Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said today Mitt Romney should look for someone else with more experience than he has to join the GOP ticket. Rubio, a freshman senator, said other Republicans are in a better career position to serve. However, Rubio clearly opened the door to 2016 or beyond.

Rubio said Romney has a deep list of choices within the Republican party. "We have such a high number of qualified folks, some of whom are perhaps in the right position to do it, in terms of where they are in their political career, and so forth.  That's where I think Gov. Romney is gonna look. That's where I think that, uh, he should be encouraged to look to that group of folks." 

Rubio said he wants to accomplish some things in the Senate first, "And I think, if I do a good job in the Senate, if I do a good job in the Senate, three, four, five, six years from now, I will have different opportunities."

While emphasizing that he is "new" to the "veepstakes" tradition, Rubio says he believes the speculation around him is driven by a news cycle that needs something written every few hours.  

And he admits there is an upside, "It is flattering, OK, to have people think of you in this way but the truth is at some point in a couple years, maybe in a couple weeks, they'll be talking about someone else like that. And then what you have left is: What did you do? What difference did you make?"

The new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that 63% of respondents say that higher gas prices have had either a "great deal" or "quite a bit" of impact on them and their families.

That percentage is up from March, when just under half -- 49% -- said that about the higher gas prices.

In this poll, 38% said the higher prices were having a "great deal" of impact; 25% said they were having "quite a bit" of impact; 23% said they had "just some" impact; and only 14% said they had "not much" impact at all.

The full NBC/WSJ poll -- which was taken of 1,000 respondents (250 reached by cell phone) and which has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points -- will be released at 6:30 pm ET.

Updated 4:01 p.m. - LORAIN, OH -- Mitt Romney brought his fledgling general election campaign to the battleground state of Ohio on Thursday, calling out President Obama just a few miles from where the president spoke yesterday.

"This factory is empty. It is owned by National Gypsum. It was closed in 2008 at the beginning of the economic downturn. Had the president’s economic plans worked, President Obama’s plans worked, it would have been open by now," Romney said on the floor of a factory where Obama campaigned as a candidate in February of 2008.

"But it is still empty, And it underscores the failure of this president’s policies with regards to getting the economy going again," Romney said, just miles from Lorain County Community College, where the president visited Wednesday.

The bracketing of the president was intentional, following Romney's own speech Wednesday overlooking the site of the president's renomination speech this fall in Charlotte, and a sign of the long campaign to come.

"You know the other day, I guess it was just yesterday, he was in Ohio. And he said that this campaign is going to come down to his vision…his vision for America. If you want to know where his vision leads, open your eyes because we have been living it the last three years. It leads to lost jobs, lost homes, lost dreams," Romney continued. "It’s time to end that vision and have a vision of growth and jobs and economic vitality!"

The bracketing effort represents part of a broader emerging strategy by the Romney campaign.

"I think what you're going to see over the course of this campaign is a very aggressive effort by Governor Romney to take his case directly to President Obama on his failed leadership," Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters before the speech.

Democrats accused Romney of distorting the president's record by casting the factory, which closed during the Bush administration, as a failure of President Obama's economic policies. Romney's campaign disputed that argument.

“This plant has been struggling to reopen for the past three years," Fehrnstrom said. "In fact the president came here in 2008 to campaign and said it would be his policies that get it back on its feet. He’s failed. It’s been three and half years, and his policies have failed.”

Romney's remarks here followed a similar script as other recent speeches in which the presumptive nominee has looked to play up his economic bonafides and cast the election as a referendum on the president's stewardship of the economy.

The former Massachusetts also accused the president of running a campaign that would "not be about vision, but about division," a refrain that has consistently earned applause from Romney's audiences in recent appearances.

For the Romney campaign, the narrow primary win here last month previews what could be a bitter battle for the state's white, working class voters that could swing Ohio, and the election, for one candidate or another. Romney received the belated endorsement of the state's governor and lieutenant governor today, and while he did not refer to either politician, he tipped his hat to the importance of the Buckeye State in both his opening, and closing, remarks.

"I'm counting on Ohio," Romney said simply, wrapping up his speech.

UPDATE: Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith responded:

“In a speech that he concluded by saying he’d ‘tell the truth,’ Mitt Romney actually didn’t tell the truth about President Obama’s record and his own failed record in Massachusetts—all while blaming the President for a plant closing that occurred before he took office.  Mitt Romney is building quite a record of giving speeches filled with distortions and fabrications. Why does he have such an aversion to the truth?  Contrary to Romney’s rhetoric today, under President Obama’s leadership every working American has received a tax cut, fewer new regulations have been approved than under President Bush, and we’ve gone from losing 750,000 jobs a month when he took office to creating over 4 million private sector jobs in the last 25 months. On the other hand, Mitt Romney’s record in Massachusetts was one of fewer jobs, higher taxes, more debt, and bigger government. And now he is embracing the same failed policies that created the economic crisis and closed the plant where he held his event today: tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and letting Wall Street write its own rules. If Mitt Romney wants to ensure the American people that he will ‘tell the truth,’ he might want to start by getting a new speechwriter.”

WASHINGTON -- You can add it to the ever-growing catalog of times Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has denied he will be the vice presidential pick.

The rising GOP star on Thursday flatly said he would tell Mitt Romney, "No," if the presumptive Republican nominee asked him to join the ticket in November.

Speaking to National Journal's Major Garrett, the tea party favorite even offered up some names of his own that might make a good choice.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

Sen. Marco Rubio addresses the American Conservative Union's annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

"We've got a lot of really talented people out there that Mitt Romney can get to pick from," Rubio said. "And I think a lot -- Sen. Rob Portman would be a phenomenal choice for vice president, that's where I would encourage him to look, because I'm enjoying my service in the Senate."

(That could be some gamesmanship by Rubio, considering Garrett wrote a piece predicting Portman would be Romney's choice.)

But those wanting to continue to fan the flames of the Rubio VP speculation can read into a tongue slip made by the Sunshine State senator just moments after dismissing his prospects of joining Romney's White House run.

