Subject: POLITICO’s Morning Score: Special New Hampshire debate edition—Huntsman camp sets expectations—SNL mocks Santorum, Bachmann—Meet the Press debate starts at 9 a.m. ET— Romney emerges unscathed—Polling shows him comfortably ahead in SC, NH
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:40:46 -0600

By James Hohmann (
mailto:[email-masked] 
[email-masked] ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

While you're waiting for the second debate in the double-header to start, here's a special Sunday edition of Morning Score from the Granite State.

EXCLUSIVE - WEAVER OUTLINES THE PATH BEYOND NEW HAMPSHIRE FOR HUNTSMAN:Chief strategist John Weaver circulated a four-page memo to Jon Huntsman's campaign team before last night's debate to manage expectations (for themselves and Romney) and make clear that the former Utah governor will/should stay in beyond New Hampshire. Some highlights:

1. "The race will ultimately be a contest between Mitt Romney and an electable alternative to Mitt Romney. That alternative will be Jon Huntsman or Rick Santorum but will not be decided until late Spring, despite the wishes of Washington insiders."

2. "For Romney to be able to proclaim a victory in New Hampshire, he will need to meet market expectations. Given his polling strength, financial advantage and home state status (along with the endorsement by McCain), anything short of a near outright majority should be a disappointment to Team Romney and his Washington insider allies."

3. "South Carolina: Exceeding expectations in NH will trigger a critical burst of momentum for Governor Huntsman in South Carolina and Florida if we act quickly. He has not yet been well-defined in the state and his consistent conservative record will play well - particularly juxtaposed against Romney's record of flip-flops and abandonment of the South Carolina primary in 2008."

4. "Extended Primary: We anticipate this battle will go on well into the Spring, until a decisive set of primaries between only two or perhaps three candidates have concluded. The anti-Romney vote now hovers between 55 and 75 percent in each state. While Team Romney has used and will continue to use that to their initial advantage, ultimately the coalescing of support behind one consistent, electable conservative candidate will be the undoing of the White Star Line moderate." Read Weaver's full memo:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4ccf4ced4d8d6305c74317620e4de7280a1b6aa0e65dc87765e00ecc2173bd6a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4ccf4ced4d8d6305c74317620e4de7280a1b6aa0e65dc87765e00ecc2173bd6a .

The New York Times fronts a story in Sunday's paper: "Huntsman, out of options, bets it all on New Hampshire":
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4ccf4ced4d8d6305d6bf635cf723d4a085c16902189f848a1cc2a55adaaa1b0d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4ccf4ced4d8d6305d6bf635cf723d4a085c16902189f848a1cc2a55adaaa1b0d . Jonathan Martin's story that led POLITICO last night: "Trailing in New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman takes the long view:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547eeb6e8a752885e6585915807420f49846378d1d79f02a6c74 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547eeb6e8a752885e6585915807420f49846378d1d79f02a6c74 .

LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE - THE PRESS AND THE PUNDITS AGREE THAT ROMNEY WON:

POLITICO -"Romney UNSCATHED as pack SQUABBLES":"The debate was an object lesson in the challenges facing Romney's conservative opponents: much as they need to tear down the former Massachusetts governor, they can't help squabbling amongst themselves instead," Alex Burns writes. "The Romney camp quickly declared victory. 'No one laid a hand on him,' New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a Romney supporter, said of her candidate."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e7f3d4299fc8028f96440cfd69613348e3efc53990483358c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e7f3d4299fc8028f96440cfd69613348e3efc53990483358c 

WALL STREET JOURNAL -"Romney SPARED."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e99b06b976a1e352e004517928de75c8b2d2103f7e58a51e2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e99b06b976a1e352e004517928de75c8b2d2103f7e58a51e2 

NEW YORK TIMES - "Romney ELUDES rival's attacks."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e9467a217eadfc0bfedb2e9811a7927f1b035a9f03c018788 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e9467a217eadfc0bfedb2e9811a7927f1b035a9f03c018788 

