Romney won with 67% in Connecticut, 63% in Rhode Island, 62% in New York, 58% in Pennsylvania, and 57% in Delaware.

The Boston Globe’s Viser says, “Romney implicitly accepted the Republican presidential nomination” last night. And: “At one point, he paid homage to the campaign slogans of both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton in their bids to defeat an incumbent president during economic turmoil.”

Roll Call also makes that point with this headline: “Mitt Romney Accepts GOP Nomination.” 

The Boston Globe’s Johnson: “[W]ith a calmness borne by no longer having to glance back at carping nomination rivals, Romney looked ahead to deliver not so much of a victory speech as his mass introduction to the American audience. Over 15 minutes, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee purposefully hit all the touchstones aimed for in such a pivot.”

AP: “The Republican presidential nomination all but in hand, Mitt Romney is refocusing his efforts on challenging President Barack Obama, raising cash for the battle ahead and reconciling with onetime primary rival Rick Santorum.”

Santorum basically endorsed Romney last night. Asked if Romney’s the “right guy,” Santorum said, “Yeah, absolutely. He's the person that is going to go up against Barack Obama, it's pretty clear, and we need to win this race.” Asked if that was an endorsement, Santorum said: “Well, if that's what you want to call it, you can call it whatever you want. Look, I believe he's going to win the race.”

“After overnighting in Denver, Obama heads Wednesday to the University of Iowa, where he will cast himself as the defender of cheaper student loans. Obama made similar appeals Tuesday at universities in North Carolina and Colorado,” AP writes.

Obama got crowds of 8,000 at the University of North Carolina and then another 10,800 at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

In Colorado, a college girl spilled frozen yogurt on the president’s pants.

The New York Daily News writes of President’s Obama’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon. He is also on the cover of the April 27^th edition of Rolling Stone.

Darrell Issa claimed the Obama administration is “proving to be” the “most corrupt in history.”

The Boston Globe looks at potential veeps.

Nate Silver says veeps don’t make much of a difference in their home states. 

RYAN: GOP 12’s Heinze notes that the video out today from the Obama campaign, tying Romney to Paul Ryan’s budget as it relates to student loans “is a great example of why Ryan would be a bad VP pick. As I wrote last week, Dems are already calling Paul's budget the Romney/Ryan budget and are going to try to stick everything Paul wants on Romney.”

“Former Congresswoman Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Giffords made a rare public appearance Tuesday night to accept the ‘We Are EMILY Award’ from Emily’s List, a political advocacy organization that supports pro-choice women seeking office,” msnbc.com’s Jason Strachman Miller reports.

PENNSYLVANIA: “U.S. Rep. Mark Critz, D-Johnstown, used his deep home base support and the heft of organized labor to win his fratricidal bout with fellow Democratic Congressman Jason Altmire, picking up an underdog victory in an increasingly conservative district,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, adding, “Mr. Altmire, elected in 2006, is a former UPMC [a Pennsylvania non-profit health system] lobbyist and his 2010 vote against President Obama's health care reform package was part of his undoing.”

Rep. Tim Holden, described as the “dean of Pa. House members,” lost his primary against Scranton personal injury lawyer Matt Cartwright. And it wasn’t close – 57%-43%. Holden has served since 1992, but redistricting did him in.

“Coal-mining millionaire Tom Smith (R), a newcomer to politics who spent $4 million of his own money on TV advertising, easily won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports,” Political Wire writes. “His candidacy "was scorned by the Republican establishment," including Gov. Tom Corbett (R).”

While there is not a competitive presidential primary in Pennsylvania any more, that doesn't mean there's nothing to watch for tonight. Pennsylvania is holding primaries for all of its Congressional districts, and a Senate seat tonight, and that makes it worth watching.

Maybe the most interesting race of the evening is in Southwestern PA, where two incumbent Democrats are squaring off in the redrawn 12th congressional district. Republicans controlled the redistricting process in the state, and they threw two vulnerable incumbents into the same district to let them fight it out. Interestingly, what they did makes geographical sense. They dismantled the rambling 12th district (created in 2002 for the late John Murtha) and put the Democratic stronghold of Johnstown into the neighboring district of Jason Altmire, who represents Pittsburgh's northern suburbs.

The result is that Altmire and Rep. Mark Critz are locked in a heated primary that shows the schisms inside the Democratic electorate. Altmire should have the upper hand -- about 66% percent of the electorate are voters he's represented before. Critz is being outspent and has been battling from behind for months now. The latest poll shows Critz has reduced Altmire's overwhelming lead to narrow four-point advantage.