"If I do a good job as vice president," he said, before quickly correcting himself. "I'm sorry. If I do a good job as a senator, instead of as vice president."

Rubio, a Cuban-American who speaks Spanish and represents the key swing state of Florida, has been in vice-presidential speculation since his high-profile Senate win in 2010. Romney has acknowledged the problems he and the party has with Latinos and the need to win them over. He has said there needs to be a Republican DREAM Act, something Rubio is crafting. 

Though he has continually denied both that he will be asked and that he would accept a VP nod, Rubio today made sure to point out inexperience was not a factor.

"I'll be more experienced next year than I am this year," he said. "But I think that's true for all of us. I'm not new to politics," he said, before citing his nine years in the Florida legislature, winning a high-profile campaign and spending the last year and a half in Washington.

Rubio, who was speaking at a program organized by National Journal to discuss the country's changing demographics, said he hopes his DREAM Act is ready by the summer. But he acknowledged the challenges that come with passing laws during an election year -- especially those dealing with immigration reform.

"What I'm suspecting is, some people are really counting on this to be used as a wedge in this election," he said. "The thought of it somehow being solved...is terrifying for them."

When countered with the theory that Rubio is bringing the issue to the forefront now to help Republicans overcome their Hispanic hurdle in the fall, he said, "I don't think one bill is going to change whatever that disadvantage may be."

Regardless of whether he is on the ticket, Rubio said he is optimistic the former Massachusetts governor will support the bill.

"He's now the leader of the Republican Party," Rubio said, "so I would hope to convince him to support a concept like this."

LORAIN, OH -- Eye-popping donations totaling $50,000 or more have taken the place of the relatively meager $2,500 checks to Mitt Romney's campaign now that the former Massachusetts governor has pivoted to the general election.

The $2,500 figure might be most familiar to political observers as the maximum possible contribution to a candidate allowed by law.

But things aren't quite that simple.

The most generous political donors might write checks totaling $38,500 -- or as much as $50,000 -- to gain access to the most exclusive fundraisers for either Romney or President Obama. Romney's begun to attend these fundraisers, including a notable one on Sunday evening.

Why the change? And how is it legal? The answer lies in the so-called "Victory" funds set up by the Obama and Romney campaigns, each in concert with their respective national party committees and select state party organizations. The structure is designed to make it easy for the richest donors to write the largest possible checks to their candidate of choice.

"Somebody used to say, politicians have coats with many pockets. Now its a lot of pockets with a little bit of coat attached to it," said Bill Allison of the non-profit open government advocacy group Sunlight Foundation, explaining how money is collected for modern political campaigns.

And filling all those pockets for what many analysts expect to be the most expensive election in history takes a bit of creativity.

Take, for example, the Romney campaign's victory fund.

A visit to the Romney campaign's secure donation website features the breakdown of how a mega-gift is distributed in the fine print.

• The first $2,500 of any donation goes to the campaign's primary campaign bank account. This is the money Romney is legally required to depend upon until he is formally named the nominee of the Republican Party.
• Already donated the $2,500 maximum, or giving beyond that? No problem. The next $2,500 of your check goes to the Romney campaign's general election bank account -- untouchable until Romney is the official, not the presumptive, GOP nominee. The total of $5,000 between the two phases of the campaign are the maximum a single donor may contribute directly to a single candidate.
• The next $30,800 of that big check goes to the Republican National Committee, which will work in close concert with the eventual GOP nominee to support his campaign and other Republican races across the country.
• Any amount beyond that is to be split evenly between four state Republican Party committees: those in Massachusetts, Vermont, Idaho and Oklahoma, up to $10,000 per committee.

The contributions to the federal PACs set up by state party committees represents the latest twist in a complicated process. Its one 100 percent legal, and both parties do it, but in different ways.

The Obama campaign's victory fund, according to a Sunlight Foundation analysis directs huge donations directly into the federal accounts of battleground states like Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Nevada. The president has been raising that money for months at major fundraisers documented in dozens of pool reports.

The Romney campaign's fund uses the federal accounts of the Republican state parties named above -- Massachusetts, Vermont, Idaho and Oklahoma -- as holding areas for donations. None of those states are expected to be fall battlegrounds, and all can legally transfer unlimited amounts of money when the fall campaign heats up.

"The joint fundraising committee includes state parties that are permitted by federal election law to make unlimited federal dollar transfers to the battleground state parties," Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul said in a statement.

"As they get closer to the election they can decide what states need help and send money there," Allison explained. "You do have to be able to trust the officials who are in charge of the money."

One other advantage of the system set up by the Romney campaign? After donors hit the $10,000 limit to each of the state parties in the victory fund, they can still give even more money to the battleground states directly as the campaign comes into greater focus.

And if all of that is too confusing to follow, a mega-donor could choose instead to write one, massive check to a super PAC like Restore our Future (Romney) or Priorities USA Action (Obama)

"With Super PACs, you can just write the big one million dollar check and then go to happy hour," said Allison.

Since emerging as the Republican Party's presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney has seen his favorability score increase to its highest mark, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

But that score still remains a net-negative, and it trails President Obama's.

In the poll, 33% view Romney positively -- which is higher than it has ever been in the survey -- versus 36% who view him negatively. That's an improvement from March, when his score was 28% positive-39% negative.

Much of this can be attributed to Republicans who have begun to coalesce around Romney. In March, his score with them was 50%-16%; now it's 62%-12%.

By comparison, Obama's positive/negative score is 48%-39%, and those numbers have been fairly consistent over the past two years.

Looking inside these numbers, two other things stand out:
-- The gender gap is helping Obama: His positive/negative score is even among men (44%-42%), but he has a big advantage with women (51%-37%).
-- There isn't much of a gender gap for Romney (both men and women view him pretty evenly), but his big gap is with Latinos (23%-42% vs. Obama's 57%-26%).

A final point: Both Romney and Obama aren't as popular as their wives. Ann Romney's positive/negative score in the poll is 27%-17%, and First Lady Michelle Obama's is 54%-20%.