WASHINGTON POST - "N.H. debate raises variety of issues, but Romney's lead is largely UNTOUCHED."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547ec67fe2754dbcc0a6525736342ed7c2f97a2d4a826e4981e9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547ec67fe2754dbcc0a6525736342ed7c2f97a2d4a826e4981e9 

LOS ANGELES TIMES -"An UNRUFFLED Mitt Romney watches his rivals level their attacks at one another, as time runs out for one of them to slow his progress as front-runner."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e20db067411980884707df60f6b24f33531adb66f85ea2282 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e20db067411980884707df60f6b24f33531adb66f85ea2282 

SLATE's John Dickerson -"Romney's GREAT ESCAPE."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547ee3f7c642c682f0f51b23116f071f91ca58eec4ef2f9f91b1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547ee3f7c642c682f0f51b23116f071f91ca58eec4ef2f9f91b1 

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: "Romney stays ABOVE THE FRAY."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e24447f460b8350eec73749d91ab3680bd0ac8fe90ff9d3d2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e24447f460b8350eec73749d91ab3680bd0ac8fe90ff9d3d2 

MARK HALPERIN grades the performances:Romney wins with an A. Santorum, Gingrich and Perry each got a B-. Huntsman and Paul got C-.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e890354f610da34c58bbefe918ffc90222514e33a34f21907 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547e890354f610da34c58bbefe918ffc90222514e33a34f21907 

MAGGIE HABERMAN's eight takeaways for POLITICO:1) Mitt Romney is running out the clock. 2) Ron Paul is Mitt Romney's best friend.3) Santorum didn't have a moment of strength.4) Gingrich still has some game.5) The undercard can't decide whether the road to the nomination is next to Romney or through him.6) Speaking Mandarin at a GOP debate is not a hit.7) ABC News will see some backlash.8) All of this may not matter in a few hours.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547ec8993daedd8ace2014d31662af33261632583135c274572b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=9236fa27fb71547ec8993daedd8ace2014d31662af33261632583135c274572b 

JAN CRAWFORD's five takeaways for CBS:Romney emerged not only unscathed, but stronger. Santorum took center stage, and he acted like he belonged there. Gingrich missed his moment. Paul remains a player. The candidates on the bottom didn&#39;t move the needle. Perry should have had this performance 10 debates ago.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9617b7dde925ebf09a952da830670b0078b15b1e6e05cc6cd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9617b7dde925ebf09a952da830670b0078b15b1e6e05cc6cd 

RON BROWNSTEIN's five takeaways for NATIONAL JOURNAL:"Maybe the five Republicans chasing Romney are now running for vice president...On a night when his opponents needed to step up, Romney delivered the most compelling and disciplined performance...Instead of confronting Romney, the remaining candidates diffused their fire in scattershot attacks on each other. Memo to field: Generally speaking, no one remembers who finishes second in presidential nomination races...Santorum seemed comfortable and confident at center stage, but missed a critical opportunity to sharpen his profile... As for the others, here's what we know: If the GOP presidential nomination thing doesn't work out, former Utah
 Gov. Jon Huntsman could definitely run for mayor of Shanghai."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9b86ded7cd7e00bb9ab866cc045c777e2a33de82ecf882692 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9b86ded7cd7e00bb9ab866cc045c777e2a33de82ecf882692 

RICH LOWRY in National Review - "Romney wins (Yeah, I know, it bores me, too)":"There have been more than a dozen debates and you might be able to count his answers that have been affirmatively bad on one hand. Doesn't mean that they have all been inspiring, believable, or deep, but they are almost always technically proficient."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9641c02d928db3d6205cd51631a009bb166630705a23b69ee 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9641c02d928db3d6205cd51631a009bb166630705a23b69ee 