The reason the race has tightened can be summed up in one word: Labor. Union leaders have been unhappy with Altmire for two years, dating back to when they allege Altmire broke his promise and voted against the final health-care reform bill. Critz has the near-unanimous backing from labor -- including the United Steelworkers, Mineworkers, SEIU, and AFL-CIO. Critz believes his labor support will give him momentum on the ground, while Altmire says that union leaders are trying to "setttle what they perceive to be an old score."

Altmire has cultivated an image as an "independent Democrat," but he's always had close races. This year, he has the endorsements of much of the Democratic establishment in the 12th district, which should help him overcome losing union-heavy Johnstown by a wide margin.

The two Democrats have traded nasty TV ads -- squabbling over Altmire's vote for a GOP balanced budget amendment, and Critz's vote to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Both men are social conservatives, and in a recent debate both refused to say if they would campaign with Barack Obama in the fall.

Another incumbent worth watching tonight is Rep. Tim Holden (D) in Pennsylvania's 17th district. The 10-term incumbent had made a habit of fending off challengers in his Republican-leaning district, but the new congressional map packed many more Democrats into his rambling district that stretches from Scranton all the way to the New Jersey line.

The result is a district that is 80% new turf for him, and he's getting a challenge from the left. He's up against a formidable opponent in Scranton attorney Matt Cartwright. The campaign has gotten nasty, with the candidates calling for a ceasefire.

Holden has been targeted by Cartwright for voting against the president's health law. In a mailer -- dropped by Cartwright's campaign just as they had called the ceasefire --  had this, per the Allentown Morning Call: "Is Holden worried about cancer?" The answer: "NO!”

Holden hit Cartwright with a television ad that "essentially accused Cartwright of bribing a judge with campaign donations...," the Morning Call wrote.

Holden is also battling against an anti-incumbent SuperPAC that has spent nearly $200,000 against him.

It all might add up to the end of the road for this Blue Dog Democrat.

Comic-book fans certainly know of Bizarro Superman, and "Seinfeld" aficionados are more than familiar with Bizarro Jerry -- references to characters who are mirror images (and thus exact opposites) of the hero/protagonist.

Today, we introduce you to Bizarro Obama vs. Romney: Republican Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown calling on Democrat Elizabeth Warren to release six years of her tax returns. That, of course, appears to be the exact opposite situation where the Democrats and President Obama's campaign are calling on Republican Mitt Romney to release his tax returns prior to 2010.

As the Boston Globe reports:

Republican US Senator Scott Brown plans to publicly release six years worth of returns later this week, his campaign said today in a letter that puts pressure on challenger Elizabeth Warren to do the same.

And the Brown campaign released this statement:

"It doesn't take a Harvard Law degree to see through Elizabeth Warren's game of cat and mouse and know she has something to hide. Whether she is concealing other big corporate clients like Travelers Insurance, which paid her enormous sums to fight against victims of asbestos poisoning, covering up sketchy financial transactions, or simply masking that she may take advantage of tax breaks she criticizes others for, Warren's nuanced refusal to disclose the tax years 2006 and 2007 exposes her hypocrisy when it comes to transparency in government."

The Warren campaign says that she'll release four years of her tax returns.

Yet this call by the Brown campaign might also pressure on Romney, who has released his tax returns for 2010 and who has filed an extension on his 2011 taxes.

Why?

Both Romney and Brown share the same top communications adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, who was the Romney aide who made the now-famous "Etch A Sketch" remark.

The Romney campaign wouldn't comment for attribution on this story. But a Republican strategist, who's not affiliated with the Romney camp, admits to First Read that this Brown strategy is "awkward" for the former Massachusetts governor and his campaign.
 
But the strategist adds that it's also awkward for Warren, as well as top Democrats who have attacked Romney on this issue but who are backing Warren.

"I have a lot of quotes from Chuck Schumer attacking Mitt Romney" over his tax returns, the Republican says. "There are two ways to look at it."

The Warren campaign says that its move to release four years of tax returns -- instead of six -- is consistent with the Democrats' call for Romney to release 10 year's worth, since both reflect the amount of time that Warren and Romney have been either in public service or running for office.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Kicking off a two-day, swing-state tour focused on keeping student-loan rates from increasing, President Obama told an arena full of college students that he can relate to their struggles paying off loans because he has had his own tuition woes.