The full NBC/WSJ poll -- which was conducted April 13-17 of 1,000 respondents (250 of which were reached by cell phone), and which it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points -- will be released at 6:30 pm ET.

Government Gone Wild… Does this perception hurt the man in charge of the government?... Romney gives speech attacking Obama record in Ohio -- not far away from where Obama spoke yesterday… NBC/WSJ poll day! Full poll comes out at 6:30 pm ET… Democrats’ mess in North Carolina… And Lugar trails Mourdock by two points, per internal Mourdock poll.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller, right, and acting GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini, testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 18, 2012, before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing investigating the misuse of taxpayer's money by officials of the General Services Administration.

*** Government Gone Wild? In American politics, there are actual problems and perceived problems. And when it comes to that exorbitant GSA trip to Las Vegas or the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia, those are perceived problems -- that somehow the government isn’t working and a handful of employees aren’t taking their jobs seriously. The question, in this election year, is whether that perception hurts the guy running the government. Make no mistake: These scandals aren’t coming from the Obama White House or from the aides working closest with the president. More importantly, the Obama White House hasn’t tolerated that “Government Gone Wild” behavior (see the GSA resignation, as well as those exits from the Secret Service). And Barney Frank made a good point in his fascinating interview with New York magazine that the media focuses only when something negative happens in government, usually ignoring the positive. But the attention on these GSA and Secret Service stories only sullies the government’s reputation. Bottom line: The government can’t afford another one to surface again anytime soon, and neither can the party that has come to represent the idea that government is at least part of the solution to collective problems -- the Democrats.

*** Every breath you take, every move you make … I’ll be watching you: This afternoon, Mitt Romney delivers a speech attacking President Obama’s economic record in Lorain, OH -- which isn’t that far away from where Obama spoke yesterday. And yesterday, Romney gave a speech in Charlotte, NC to “pre-but” Obama’s convention speech, which won’t take place for another four months. No doubt the Romney campaign wants to ensure the presidential election is a referendum on Obama’s record and wants to shadow him to the point that every single event the president holds is viewed through ONLY a campaign lens. But as that Tampa focus group of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents revealed, people also want to learn more about Romney and his plans for the country. In that focus group, Democratic pollster Peter Hart showed the participants a clip of Romney’s recent speech to newspaper editors, in which Romney blasted Obama’s record on the economy and spending. Most of the participants agreed with what Romney said in the speech, but they weren’t completely satisfied. “I don’t have a lot of faith in him that he could do any better,” said one. Added another: “What are we going to do? I haven’t heard one [plan].” As the Washington Post’s Dan Balz writes in his write-up of the focus group, “Romney remains an opaque and distant figure.” 

*** NBC/WSJ poll day! In the latest national survey measuring the nascent general election, a Quinnipiac poll finds Obama leading Romney by four points among registered voters, 46%-42%. And in what will probably be the final survey of the week, our very own NBC/WSJ poll comes out tonight at 6:30 pm ET. Is Romney gaining on Obama? How do voters view them on key personal and professional qualities? And what are their views on the economy? Be sure to tune into “Nightly News” or click on to MSNBC.com for the answers.

*** Democrats’ mess in North Carolina: Allegations of sexual harassment inside the North Carolina Democratic Party has turned into a mess for the state party, as well as the national one. Why? Because North Carolina is the convention state, thus ensuring that any problems or controversy there will be magnified. And it isn’t helping the Democrats that the state party chair, David Parker, is refusing to step down from his post. 

*** On the GOP trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: Romney delivers a speech attacking Obama’s economic record in Lorain, OH at 1:15 pm ET… Paul is in New York, where he stumps at Cornell University in Ithaca… And Gingrich

*** Lugar trails Mourdock by 2: For the May 8 GOP primary in Indiana, state Treasurer Richard Mourdock leads incumbent Sen. Dick Lugar by two points, 42%-40%, according to an internal Mourdock poll obtained by First Read. More ominously for Lugar, 65% of Indiana Republican voters agree with the statement that Lugar has been in DC too long, and 57% agree that Lugar has voted for more government spending and “amnesty” for illegal immigrants. Also from the poll: Mourdock’s lead is thanks to Republicans. What’s keeping Lugar competitive? He leads among NON-Republican voters, but they make up less than 15% of the electorate unless Lugar can change that. Any registered voter can participate in the primary. Politico reports that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and GOP Sen. John McCain have cut ads on Lugar’s behalf to help him. The questions we have: Is this too late? And does John McCain really help Lugar with GOP primary voters? Or is the McCain play about wooing indies to the primary? By the way, Sarah Palin had a higher FAV rating than both Lugar and Mourdock in this poll.

Countdown to the CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI primaries: 5 days
Countdown to Election Day: 201 days

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*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews journalist Carl Bernstein, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R), the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, radio host Alicia Menendez, Telemundo’s Jose Diaz-Balart, Wes Clark, liberal writer Joe Conason, and Rep. Lesley Sanchez (D-CA).

*** Thursday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’S Thomas Roberts talks with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich, Democratic strategist Doug Thornell, GOP strategist John Feehery, Ret. General Barry McCaffrey, NASCAR CEO Brian France, NBC’s Chuck Todd, and singer Little Richard on Dick Clark.

*** Thursday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include former Santorum spokeswoman Alice Stewart, the AP’s Kasie Hunt, The Nation’s Ari Melber, NY Daily News Columnist S.E. Cupp, NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, NBC’s Chuck Todd, NBC’s Pete Williams, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI), Rep. David Dreier (R-CA), Radio personality Rick Dees, “VEEP” star Anna Chlumsky, Time’s Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs, Politico’s Roger Simon, and TV legend Dick Cavett.

*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Steve Deace, Erin McPike, and Michael Smerconish (on 2012) and former U.S. attorney Kendall Coffey (on the Trayvon Martin case).