MICHAEL BARONE in the Washington Examiner:"At about 10:28pm tonight, as Mitt Romney pivoted from a question on tax loopholes and started in with, 'the real issue is vision,' I had recorded this thought in my notes, 'HE JUST CLINCHED THE NOMINATION.' [emphasis is mine] ... Bottom line: Romney advanced his standing. Santorum, Gingrich, Paul and Huntsman probably didn't. Perry kept himself in the race for South Carolina, where if none of those four guys exceed expectations (Huntsman's metric) in New Hampshire he might turn out to be Romney's most vocal if not most widely supported opponent."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b93f0cbb37de9b07a0a1493f26205e5b28b2e58e62dd054f1a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b93f0cbb37de9b07a0a1493f26205e5b28b2e58e62dd054f1a 

DAVID BRODY of Christian Broadcasting Network says it'll be different next week:"Clearly, this was a debate about who is going to be the 'Anti-Romney' candidate. Meanwhile, Romney smiles the whole way through like a Cheshire cat. The gloves didn't come off tonight but expect a different outcome in South Carolina next week when Romney won't be on his home turf."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9f64ca6f71625f74025fbd64c18365758e53eb001be07d551 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9f64ca6f71625f74025fbd64c18365758e53eb001be07d551 

THE UNION LEADER - LEADS WITH SANTORUM ATTACKING ROMNEY:Notably, the pro-Gingrich paper does not run with a Romney-won headline on their homepage. They go with "Republican rivals turn up the heat in debate." And the top of the New Hampshire Sunday News story is Santorum attacking Romney for not having a "particularly bold" economic plan. From the story: "Romney 'used a term earlier that - that I shrink from, and it&#39;s one that I don&#39;t think we should be using as Republicans: 'middle class,'' Santorum said during the nationally televised debate at the Dana Center at St. Anselm College. 'There are no classes in America. We are a country that doesn&#39;t allow for titles. We don&#39;t
 put people in classes...There may be middle-income people, but the idea that somehow or another we&#39;re going to buy into the class warfare arguments of Barack Obama is something that should not be part of the Republican lexicon. That&#39;s their job - divide, separate, put one group against another.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9502c3cc5ad5671ae888d1010bd34907ed59df6468aaa19f6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9502c3cc5ad5671ae888d1010bd34907ed59df6468aaa19f6 

SUNDAY UNION LEADER EDITORIAL - "ROMNEY WOULD BE A DISASTER AS THE NOMINEE":Union Leader Publisher Joe McQuaid writes that "Romney may be the WORST candidate. For one thing, his claimed record as a fiscally conservative governor is as much of a sham as his flipflops on social issues. He claims to have cut a $3 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. In fact, the deficit was one-third that size, and this supposed friend to business cut it by raising corporate taxes, along with taxes on New Hampshire commuters, by millions of dollars. Romney is a nice, rich man with a tin ear (he may or may not release his income taxes) and plenty of pals in the Republican in-crowd. Gingrich is a tough,
 smart Reagan conservative who brought his party out of 40 years in the wilderness, reformed welfare, and balanced the federal budget. Romney would be a disaster as the nominee. Gingrich would make an outstanding President at a time of crisis for America."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b935216ae36d3ce24129f72420a233df19bcc940f183a6eece 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b935216ae36d3ce24129f72420a233df19bcc940f183a6eece 

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -

ANDY SAMBERG PLAYS SANTORUM IN THE OPENING BLOCK:"The fake Santorum claims that 'had it not been for my opponent's enormous financial advantage, and the usual Mormon trickery, we would surely have won outright,'" the Daily Caller writes. "In the sketch, Santorum muses about his travels throughout Iowa's 99 counties, including a stop at the Tama County fair, where he 'sampled a local dessert specialty: a three-pound stick of butter, coated with Crisco, then deep-fried, dipped in a mixture of olive oil and ranch dressing, and covered with butterscotch frosting.' 'Only later did I learn that this was not an Iowa delicacy,' he added, 'and that I had been the victim of a prank by the local
 branch of the College Democrats.' ... Later, after promising to campaign in every one of America's 3,141 counties, Santorum worries about one particularly 'dangerous' county - San Francisco County, California." Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b96528599ef6239a2917d2086cd5830c14afbaaccd2f093ea8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b96528599ef6239a2917d2086cd5830c14afbaaccd2f093ea8 .