“I just want everybody to understand: I didn’t just read about this,” Obama said as the audience at the University of North Carolina crescendo from gradual applause to a full cheer. “I didn’t just get some talking points about this."

He continued, referring to himself and wife Michelle, “We didn’t come from wealthy families. We paid more in student loans than we paid on the mortgage when we finally did buy a condo.”

He noted the length it took for him to pay off his student loans, even though he now holds the nation’s highest office.

“We finished paying our student loans. And check this out -- I’m the President of the Untied States -- we only finished paying off our student loans about eight years ago.”

Obama criticized Republicans, who he said pay “lip service” to the concepts of student aid, a day after presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney said he “fully support[s] the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans.”

“You’ll hear people say, yeah, education, it’s important,” he said. “That requires not just words but deeds.”

Romney spokesman Ryan Williams, who attended the event at UNC, responded to those remarks saying, “Governor Romney has made his position on this issue clear. He feels that we need to help college students during these tough economic times when they’re unable to find a job under this president.”

The House Republican budget, trumpeted by Wisconsin Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, would not increase funding for Pell Grants, and keep funding for them at current levels for the 10 years of the budget, Politifact notes. Romney has embraced the Ryan budget, saying the two are "on the same page."

The president was speaking to students and recent graduates here ostensibly to gin up awareness that student loans will double on July 1, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, unless Congress votes to extend the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, signed into law in September 2007.

As his administration has done frequently when it wants to generate buzz over a certain policy initiative, the president urged his audience to get involved through -- in addition to phone calls and email -- social media and in particular, Twitter.

“Call your member of Congress,” Obama urged. “Email them, write on their Facebook page, Tweet them… we have a hashtag.”

He introduced the hashtag as #dontdoublemyrate, and seemed to feed off the enthusiasm of the rally-like atmosphere by telling the audience to repeat the phrase after him.

“Everybody say it so you can remember it!” he urged.

It doesn't hurt to make your state -- and yourself -- look as good as possible right when the nominee for your party is trying to pick a No. 2, especially when your job runs out in a year.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's PAC, Opportunity Virginia, is up with a new ad, promoting what's to love in Virginia (and who's been in charge).

But it was just last week that McDonnell denied to NBC's Chuck Todd on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown that his PAC would soon be going up with ads.

"You can't believe everything you read in the papers," McDonnell said. "We don't have any plans at this point."

He added, “We're always looking for ways to get out the positive message of Virginia," but then later said: “I don't know where those reports have come from."

Brian Snyder / REUTERS

Supporters cheer as they wait for a speech by Mitt Romney in Manchester, N.H. on April 24, 2012.

Updated 9:48 p.m. ET - Mitt Romney declared victory in his quest to become the Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday and kicked off his general election campaign against President Barack Obama in earnest following a clean sweep of primaries in the Northeast.

Romney's performance in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island allowed him to cap a tumultuous GOP primary cycle that extended longer than many expected. Romney's march toward the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the nomination appeared, at this point, to be all but a formality.

And, eager to begin prosecuting his case against Obama, Romney took a victory lap in the general election swing state of New Hampshire -- rather than appearing in any of the states hosting nominating contests tonight or in the future -- to declare, "a better America begins tonight."

"Tonight I can say thank you, America," Romney told a cheering crowd in the Granite State. "After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and more than a few long nights, I can say with confidence -- and gratitude -- that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility. And, together, we are going to win on Nov. 6."

Romney faced only token opposition from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul in Tuesday's contests. The former Massachusetts governor had all but assumed the status of presumptive Republican nominee two weeks ago, when his principal conservative rival, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, suspended his campaign.

Major Republican figures had finally begun to rally around Romney and offer their endorsements since that point, but he must still work toward winning the 1,144 delegates needed to formally secure the nomination. Romney had entered Tuesday having secured 698 of the necessary delegates, according to Associated Press projections, putting him on pace toward crossing the threshold in late May or early June.

Tonight's primaries may also signal the last gasp for Gingrich, as well, who had pinned his hopes of continuing his campaign on winning Delaware. But the ex-speaker offered no hint as to his future plans in brief remarks.

"I think it's a very substantial mistake for Gov. Romney to give a general election speech tonight in New Hampshire," Gingrich told reporters Tuesday. "He is not the nominee. I think it's a little insulting to people in these states." But he did indicate at a North Carolina event that "over the next few days, we're going to look realistically at where we're at."