“Mitt Romney is accusing President Barack Obama of failing to fulfill the campaign promises he made four years ago, as Obama warns Republicans would ‘gut’ support for federal programs such as education to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy,” Bloomberg writes. “In dueling swing-state speeches yesterday -- Obama’s in Elyria, Ohio, and Romney’s in Charlotte, North Carolina -- the president and his Republican challenger are sharpening their messages in the early weeks of the general election campaign.” (Here’s Romney’s prebuttal video.)

The New York Times’ full write-up of the most recent NYT/CBS poll, which finds Obama and Romney running neck and neck: “The general election match between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney is opening with evidence that economic conditions are providing ammunition for both candidates. For Mr. Obama, there is a gradually growing perception that the general outlook is turning brighter, and for Mr. Romney, there are those individuals who still do not feel substantial improvement in their own lives.”

Obama leads 46-42% in a new Quinnipiac poll.

“With native son Mitt Romney as the likely Republican nominee, the president's re-election prospects in Michigan once appeared grim,” the AP writes. “While the state economy has a long way to go to regain the 857,000 jobs it has lost since mid-2000, voters are telling pollsters they're starting to notice a subtle upswing -- and that could be good news for Obama.”

Romney leads in New Hampshire, 44-42%, according to a Dartmouth College poll.

The fight over Voter ID laws has become a multi-state, multi-million dollar fight with corporations financing both sides. Companies roped in, include Wal-Mart, AT&T, and Johnson & Johnson, Bloomberg reports.

Rick Perry says he would want to run again in 2016. He said the thing that hurt him most was his “heart” remarks, not “oops” as much.

The shenanigans in Michigan continue, as the GOP there is trying to make Santorum’s delegates uncommitted, which got Santorum’s lawyer involved.

“In 2008, Barack Obama captured two-thirds of the Hispanic vote, winning in crucial swing states with large Hispanic populations like Colorado, Nevada and Florida,” NPR writes. “The president's re-election campaign is attempting to replicate that success for 2012, targeting those same states with this week's launch of its first set of Spanish-language television and radio ads.”

“First lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to support military families wins bipartisan praise. It may be good politics, too,” Bloomberg writes. “The face of the U.S. military is changing to become more diverse in gender and race, meaning the armed forces vote is less reliably Republican.”

“Mitt Romney is a self-styled numbers guy. But the likely GOP nominee for president faces a set of numbers any management genius would find daunting: ballooning poll figures suggesting voters don’t much like him,” the Boston Globe writes.

‘Poppycock’:  “When President Obama tries to soften attacks on his stewardship of the economy by pointing to the dismal economic conditions he inherited, Mitt Romney scoffs and accuses the president of making excuses,” the Boston Globe reports. “But Romney made a similar argument to the one Obama makes when it was President Bush who was under attack in 2004. Back then, Bush was facing heat from Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, who was blaming the president for leading the country into a recession and then failing to lead it out.”

Romney said in early 2004: “The people of America recognize that the slowdown in jobs that occurred during the early years of the Bush administration were the result of a perfect storm. And an effort by one candidate to somehow say, ‘Oh, this recession and the slowdown in jobs was the result of, somehow, this president being magically elected,’ the people of America just dismiss that as being poppycock, and they recognize that.” And: “They recognize that Sept. 11, 2001, had a very significant impact on our economy, and on jobs in this economy, and to pretend that it doesn’t is just silliness. They also recognize that there was a cyclical recession that rebounded from the extravagance of the period that existed prior to that time, where we had irrational exuberance, according to Alan Greenspan, and we had a downturn. They also recognize that the Internet bubble burst. These things came together creating a perfect storm that meant a huge job loss.”

The AP: “With the presidential nomination all but locked up, an examination of Romney's foreign policy pronouncements and the team advising him on those issues indicates Americans and the world might expect a Republican campaign that reprises the hawkish and often unilateral foreign policy prescriptions that guided Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.”

He was on FOX again last night. After again talking about the Hilary Rosen comments, Romney said this: "My wife's struggles have not been so much economic as they have been health-wise, and she's a champion, in my view."

Asked about Seamus the dog on FOX, Romney said, per GOP 12: "[I]in the final analysis, the people of America are going to choose a president based on jobs; not dogs."

Talking point watch: Romney repeated his line about Greek columns twice yesterday – once in his speech in Charlotte and again on FOX last night.

Mike Huckabee defended Ted Nugent.

“New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan lead the guess list for possible Romney running mates,” according to a new Quinnipiac poll.

AYOTTE: “New Hampshire’s Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is an important asset to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign,” the Manchester Democrat Examiner’s Paul Briand writes. “But she’s not important enough to be his running mate.”

CLINTON: We’ve written about this being the “Silly Season.” Well, here’s yet another “Silly Season” story… Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked (repeatedly) on CNN if she would accept being President Obama’s running mate if he asked. She responded this way: “That is not going to happen. That’s like saying, ‘If the Olympic Committee called you up and said are you ready to run the marathon, would you accept?’ Well, it’s not going to happen.” She added, “I’m out of politics, but I’m very supportive of the team that we have in the White House going forward.”

JINDAL: Matt Lewis reports, per GOP 12: “A well-placed source who worked on Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign tells The Daily Caller that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and his staff helped convince the one-time GOP front-runner to oust his trusted strategist Dave Carney. ‘You cannot question Governor Jindal’s influence with Governor Perry. He definitely played a big part,’ said the source. (Worth noting is that one of the men brought on to replace Carney was Jindal’s close adviser, Curt Anderson, who also co-wrote Jindal’s book ‘Leadership in Crisis.’)”

He signed his education reform bill into law.

MCDONNELL: Peter Roff alleges in U.S. News and World Report that Virginia Democrats are trying to keep McDonnell off of Romney’s ticket.

PORTMAN: Time profiles the Ohio senator as asks, “Is Rob Portman the Answer to Republicans’ Palin Problem?”

RICE: Political Wire: “A new CNN survey of Republican voter preferences for Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate finds Condoleezza Rice with 26% support, ahead of Rick Santorum at 21%, Marco Rubio at 14%, Chris Christie at 14%, and Paul Ryan at 8%.”