BACHMANN SKIT MOCKS BLINKING:"SNL's Weekend Update hadMichele Bachmann on for her swan song following her disappointing finish in the Iowa caucus on Tuesday," per Mediaite. "Although she was bummed that her time as a Republican candidate was over, she was much more excited about being able to blink 'for the first time since this all started.'" Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9a102ec4da107918f4243a277e191f2cac8196a4c71992083 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b9a102ec4da107918f4243a277e191f2cac8196a4c71992083 

PALIN WENT ON FOX DURING THE ABC DEBATE - SAID OBAMA, MSM WANT ROMNEY:On FOX News Saturday night, per Human Events, "Palin said the mainstream media would take a hands-off approach to Romney 'in order to bolster Romney's chances' to 'finally face Obama' According to Palin, the mainstream media and Obama would then portray Romney as someone who is out of touch with regular Americans in the general election. 'They are already gearing up to portray him, accurately or inaccurately ... as being out of touch with the working class,' Palin said, noting that Romney's wealth and perfect family may make it easy to paint him as someone 'being a bit out of touch from working and middle class Americans
 and from the challenges we all face.' Palin continued: 'My opinion is that I can see what's coming ... the media will try to bolster Romney so they can tear him down, and that is quite unfortunate.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b99346d6d5df29ea302f9439ef3525baeb7a29af13fa515695 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=efed6facd17513b99346d6d5df29ea302f9439ef3525baeb7a29af13fa515695 

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO AFTER TODAY'S DEBATE:Santorum and Perry head to South Carolina. Romney rallies with Tim Pawlenty in Manchester and Chris Christie in Exeter. On the calendar are details of what everyone else is doing and where:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157c3ab38f83f3f839fac476cd904bbb72c8e9692fe489b2efc 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157c3ab38f83f3f839fac476cd904bbb72c8e9692fe489b2efc .

POLLINGROUNDUP -

SOUTH CAROLINA-

Public Policy Polling:Romney, 30; Gingrich, 23; Santorum, 19; Paul, 9; Perry, 5; Huntsman, 4.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1571852a400cd474d6a130a2612bb0cadbd9eb5a28b384c7aa0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1571852a400cd474d6a130a2612bb0cadbd9eb5a28b384c7aa0 

CNN/Time/ORC:Romney, 37; Santorum, 19; Gingrich, 18; Paul, 12; Perry, 5; Huntsman, 1.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157f0de35870daac5a4c01856397b32dcb5de997dd467f3b3d1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157f0de35870daac5a4c01856397b32dcb5de997dd467f3b3d1 

NEW HAMPSHIRE-

WMUR/University of New Hampshire: Romney, 44; Paul, 20; Santorum and Gingrich, 8; Huntsman, 7; Perry and Roemer, 1.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157d5a01698350f003ea132b44269ea4ea43cd5b9bdd7cecb25 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157d5a01698350f003ea132b44269ea4ea43cd5b9bdd7cecb25 

NBC News/Marist: Romney, 42; Paul, 22; Santorum, 13; Gingrich and Huntsman, 9; Perry, 1.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1575ac47a69a631abf0ada431b159e031005e223489ca54dff3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1575ac47a69a631abf0ada431b159e031005e223489ca54dff3 

American Research Group:Romney, 40; Huntsman, 17; Paul, 16; Santorum, 12; Gingrich, 8; Perry, 1.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157e638715852f8a5dc82864b1f47ec66493b5588bca228427a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157e638715852f8a5dc82864b1f47ec66493b5588bca228427a 

Suffolk tracking poll:Romney, 39; Paul, 17; Gingrich, 10; Santorum and Huntsman, 9; Perry, 1.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157668bf6406de7e4f13c47722cdfa183c3b2a9cbedf28ba9e2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c157668bf6406de7e4f13c47722cdfa183c3b2a9cbedf28ba9e2 

SNEAK PEEK - SOMETHING COOL FROM FACEBOOK TO WATCH FOR AT THIS MORNING'S DEBATE:When people arrive at the Chubb Theatre in Concord for the NBC News/Facebook debate this morning, they will be able to pick up a small RFID badge in the lobby and swipe it at a photo booth that instantly uploads the picture to the individual's Facebook profile or timeline. A company official explains that it uses the "Facebook Presence" technology, which was developed by Facebook staffers at an all-night hackathon. The original gizmo at headquarters is hooked up to a keg that dispenses beer when you snap a photo. [The photo booth at the NBC News/Facebook debate will be keg-less.]