Romney spent the evening focusing not on his remaining primary challenges, and instead trained his sights instead on the task of unseating Obama this fall.

"This has already been a long campaign, but many Americans are just now beginning to focus on the choice before the country. In the days ahead, I look forward to spending time with many of you personally. I want to hear what’s on your mind, hear about your concerns, and learn about your families," he said, promising to tell voters more about himself.

For Romney, that re-introduction is a delicate and important task. The most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that more Americans -- 36 percent -- had a negative impression of Romney than the 33 percent who said they viewed the former Massachusetts governor positively.

On tests of whether he or Obama is seen as more easygoing and likable, or more in touch with the middle class, the president badly outpaces Romney.

Mindful of that, Romney kept his speech keyed in closely on pocketbook issues, warning of "diversions and distractions" from the central issue of the economy.

"It's still about the economy, and we're not stupid," Romney said, referencing the famous political maxim first employed by Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992.

Obama's re-election team has been eager to reuse fodder from the primary season against the former Massachusetts governor in the context of the general election, underscoring the urgency for Romney to put the GOP contest to bed.

"Mitt Romney has spent the past year out on the campaign trail tearing down the president with a negative message that even Republicans who have endorsed him have criticized," said Ben LaBolt, Obama's campaign spokesman. "This marks the end of that monologue. Now he must put his record and his agenda next to the president’s."

Although Santorum dropped out two weeks ago, he’s among the conservatives who are yet to have thrown their support to Romney. NBC News learned Tuesday that the two men will meet on May 4 at a to-be-determined destination, though the meeting wasn't expected to produce an immediate endorsement.

That Romney had not yet won an endorsement before the primary in the state that Santorum had represented in Congress suggests that the rift between conservatives and the presumptive nominee has not yet fully healed.

Gingrich's persistence poses a minor challenge to that effort to unify the party, though the former speaker hints that he may soon address his future as a candidate.

Paul is also promising to forge ahead with his own campaign, perhaps through the late May primary in his native Texas. But Romney might have won the delegates he needs by that point.

NBC's Andrew Rafferty contributed to this report.

In the first criminal case directly related to the 2010 Gulf oil disaster, FBI agents have arrested a former engineer for BP, who's accused of destroying evidence requested by federal authorities investigating the spill.

Kurt Mix, age 50, of Katy, Texas, is charged with obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say he deleted text messages from his cell phone that he'd been instructed to keep to aid in the investigation.

Mix was a "drilling and completions project engineer for BP" and one of his tasks was to estimate the amount of oil leaking from the well after the blowout. 

"BP sent numerous notices to Mix requiring him to retain all information concerning Macondo, including his text messages," prosecutors say.

But they say in October of 2010, after hearing that the files of his text messages were going to be collected, he deleted more than 200 messages from his phone.

"The deleted texts, some of which were recovered forensically, included sensitive internal BP information collected in real-time as the Top Kill operation was occurring, which indicated that Top Kill was failing," the Justice Department says.

According to court documents, in one message, he wrote, "Too much flow rate -- over 15,000." 

He and other engineers had concluded internally that the effort to cap the well was unlikely to succeed if the flow rate was greater than 15,000 barrels of oil per day.

"At the time, BP's public estimate of the flow rate was 5,000 BOPD -- three times lower than the minimum flow rate indicated in Mix's text," the government says.

Romney’s half pivot toward the general election… Romney gives speech tonight in New Hampshire, but a new poll shows him trailing Obama there by nine points… Obama speaks in Chapel Hill, NC and Boulder, CO… It’s primary day in CT, DE, NY, PA, and RI, and we’re watching Romney’s percentages in those states… Delaware or bust for Newt?... Two PA primaries to watch… Priorities USA Action partnering with League of Conservation Voters?... And so you’re telling me there’s a chance: Boehner says there a one-in-three chance GOP could lose the House.

Jessica Kourkounis / Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at Mustang Expediting April 23, 2012 in Aston, Pennsylvania.