New York magazine points out the downside of putting Rice on the ticket.

In Mississippi yesterday, she said she’s not interested.

RUBIO: Jeb Bush writes the blurb in the Time 100 for Rubio. “Rubio is the real deal, and I for one look forward to watching him contribute to the rebuilding of our great country in the years to come,” he writes.

David Rivera also wants Rubio as VP. (Not sure that helps.)

WEST VIRGINIA: Politico writes that GOP Senate candidate John Raese invoking Hitler Nazi Germany when talking about smoking regulations, Politico writes. “I don’t want government telling me what I can do and what I can’t do because I’m an American. But in Monongalia County you can’t smoke a cigarette, you can’t smoke a cigar, you can’t do anything. And I oppose that because I believe in everybody’s individual freedoms and everybody’s individual rights to do what they want to do and I’m a conservative and that’s the way that goes,” Raese said. “But in Monongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Ok? Remember Hitler used to put Star of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing.”

Chris Keane / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney speaks to supporters in Charlotte, North Carolina April 18, 2012.

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Mitt Romney delivered a blistering attack on President Obama's economic record just footsteps from the site where the president will accept his re-election nomination this summer.

On a rooftop a few hundred yards away from the Bank of America stadium, Romney offered his own alternative version of what North Carolinians could expect to hear from the president in his acceptance speech, as well as what they would not.

"What you won’t hear at that convention is that for the last 38 months, unemployment has been above 8 percent, that we’ve had 24 million Americans that are out of work, stopped looking for work, or underemployed," Romney said.

"You won’t hear that, since he gave that speech and became president, that there have been 50,000 more job losses here in North Carolina, more than twice as many as would fit in that stadium," Romney continued, referring to the nearby stadium, the home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, where the president will speak on the final night of the Democratic convention.

The empty stadium was meant to serve as the backdrop for Romney's speech today -- a visual bracketing of the president -- but was ultimately thwarted by rain that forced the remarks indoors.

Romney focused not just on Obama's planned 2012 convention speech, but also his 2008 remarks, reading aloud from a portion at one point and substituting then nominee-Obama's rebuke of the Bush economy, with his own criticism for the Obama economy, urging the president to take ownership of the economy.

"He can’t continue to try and deflect blame elsewhere," Romney said. "At some point he’s got to acknowledge this is his economy –- that what’s happened is the result of his policies –- not of his predecessors, not of Congress."

He even cracked a joke at the expense of the optics of Obama's acceptance speech, in which the president stood amidst towering Greek columns on the floor of Denver's Invesco field.

"You're not going to see President Obama standing alongside Greek columns. He's not going to want to remind anybody of Greece," Romney said.

The former Massachusetts governor also said the economy may yet improve before Election Day, but that the president would deserve no credit if it did so.

"Upon being elected president he said if we let him borrow $787 billion he would hold unemployment below eight percent, and it has not been below eight percent since," Romney said. "Now its going to get below 8 percent someday. Our economy always come back, comes back -- but it's no thanks to the policies of Barack Obama."

The presumptive GOP nominee also predicted that, despite the presence of the Democratic convention in the state, and the president's current organizational edge here, Romney would return the Tarheel State to the Republican column in 2012.

"The president’s going to do everything he can to get North Carolina in his column, and that will not be enough because we’re gonna win North Carolina in November," Romney said, to cheers.

In a nod to recent polling that continues to show Obama's personal favorability ratings greatly outpacing his own, Romney also argued that liking the president alone was not reason enough to vote for him.

"Even if you like Barack Obama, we can't afford Barack Obama," Romney said.

President Obama said he related to middle class Americans “looking for a chance,” as he highlighted his administration’s efforts to retrain unemployed workers for new jobs.

"I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Michelle wasn't, either," the president said to a crowd of 400 students at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio. “But somebody gave us a chance. Just like these folks up here are looking for a chance.”

The Obama campaign has pushed wealth and economic fairness arguments against Mitt Romney, who would be one of the wealthiest presidents in history -- and that quote was quickly seen as a veiled reference to his GOP opponent this fall.

Amy Sancetta / AP

President Barack Obama reaches out to shake hands with Lorain County Community College student Bronson Harwood after speaking at the college Wednesday in Elyria, Ohio.

And as he criticized Republicans for opposing Democrats’ efforts to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, he told the crowd that, like them, he doesn’t enjoy paying taxes, but unlike most Americans, he can afford to pay more.

“They want to give me more of a tax break,” he said of Republicans. “Now, I just paid taxes. It’s not like I love paying taxes. But I can afford it. I don't need another tax break."

Obama argued that tax cuts alone don't make the economy stronger and that GOP policies have been tried before and almost brought the “entire financial system” to a collapse.

“Take a look at what happened in Ohio between 2000 and 2008," Obama said. "It's not like we didn't try it. And instead of faster job growth, we had the slowest job growth in half a century.”

But the president also seemed on the defensive, acknowledging arguments against him -- from debt, deficits, and big-government spending. He asserted twice that investing in job training programs and cutting tax cuts for the wealthy did not amount to wealth redistribution, a common conservative criticism.

“Understand, this is not a redistribution argument," Obama said. "This is not about taking form rich people to give to poor people. This is about us together making investments in our country so everybody’s got a fair shot."

And, when arguing that government-subsidized community-college training programs were vehicles for economic growth, he said, “These investments are not part of some grand scheme to redistribute wealth, they’ve been made by Democrats and Republicans for generations, because they benefit all of us.”

Before he spoke, the president held a round table with four unemployed workers who are participating in the Lorain County Community College’s job training programs. He said those individuals represent the American notion that “we don't quit.”

“And so the question now is, how do we make sure that all of America is expressing that spirit through making sure that everybody is getting a fair shot?” he continued. “Because that’s going to be a major debate that we have not just for the next few months but the next few years.”

Following his speech, the president headed  to the Cleveland airport en route to Michigan, where he was expected to give two evening campaign speeches and raise money.

