Here are ten things you need to know today.
- Anti-Obama super PAC plans ad blitz: Republican super PAC American Crossroads is planning an anti-Obama ad blitz, reports the New York Times. The first round of advertising could start this month, and will focus on bringing down Obama’s popularity. The strategy is to show Obama as someone who “may not be up to the job” and “can’t seem to fix things he promised he would fix.”
- The Hillary Clinton boom is back: The Secretary of State is enjoying high times in terms of popular opinion: “A recent Gallup poll showed her favorability rating reach new heights at 66 percent, including 40 percent of Republicans who view her positively, an astronomical figure for a prominent Democrat these days.”
- Newt Gingrich all but concedes: Newt Gingrich is no longer pretending he’ll win the nomination, or even that he’s trying to. On Sunday, the candidate said Romney would most likely get the nomination, and that he would work to get him elected in the fall.
- Santorum advisor on dropping out: Santorum senior advisor John Brabender explains the bar for when Santorum would drop out: “If we come to a conclusion that another candidate will get 1,144, we’re going to respect that.”
- Group steps up attacks on Lugar in Indiana: The conservative Club for Growth is coming out with three new ads, one TV spot and two radio ads, attacking Sen. Richard Lugar who’s facing a tough primary battle from Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock. The ads attack Lugar, a Republican, from the right on bailouts, tax increases and President Obama’s nominees to the Supreme Court.
- NRA attacks Lugar: In addition to the Club for Growth, the National Rifle Association has launched a series of TV and radio ads attacking Sen. Lugar in Indiana that will begin running today. In a TV spot, a narrator says: “Dick Lugar has changed…He’s become the only Republican candidate in Indiana with an ‘F’ rating from the NRA.”
- Cardinal says Catholics won’t hold Romney’s Mormon faith against him: On Easter, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said on Face the Nation that Catholics wouldn’t keep from voting for Mitt Romney because he’s Mormon. He also said he wants to work to keep “religious bigotry” out of this year’s elections. “I don’t think Catholics would have any problem voting for a Mormon at all,” he said.
- The delegate count shows Romney way up: Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have set the bar for dropping out at Romney winning the necessary 1,144 voters to win the nomination. Right now, the delegate count according to the Associated Press shows Romney with 660 delegates, 281 for Santorum, 135 for Gingrich, and Ron Paul with 51.
- Why Santorum is taking the day off: Rick Santorum is with his daughter Bella, who was hospitalized over the weekend. He plans to return to the trail Tuesday with campaign events in Pennsylvania.
- Gingrich in North Carolina: Newt Gingrich will hold two campaign events Monday morning in Raleigh, North Carolina. Along with Delaware, North Carolina is the other state where Gingrich is putting most of his attention.