*** Romney’s half pivot: Today is another presidential primary day, but you know we’ve fully moved on to the general election when Mitt Romney began to pivot to swing voters yesterday -- ever so slightly. First, after taking a hard line on immigration during the primaries, he said in a press conference that he was open to “studying” Marco Rubio’s DREAM Act alternative. “I'm taking a look at his proposal. It has many features to commend it, but it’s something that we're studying.” (Translation: This is going to be something that I endorse soon, but not yet -- even though Marco Rubio is standing here next to me.) Second, he said he supports the student-loan push that President Obama is making. “I fully support the effort to extend the low interest rate on student loans,” Romney stated. But it really was just half of a pivot. After the press conference, the former Massachusetts governor delivered his usual serving of conservative red meat at a later town hall (repeal the health-care law, support voter ID measures, “I won’t apologize for America,” etc.). Bottom line: Romney is beginning his general-election pivot, but he’s not there just yet. He’s still minding his base. 

*** Romney’s trailing in New Hampshire: You also know we’re fully in general election when Romney isn’t delivering an address tonight in one of the primary states, or even an upcoming primary state. Rather, Romney will give a speech – entitled “A Better America Begins Tomorrow” -- at 9:00 pm ET in Manchester, New Hampshire. Unfortunately for Romney, a brand-new WMUR/University of New Hampshire poll shows President Obama leading Romney by nine points in the battleground state, 51%-42%. New Hampshire is a cautionary tale for Romney (despite owning a home there and serving as governor of a next-door state): Much of the southern part of the state is essentially a suburb of Boston. And what these poll numbers suggest is that Republicans are struggling in the ‘burbs. So if Romney’s down in New Hampshire, that also means he’s trailing in Northern Virginia and the Philly suburbs. New Hampshire is a state that has always been open to fiscal conservative messages but reticent about a focus on social conservative issues. Last year, New Hampshire was the battleground state Obama was struggling in the most, then the GOP began its conversation during the presidential primaries on non-economic issues (re: contraception) and the state seems to have moved dramatically.

*** It has been written -- “Those who have the youth have the future”: While Romney hits New Hampshire today, Obama will be in Chapel Hill, NC and Boulder, CO, where he will call on Congress to stop student loans from doubling. The president’s remarks in North Carolina take place at 1:15 pm ET, and his speech in Colorado is at 8:45 pm ET. Also while he’s in the Tar Heel State, Obama will sit down for an interview with Jimmy Fallon. And tomorrow, the president heads to Iowa City, IA. As we wrote yesterday, this is all about the youth vote.

*** Watching Romney’s percentages: Even though the general election campaign is now underway -- after Rick Santorum’s exit earlier this month -- there are five primaries today in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania (Santorum’s home state), and Rhode Island. As a result, this is the first primary day where Romney doesn’t face any real competition. So when we watch the returns, we’ll get a good idea of the true anti-Romney vote tonight. Does he get at least 50% in all of these contests? What about 60%? 70%?

*** The skinny on tonight’s primaries: At stake tonight are 222 total delegates. Per NBC’s John Bailey, Connecticut awards 25 (district delegates are winner-take-all per congressional district, at-large are proportional per statewide wide but winner-take-all with a majority); Delaware awards 17 delegates (and it’s winner-take-all per statewide vote); New York allocates 92 delegates (with district delegates going 2 for the winner and 1 for the runner-up unless there’s a majority and at-large delegates decided proportionally per statewide vote but needing to meet a 20% threshold); Pennsylvania awards 72 delegates but they’re not bound by the vote; and Rhode Island awards 16 delegates (both district and at-large delegates are proportional per statewide vote needing a 15% threshold). Polls close at 8:00 pm ET in Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, and they close at 9:00 pm ET in New York. and Rhode Island. *** Correction *** Polls close at 8:00 pm ET in Rhode Island.

*** Delaware or bust for Newt? In an exclusive interview yesterday, Newt Gingrich told NBC’s Alex Moe that a poor showing in Delaware -- where he has been actively campaigning for the last few weeks -- could end his candidacy. "I think we need to take a deep look at what we are doing," he said. "We will be in North Carolina tomorrow night and we will look and see what the results are." Gingrich added, per Moe, that he would have to “reassess” his campaign if he doesn’t fare well in this winner-take-all contest. Give Newt credit for deciding if he can’t do what Christine O’Donnell did – win a Republican primary in Delaware – then maybe he should rethink his strategy. Call it the “Christine O’Donnell test.”