With the Pennsylvania primary less than a week away- the question remains, will Rick Santorum endorse Mitt Romney.

Senior Strategist to the Santorum campaign John Brabender told Andrea Mitchell today on MSNBC that he just spoke with Romney’s campaign manager and started to float a few dates for a meeting to take place between the former rivals, likely in the next two weeks in Philadelphia.

“It has been made clear to us that the Gov. Romney would like to have at least a discussion of a possible endorsement at that time," Brabender said.

So will the former senator from Pennsylvania  endorse before next Tuesday’s primary? Brabender didn’t seem to think so. “I don’t think there will be any endorsement before this meeting takes place," he said, adding, "I think he feels it’s important to have a discussion with Mitt Romney to make sure that  the conservative wing of the party is certainly represented in a Romney administration."

Brabender thinks Santorum will be an active participant campaigning this fall, maybe even starting with the Republican Convention this Summer “I would say as  Rick Santourm’s advisor that it would be helpful to the process if he did play a major role in the convention.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- "Give me a word or phrase to describe this politician."

That's always one of the simplest -- and most revealing -- probings in a political focus group.

And in last night's focus group here of 12 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, Democratic pollster Peter Hart received some intriguing answers when he asked this.

For the most part, the responses about Mitt Romney were positive -- but some weren't. The examples:

“Very indecisive”
“Businessman”
“Cunning”
“Out of touch"
“Polished”
“Businessman”
“Accomplished businessman”
“Successful businessman”
“A little stiff”
“Business leader”

Asked to describe President Obama, the responses -- not surprisingly -- were negative. But not at all of them were:
“Determined”
“Charismatic”
“Persuasive”
“Wolf in sheep’s clothing”
“Slimy"
“Deceitful”
“Socialism”
“Failed president”

Here were responses for other figures....

George W. Bush:
"OK"
"Cowboy"
"C-student"
"Puppet"
"Moron"
"Decent"
"War"
"Honest"

Ann Romney:
"Good woman"
"Just learning more about her"
"Inner confidence"
"Role model"
"Holds her own"
"Would make a good first lady"

Michelle Obama:
"Strong woman"
"Stands by her beliefs"
"Do not respect"
"Deceitful"
"Highly educated"
"Disgusts me"
"Pompous and fake" 

Hillary Clinton:
"Don't like"
"Traitor"
"Smart"
"Surprisingly good politician"
"Confident"

Marco Rubio:
"Future leader"
"Too young"
"Possible VP"
"Humble"
"Great role model for Latinos"
"Charismatic"
"Very interesting"

(By the way, the 12 participants were split, 6-6, whether Rubio would be a good choice for Romney's veep or whether it was better for him to wait.)

Rick Santorum:
"Good man"
"Honest and authentic"
"Sticks to his beliefs"
"Naïve"

Newt Gingrich:
"Great debater"
"Better off running for RNC chair"
"Didn't have all the bullets in his gun"

Ron Paul:
"Old"
"Maverick"
"Dreamer"

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) admitted this morning that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had a moral point to their letter criticizing the House GOP Budget drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) for its cuts to safety net programs valued by the poor saying, “Yes,” but he wished “they’d take a bigger look and the bigger look is if we don’t make decision these programs won’t exist.”

Yesterday the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent letters to various House Committees asking them to “resist” some of the trillions in dollars of cuts called for in the Ryan Budget. In a letter to the House Agriculture Committee the bishops said to members “resist for moral and human reasons unacceptable cuts to hunger and nutrition programs.” The letter continued “if savings need to be achieved, cuts to agricultural subsidies and direct payments should be considered before cutting anti-hunger programs that help feed poor and vulnerable people.”

When asked by NBC News about the letters, Boehner, a church-going Catholic, said America’s debt was what distressed him. “What's more of a concern to me is the fact that if we don't start to make some decisions about getting our fiscal house in order there won't be a safety net," he said. "There won't be these programs.”

Boehner, though, also acknowledged the importance of America’s social safety net, calling it "critically important."

“And so, when you look at the fact we have to make hard decisions, it's about trying to make sure that we're able to preserve these programs that are critically important for the poorest in our society," he said.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wading into policy fights on Capitol Hill is nothing new. The group was steadfastly opposed to healthcare reform unless there was a guarantee that no taxpayer money could be involved in subsidizing abortion.

Earlier this year, the bishops actively opposed the Obama administration’s ruling that contraception should be covered in the insurance plans of religiously affiliated employers who may be opposed to such methods of birth control.

Catholic Democratic members have been critical of the bishops in the past for not focusing enough on another tenet of Catholic doctrine, the aiding of the poor. One House Democrat of the Catholic faith who asked not to be named, told NBC News, “I’m glad they’re finally being consistent lobbying for Catholic teaching.”

The Secret Service will interview Ted Nugent for his comments about President Obama, according to a law enforcement official, but this source cannot confirm the exact date at this point. Nugent has said he will meet with the Secret Service Thursday.

The Secret Service has previously released this statement:

"We are aware of the incident with Ted Nugent, and we are conducting appropriate follow-up," spokesman Brian Leary said. "We recognize an individual's right to freedom of speech but we also have a responsibility to determine and investigate intent. "

At a National Rifle Association conference, Nugent said, "If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will be either be dead or in jail by this time next year." He added, “We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their hands off in Nov. Am I, any questions?”

With 100 days until the world's attention turns to London for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says he plans on attending the "first day or two" of the events.

Romney explained this morning to WTVN radio in Columbus, Ohio, "Ever since the games in Salt Lake City in 2002 the Olympics is a big part of my life and I would love to be there and see the kickoff of their games."

Romney's role overseeing the Salt Lake City Olympics has become a critical selling-point for his campaign. It's also an experience voters are likely to continue to hear more about as this campaign shifts to the general election.

In 1999, facing a bid-rigging scandal and financial disarray, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee hired Romney as president and CEO to get the city out of what was becoming a national embarrassment. In his official biography on the Romney for president website his campaign explains, "Mitt set to work. In a remarkably short period, he revamped the organization's leadership, trimmed the budget, and restored public confidence."

