOP presidential primaries, but Mitt Romney will watch the results come in from New Hampshire. From the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester, Romney will give a speech called “A Better America Begins Tonight” which will represent a pivot to the general election just as Romney will likely sweep more primaries.
- Gingrich hints he may drop out: Newt Gingrich signaled on Monday that he may call it quits if he has a poor showing in Delaware Tuesday, where he’s been campaigning for weeks. “I think we need to take a deep look at what we are doing,” Gingrich told NBC News. Gingrich will be watching the Delaware returns from North Carolina.
- Obama visits college campuses: President Obama will continue to push his message to young people this week with three speeches at college campuses in swing states: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Colorado at Boulder on Tuesday and the University of Iowa Wednesday.
- Dem groups hit Romney on education in new video: Priorities USA Action and American Bridge are pushing a new video highlighting Mitt Romney’s past remarks on higher education. The video plays like a movie reel of Romney footage on education, including his suggestion to one student earlier this year that she shop around for the best priced education. Along with the video, they are pushing information about Romney’s proposals as governor of Massachusetts to cut education spending and raise tuition.
- Team Romney goes on offense on young Americans: This week the Obama and Romney campaigns are going back and forth over education, trying to win over young Americans. Tuesday, the Romney campaign will hold a conference with former Senator Hank Brown, Congressman Aaron Schock and College Republican National Committee Chairman Alex Schriver on “the effect of President Obama’s failed policies on young adults.”
- Poll shows Romney and Obama virtually tied in Arizona: There’s speculation as to whether Arizona will be up for grabs for Democrats in November and a new poll from the Merrill/Morrison Institute puts Romney’s two-point lead over Obama well within the margin of error, 42 to 40 percent. The poll, which had a fairly small sample size of 488 registered voters, found voters going with their party’s candidate, making independents crucial.
- Obama super PAC making ad buys out west: Priorities USA Action is buying airtime in two western swing states, Colorado and Nevada from Tuesday, April 24 through May 14 worth almost $1 million, reports NBC News. The ad buys appear to be coordinated with the League for Conservation Voters. Priorities promised details on the joint venture in the next few days.
- GSA Scandal being used against Obama: The American Future Fund is planning a $2 million, multi-state ad offensive against President Obama, blaming him for the GSA scandal, reports Politico. The ad goes up Wednesday.
- Ann Romney responds to Hilary Rosen, again: At a dinner in Stamford, Connecticut Monday night, Ann Romney again discussed comments made by Hilary Rosen that she has “never worked a day in her life.” “Some people think I didn’t work,” Romney said, adding that she knows what it’s like to raise kids, pay bills, do laundry and that she didn’t get any help until after her fifth son was born.
- Romney has no public schedule: With five primaries today, the presumptive nominee has no public events scheduled except his election night rally in New Hampshire. Newt Gingrich has two small events in North Carolina.