*** Two PA primaries to watch: In Pennsylvania, there are two other primaries worth watching tonight. The first is a battle of two incumbent Democratic congressmen, Jason Altmire and Mark Critz. From what we’ve heard, it’s going to be very close. The other is the GOP primary to see who emerges as the Republican challenger to Sen. Bob Casey (D). And the field is thin on formidable candidates: former Santorum staffer Marc Scaringi, businessman Steve Welch, businessman David Christian, and Sam Rohrer, the director of Americans for Prosperity’s branch in Pennsylvania. This GOP field should be a warning sign to Republicans who want to make this state competitive in November: They couldn’t find a top-tier or even second-tier challenger to take on Casey in this battleground state.

*** Priorities USA partnering with League of Conservation Voters? It appears that the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action is teaming up with the environmental group League of Conservation Voters for a nearly $1 million ad buy through mid-May. Smart Media, an ad-buying firm, reported that the two entities have purchased $980,000 on broadcast and cable TV in Colorado and Nevada. Asked for comment by First Read about the ad and possible partnership, Priorities USA’s Bill Burton replied, “We'll have some info for you in the next couple days.” Priorities USA Action has so far struggled in raising money for the presidential contest. In March, it reported raising $2.5 million for the month (up from $2 million in February) and it has $5 million in the bank. Meanwhile, Priorities USA Action is partnering with another Dem-leaning group -- American Bridge -- for this video hitting Romney on education.

*** So you’re telling me there’s a chance: In an interview on FOX last night, House Speaker John Boehner said that Republicans have a one-in-three chance of not holding the House, NBC’s Luke Russert and Frank Thorp report. "I would say that there is a two-in-three chance that we win control of the House again, but there's a one-in-three chance that we could lose," Boehner said in the FOX interview. "We've got a big challenge, and we've got work to do."

Countdown to Election Day: 197 days

Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.
Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. Follow us @chucktodd, @mmurraypolitics, @DomenicoNBC, @brookebrower

*** Tuesday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on the student loan situation and Romney’s run… NBC’s Luke Russert on today’s immigration hearing on Capitol Hill… A deep dive into Florida’s U.S. Senate fight with Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL)… Latest 2012 news with msnbc’s Alex Wagner, N.Y. Daily News’ S.E. Cupp and TIME’s Nancy Gibbs, co-author of “The Presidents Club.”

*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Chicago Mayor (and former White House Chief of Staff) Rahm Emanuel, National Journal’s Major Garrett; AEI’s Kevin Hassett, Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT), and Politico’s Carrie Budoff Brown.

*** Tuesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up:  MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts talks with Jackie Gingrich Cushman, former Santorum Press Secretary Hogan Gidley, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), White House Domestic Policy Council Dir. Cecilia Munoz, Jen Psaki, Amanda Terkel and Robert Traynham.

*** Tuesday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, National Review’s Reihan Salam, the New York Times’ Jodi Kantor, Politico’s Maggie Haberman, Salon.com’s Steve Kornacki, and the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Erin Brockovich.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews the Washington Post’s Melinda Hennenberger, Michael Smerconish, and Steve Deace.

Obama leads 51%-42% in New Hampshire, according to the latest WMUR/Granite State poll. In October, Romney led 50%-44%.

The Hill: “Romney plans to return to the state Tuesday night for a prime-time address in which he is expected to pivot his campaign to a general election showdown with President Obama. But despite owning a house in the state, governing neighbor Massachusetts, and campaigning there heavily to secure a win in January's primary, the presumptive GOP nominee has made little headway against the president.”

The AP: “On primary day, Romney looks toward fall election.” Of his speech in Manchester, NH, not any of the five primary states voting tonight – “The general election speech, aides say, will represent a definitive pivot away from the primary contest and toward Democratic President Barack Obama and the general election.”

More: “Romney was drawn to the right on issues like immigration as he fought off challenges from other Republicans. On Monday, he signaled he was considering a wider range of immigration policies, including a proposal from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., that would allow some young people a chance at visas to stay in the U.S. Romney also embraced a temporary extension of lower rates for student loans, a policy opposed by House Republicans but backed by President Barack Obama.”

But Romney didn’t explicitly endorse Rubio’s proposal – and, by the end of his town hall, he was drawn to the right -- making the case for war with Iran.

The AP looks at how little transparency there is in the world of Super PAC donors, including one mini-controversy over the weekend involving a mysterious $400,000 Restore Our Future donation, which turned out to be from a Florida couple which is among Romney’s biggest fundraisers.

Romney will hit five New York fundraisers and one in New Jersey in the two days following tonight’s primaries.