On the campaign trail, Romney often cites that experience as an example of his management style and ability to turn around a troubled organization.

He also routinely invokes the American ideals he admired during those games by recalling his interaction during the Closing Ceremonies with U.S. speed skater Derek Parra.

At campaign stops across the country Romney says Derek Parra told him his most meaning full experience was not winning gold or silver, but it was instead carrying the American flag that had flown above the World Trade Center on Sept. 11th, 2001, into the Opening Ceremonies.

It's a story that often leads supporters to wipe away tears.

Yesterday in Lancaster, PA, Romney recounted Parra’s describing of the scene as a 1930s version of the National Anthem, in which the last stanza is sung as a reprise, was being performed.

"He said Mitt, this time as the choir sung it again a gust of wind blew in the flag and lifted it in our hands. And he said for me it was as if the spirits of all those that had fought and died for American liberty had just blown in that flag. And he said the tears began to roll down my face."

Romney then pivoted to a central theme of his candidacy, saying, "If we have leaders that will tell truth and live with integrity, and know how to lead and are willing to draw upon the patriotism of the American people and ask them to rise and join together, not to be divided, but to come together and to overcome the challenges we have that we will do so."

As voters prepare to choose their next president, for Team Romney the Olympics offers the campaign an opportunity to focus on the candidate’s experience managing an organization facing multiple challenges while also invoking the greatness of America.

With both sides eying one of the fastest-growing blocs in the American electorate, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign on Wednesday announced an aggressive outreach to Latino voters, pushing Democrats' reform proposals and casting Mitt Romney as "extreme" on immigration issues.

The new "Latinos for Obama" effort includes on-the-ground volunteer and staff outreach as well as Spanish-language ads slated to air in heavily Hispanic swing states Colorado, Florida, and Nevada.

Backers of the president hope that Romney's embrace of Arizona's controversial immigration law as well as his pledge to oppose the DREAM Act -- which would offer a path to citizenship for some children who were brought to the United States illegally at an early age -- will mobilize Latinos against the presumptive Republican nominee.

"This election is an opportunity in this country for the Latino community to send a message," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., on a conference call announcing the new push. "The reality is that we look at this as the civil rights issue of our time."

Opposition to the DREAM Act is "insulting" to Hispanic families, added San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who -- echoed by campaign manager Jim Messina -- labeled Romney's positions "the most extreme nominee that the Republican party has ever had on immigration."

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has pushed for a "conservative alternative" to the DREAM Act, which would allow some young illegal immigrants to stay in the United States but would prevent them from attaining citizenship. Messina said Wednesday that the president has been focused on reviving the original legislation, which failed in the Senate by a narrow margin late in 2010, but added that the White House would work to "find common ground" with those on the other side of the aisle. 

The Republican National Committee announced its own Latino-focused program earlier this week, launching community outreach directors in Florida, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia.  A key part of their message, said chairman Reince Priebus, is to highlight the impact the nation's sluggish economy has on the Hispanic community.

Hispanic voters favored Obama over Republican John McCain by an almost 2-1 margin in the 2008 presidential election. Nationally, the Hispanic vote in 2008 rose to 9 percent of the electorate, up from 8 percent in 2004, but turnout jumped by five points in swing states Colorado and Nevada and by nine points in New Mexico.

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Wednesday that the Colombian prostitutes at the center of an emerging scandal in the Secret Service had no access to classified information.

Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking member of the judiciary panel, said that Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan believes the Colombian prostitutes involved in the scandal did not have access to secure information or materials that may have been in the hotel rooms of Secret Service personnel.

Recounting his conversation with Sullivan yesterday, Grassley said, "He gave us an idea of where guns and papers and personal belongings connected to them are stored. But, I think that he feels that protocol was followed."

Grassley also said he believes the youngest woman involved was about 20 or 21 years old and that the Service has a handle on the number of women that were brought back to the hotel, believed to be 20 or 21 women.

Grassley credited Sullivan for assigning an inspector general to investigate what happened last week in Colombia. He said Judiciary Committee staff will be meeting with Secret Service representatives later this week to get a more complete briefing. Grassley would not make a judgement on whether Sullivan should keep his job until he learns more about the investigation.

Will the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Secret Service, conduct its own investigation?

"I would say we would only come to that conclusion to the extent to which we thought the Inspector General was not doing the job," Grassley said.

Grassley expressed concern about a culture of misbehavior that may exist in the Secret Service.

"I did tell [Sullivan] that this agency has a very good reputation over 150 years as far as I know ... and so it's quite a shock"

At Tuesday’s White House briefing, press Secretary Jay Carney said President Obama has full confidence in Secret Service director Mark Sullivan as details about the Secret Service prostitution scandal in Colombia continue to emerge. He also addressed Ted Nugent’s comments at the NRA convention that the Obama administration is “evil” and “vile,” while deputy National Economic Council director Brian Deese said the administration “hopes” Congress takes seriously the president’s proposals for new oil market regulations.

Conclusion from focus group of 12 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents: Romney still has some work to do with these folks… The good news for him: It’s not an impossible lift… The fight for the Latino vote continues… The “silly season” continues, too… But we have to ask: Why does Romney continue to hang out with Donald Trump?... Veepstakes watch: Bob McDonnell will begin airing ads to boost his image… And Jesse Kelly wins GOP primary for the Giffords seat.

Jae C. Hong / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with a group of Pittsburgh area residents in Bethel Park, Pa., Tuesday, April 17, 2012.

TAMPA, FL -- One week after Mitt Romney became the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, have Republicans and conservatives begun to rally around him? A brand-new New York Times/CBS poll says yes. But a focus group of 12 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents that Democratic pollster Peter Hart conducted last night here in the city that will host the Republican convention in August painted a more complex picture. While an overwhelming majority of these participants said they would vote for Romney in November and while they touted his business background, it was clear many of them had reservations about the former Massachusetts governor -- whether it was his past flip-flops, his ability to beat Obama, or their belief they didn’t know more about him.  After the focus group ended, Hart made this observation about Romney to a handful of reporters covering the event: “He has a lot of work to do. But it isn’t an impossible lift.”