“Wooing young voters, President Barack Obama is on a blitz to keep the cost of college loans from soaring for millions of students, taking his message to three states strategically important to his re-election bid,” AP writes. “By taking on student debt, Obama is speaking to middle-class America and targeting an enormous burden that threatens the economic recovery.”

The Raleigh News & Observer’s lede: “President Barack Obama arrives at UNC-Chapel Hill on Tuesday with a message that may resonate with young voters worried about their economic future.”

The law firm Charlie Crist works for gave a Super PAC supporting President Obama $50,000, the Center for Public Integrity finds. The Tampa Bay Times: “It's not terribly surprising given John Morgan [who runs the firm] is a big time Democratic donor and has hosted fundraisers for the president's re-election effort. But it adds a layer to Crist's political conversion, from Republican governor to independent candidate for U.S. Senate to talked about Democratic candidate for governor.”

“Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio previewed their potential partnership atop the Republican ticket during an event in Philadelphia Monday, firing up a crowd of supporters with a town-hall meeting full of conservative red meat,” The Hill writes.

The L.A. Times’ Reston: “Marco Rubio took the stage with Mitt Romney and delivered what the presidential candidate wanted — a jolt of energy aimed at an uninspired Republican base and a message of inclusion to Latino voters, who have drifted away from the party in droves.” And: “[I]t was also a reminder of competing imperatives facing Romney after a combative primary season in which he moved far to the right on illegal immigration, a key concern for many Latino voters.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Tom Fitzgerald asks in his lede: “Was it an audition for the vice presidential spot?” He points out: “Rubio, a favorite of antitax tea party activists, is the first potential running mate Romney has campaigned with since sewing up the nomination.”

AYOTTE: Jon Sununu says the New Hampshire senator’s biggest downside is being from New Hampshire, “because with two people from the Northeast on the ticket, you don't gain anything geographically,” the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. (h/t: GOP 12.)

CHRISTIE: “With Mitt Romney under fire for hiring an openly gay spokesman, a growing chorus of conservatives are also voicing concern over his possible running mate’s appointment of an openly gay Republican to the New Jersey Supreme Court,” Matt Lewis writes. “Frequently mentioned as a possible veep pick, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s second appointment to the bench, Bruce Harris, has proven highly controversial, primarily because he wrote a letter to state legislators comparing opposition to gay marriage with segregation. Conservatives are not pleased.”

HALEY: Her approval rating is 37%-37% in a new Winthrop poll.

On being vice president, Haley said, "I would say thank you. But no thank you.”

MCDONNELL: “As the state's colleges and universities prepare to set their tuition rates, Gov. Bob McDonnell is asking school presidents and board members to keep hikes to the increase in the Consumer Price Index,” the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.

PAWLENTY: Time’s Alex Altman makes the case for Tim Pawlenty.

PORTMAN: Did the Portman buzz peak too early? Portman being too close to the Bushes to be picked as VP continues to get attention.

The Christian Science Monitor: “Sen. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio is the insider favorite to ride shotgun on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. Taking a look back at the 2008 veepstakes, however, helps demonstrate that the conventional wisdom on vice-presidential picks is almost always wrong.”

SANDOVAL: Jon Ralston throws a big pot of cold water on any notion that the Nevada governor would be picked to be VP with this fake transcript of a phone conversation between him and the head of Romney’s veep search, Beth Myers. It highlights that Sandoval doesn’t speak Spanish, didn’t fair well with Hispanic statewide, that he’s pro-choice, and that Grover Norquist doesn’t like his tax policy. But he is handsome, as the fake Beth Myers points out. “No war on women with me on the ticket,” the fake Sandoval replies.

ARIZONA: A poll from Arizona State University indicates a tight race in Arizona with Romney leading 42-40%, but it’s significant that the incumbent is only at 40%.

FLORIDA: “Florida prosecutors did not end up charging Rep. David Rivera (R-FL), but their 18-month investigation revealed that the former state lawmaker practically lived off campaign contributions for nearly a decade, the Miami Herald reports,” Political Wire writes.

GEORGIA: Cynthia McKinney’s planning a comeback run with the Green Party in GA-4.

MASSACHUSETTS: Elizabeth Warren is out with her second TV ad. It’s anti-Washington.

Scott Brown supports extending low student-loan interest rates. But he’s against Whole Foods, particularly its selling of “sustainable” fish.

It appears that the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action is teaming up with the environmental group League of Conservation Voters for a nearly $1 million ad buy through mid-May.