*** The 12 participants: First, a little background on the participants of this focus group that was sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center: These 12 people -- a mixture of diehard conservatives and at least one moderate who said he no longer felt comfortable in today’s GOP -- all had either voted for McCain in ’08, Marco Rubio in ’10, or Rick Scott in ’10. As it turns out, four said they actually voted for Obama four years ago. Now? Seven said they are “definitely” voting for Romney; two are “probably” voting for Romney; two are voting for Obama; and one said he’s undecided. Interestingly, the group was split (6-6) on who they thought would win in November -- either Romney or Obama. Hart summed up the purpose behind the assembled focus group: “This is the group you have to have if you’re going to win” the White House as a Republican.

*** “Stick to something”: Yet what was striking were the reservations these folks, even the most conservative ones, had about Romney. Their biggest concerns were that he’s changed his positions and that he hasn’t been consistent on the issues. Asked to give advice to Romney, Julie -- a 56-year-old paralegal from Tampa -- responded:  “Make a stand whether people like it or not.” Carin, an unemployed 53-year-old Tampa resident, added: “Not change positions but be consistent.” And Debra, a 55-year-old from Plant City who said she voted for Obama in ’08 (but is no longer really considering that), said: “Stick to something.” But the reservations went beyond issue flip-flops. They also focused on whether Romney was tough enough. Ron, a 66-year-old retiree living in Largo who is undecided, described Romney as the “lesser of two evils.” But he went on to say: “I am not sure Romney has what it takes to win.”

*** “I want to believe he would be good”: Theresa, a 30-year-old tech vendor in St. Petersburg who said she supported Santorum during the primary season, gave this response if Romney would have ordered the strike against bin Laden: “I want to believe he would be good.” Then there was the concern that they don’t know ENOUGH about Romney. Jonathan, a 27-year-old deputy police officer, said this in a discussion about whether Romney is a regular guy: “I only know Mitt Romney as the businessman… George [W.] Bush felt like a regular guy.” He added, “You know Obama likes basketball.” And there was the critique that Romney is too stiff. “I would like for him to loosen up,” said Bruno, a 57-year-old music teacher living in Plant City. Hart concluded that these undeveloped views of Romney aren’t surprising when you consider that he won the GOP primary season by disqualifying Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum and who is trying to win in November by disqualifying the incumbent president. And guess what? Romney at 3:40 pm ET is giving a speech countering Obama in the city hosting the Democratic convention, Charlotte. In fact, the campaign is billing the remarks as a “prebuttal to Barack Obama's DNC speech.”

*** The good news for Romney: So that was the bad news for Romney from this focus group. The good news: These folks WANT to know more about him. Hart asked an interesting question -- if the 12 would rather have a dinner conservation with Romney or his wife Ann. Interestingly, all but one picked the former Massachusetts governor over his wife. Why? To get to know him better. Julie said she wants to see “what his true personality is… I am hoping he is cool.” In other good news for Romney, most of the participants often referred positively to his business experience, even on matters like deficit-reduction negotiations and dealing with China. And almost all of them had no doubts that he would seek to repeal the federal health-care law. Score this for Team Romney -- the businessman and health-care messaging definitely got through to these voters. 

*** The fight for the Latino vote continues: At 10:30 am ET, the Obama campaign is hosting a conference call -- to be joined by Sen. Bob Menendez and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro -- announcing the launch of “Latinos for Obama.” The Obama campaign also says it will begin airing TV and radio ads in Colorado, Florida, and Nevada featuring Obama organizers who talk about how the president has “empowered” Latino communities. Meanwhile, the AP is reporting that Sen. Marco Rubio is putting together legislation that would be a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act. Unlike that legislation, which was filibustered in 2010, the Rubio legislation would allow young illegal immigrants who are attending college or serving in the military to remain in the U.S. – but it wouldn’t give them a path to citizenship.

*** What also continues? The silly season: Last week, we wrote that this presidential campaign had entered the “silly season,” with all the focus on that Hilary Rosen controversy. Well, the silly season is continuing – this time with Democrats trying to make Romney own what conservative rocker Ted Nugent said about the president. This campaign has taken on the negative stereotype of Twitter -- snarky, obnoxious, and biting. But we do have to ask: What did Romney expect when he courted the incendiary Nugent? And speaking of people who have been in the middle of manufactured controversies… Why is Romney continuing to hang out with Donald Trump? If Trump says something controversial -- and trust us, he will; he can’t help himself -- Romney will deserve more ownership of those comments than Team Obama did for what Hilary Rosen said. By the way, we’re not even going to discuss this dog-meat business. We don’t blame folks if they are wondering if it might be better to go into a political coma for the next 90 days and pick back up when the conventions begin.

*** On the GOP trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: Romney stumps in North Carolina, attending three events in Charlotte...Gingrich makes two stops in Millersville, PA and later visits Georgetown, DE and Wilmington, DC…Meanwhile; Paul attends an event in Kingstown, RI.

*** Veepstakes watch: How bad does Bob McDonnell want to be Romney’s VP? The Washington Post: “Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican who is term-limited but a likely vice presidential contender, plans to air “positive” TV ads in the coming weeks as he looks to bolster his approval ratings and remind viewers of Virginia’s successes following a spate of bad publicity.” Folks, McDonnell can’t run for re-election in Virginia. This seems to be all about rehabilitating his image for veepstakes. McDonnell will be on “The Daily Rundown” this morning to discuss this new push.

*** Kelly wins GOP primary: Finally, in the GOP primary for Gabby Giffords’ vacated congressional seat, Jesse Kelly -- Giffords’ opponent in 2010 -- won last night’s contest, and he’ll face former Giffords aide Ron Barber in June, the Arizona Republic reports.

Countdown to the CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI primaries: 6 days

Countdown to Election Day: 202 days

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