Smart Media, an ad-buying firm, reported that the two entities have purchased $980,000 on broadcast and cable TV in Colorado and Nevada from April 24 until May 14.

Asked for comment by First Read about the ad and possible partnership, Priorities USA’s Bill Burton replied, “We'll have some info for you in the next couple days.”

Priorities USA Action has so far struggled in raising money for the presidential contest. In March, it reported raising $2.5 million for the month -- up from $2 million in February -- and it has $5 million in the bank.

CHESTER TOWNSHIP, PA -- Florida Sen. Marco Rubio displayed flashes of the personal intensity and articulate conservatism that have prompted hopes that Romney would select Rubio as his running mate.

At his first joint appearance with the presumptive nominee since endorsing Romney last month, Rubio acted to bolster Romney in a way to underscore speculation about his role on the Republican ticket this fall.

Declaring Rubio an "extraordinary leader" before a crowd of more than 700 here in this Philadelphia suburb, Romney joined with Rubio for what more or less amounted to a vice presidential audition, though neither Romney or Rubio were eager to comment on those prospects at a press conference and subsequent town hall meeting.

"The process for selecting a vice presidential running mate is just beginning," Romney told assembled reporters at a press conference, his first since March 16th. "We're looking at various legal resources to help with in that process, accounting staff and so forth to take a look at tax returns and things of that nature.”

For his part, Rubio, a freshman senator, refused to comment altogether on his qualifications for the number two job.

"I’m not talking about that process anymore," Rubio said in response to a question about whether he was experienced enough to become Romney's vice presidential nominee.

But if he was cool to questions about his potential role in a future Romney administration, Rubio showed fire on the stump as he fielded questions from voters alongside Romney, frequently doubling down on Romney's policy positions.

After Romney told his audience it would be "simply unacceptable for Iran to get a nuclear weapon," Rubio took the mic and went further, calling the possibility of Iran getting a weapon "so horrifying" that "there is no cost too high to bear to prevent that from happening."

The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio also made reference to his own personal history in response to a question about the role of entitlements and government in society, praising his parents and the American values they instilled in him.

"Why am I here today with you? Why did I get to serve in the United States senate? Why have I been privileged to have opportunities they didn't? It isn't because I worked harder than they did. It isn't because I'm smarter than they were. Its because I had something they didn't: the privilege and honor of being born in the single greatest society in all of human history," Rubio said, drawing loud applause from a crowd that seemed to hang on his every word.

And while Rubio's fire, and humor (He joked about his wife telling him to buy an exercise bike because he was beginning to look "too senatorial.") provided a compelling contrast with Romney's cooler persona, the two appeared to lack some of the personal chemistry that was obvious between Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan, another likely candidate to join the vice presidential short list, as they campaigned together earlier this month in Wisconsin.

At least one vital policy issue hangs in the air between the two men: Rubio's Republican answer to the immigration reform DREAM Act, which Romney told reporters he intended to study further, but upon which the took no firm position. Romney said he was likely to roll out his own, more comprehensive, set of immigration policy proposals closer to the fall election.

“You know I anticipate before the November election we’ll be laying out whole series of policies that relate to immigration and obviously our first priority is to secure the border, and yet we also have very substantial visa programs in this country. I’ve spoken about the need to have a visa system that’s right-sized for the needs of our employment community," Romney said. "And so how we adjust our visa program to make it fit the needs of our country is something I’ll be speaking about down the road."

Earlier this morning, we wrote that President Obama has a 10-to-1 advantage over Mitt Romney when it comes to cash on hand (but it's less than 2-to-1 when you add many of the outside groups).

But how do the political parties stack up? Democrats have raised more money during the 2012 cycle, yet Republicans have more in the bank.

The Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have raised almost $300 million, and they have more than $70 million in the bank. (The DNC holds $5 million in debt.)

This includes what the DSCC says was it's best first fundraising quarter ever (January through March). 

Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee have raised more than $250 million and have nearly $80 million in the bank. (The RNC holds $9.9 million in debt.)

Total raised:
RNC: $123.7 million
NRCC: $73.8 million
NRSC: $55.7

DNC: $154.8 million
DCCC: $83.6 million
DSCC: $59 million

Cash on hand:
RNC: $32.7 million
NRCC: $27.1 million
NRSC: $19.6 million

DNC: $24.4 million
DCCC: $22.8 million
DSCC: $24 million