PERRY - REPLACING AD-BUYING FIRM, ASKING CONSULTANTS TO "VOLUNTEER":"Gov. Rick Perry's campaign has switched to a different firm to buy advertising time in South Carolina, which some campaign sources describe as a further sign of turmoil in the troubled campaign," Jason Embry reports in the Austin American-Statesman. "The campaign is no longer using Paint Creek Productions to buy ad time. The Perry campaign is a tumultuous place these days, with many loyalists from Perry's campaigns in Texas pushed aside in favor of Washington-based consultants. According to two sources close to the campaign, the Washington operatives pushed for the departure of the media-buying firm. 'We moved the South
 Carolina TV buy to a local firm for local contacts and cost savings,' Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan said in an email. With the campaign short on money, vendors and consultants are being asked to 'volunteer' their time, according to two sources close to the campaign."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1575465e2b600b4a87b19fed56602e703e4f725d5ef76135d20 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1575465e2b600b4a87b19fed56602e703e4f725d5ef76135d20 

ROMNEY'S BAIN - PRO-GINGRICH SUPER PAC TO ATTACK BUSINESS RECORD:Tom Hamburger reports in the LA Times on a coming onslaught of ads from Gingrich's super PAC against Romney in South Carolina. "The ads are expected to overtly criticize the company Romney founded, Bain Capital. A general preview of the coming anti-Romney campaign provided to the Los Angeles Times included footage from a new documentary in which an announcer says Bain&#39;s 'greed was matched only a willingness to do anything to make millions in profits.' The ads were briefly visible on a new site prepared by Gingrich allies, but the clips have since been removed. The ads will rely on footage from a film highly critical of
 Romney that was just completed by a former Romney ally, Jason Meath, who collaborated in 2008 with Romney adviser Stuart Stevens to produce pro-Romney ads...The Times reviewed a portion of the new film, which has high production values and is presented as a documentary."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1578caddbfdbb0187cebde240c73494f264d417d1998bf572cf 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c1578caddbfdbb0187cebde240c73494f264d417d1998bf572cf 

SHELDON ADELSON GIVING GINGRICH SUPER PAC $5 MILLION:"Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has given $5 million to an independent committee supporting GOP presidential aspirant Newt Gingrich, the first of what is expected to be many millions the Las Vegas billionaire plans to spend this election year," James Grimaldi reports for the Washington Post. "A person close to Adelson said that the billionaire planned to spend at least another $5 million during the campaign - either to the Gingrich-linked group or to the winner of the Republican nomination for president - and that the initial check was intended to keep Gingrich competitive in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c15768bad75109af7a021c4e0a51a223720e5d03227dc333e223 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=8c6fb83e5eb6c15768bad75109af7a021c4e0a51a223720e5d03227dc333e223 

SANTORUM - HE'LL GET GARY BAUER'S ENDORSEMENT TODAY:"Gary Bauer, a social conservative leader and former Republican presidential hopeful, said that he will endorse Rick Santorum's bid for the party's presidential nomination during a visit to South Carolina on Sunday," per Jeff Zeleny in the New York Times.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67fe1b69f991152ad640d4f69172b41d15f8edd388ad5881277 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67fe1b69f991152ad640d4f69172b41d15f8edd388ad5881277 

SANTORUM - TOP ADVISER CALLS ROMNEY A "BULLY":"Asked whether Santorum fears that Restore Our Future, a pro-Romney super PAC, will run attack ads against Santorum should Santorum continue to surge in the Republican race, senior adviser John Brabender suggested Romney&#39;s attacks might backfire in the future," Byron York writes in the Washington Examiner. 'I think Romney has a problem with this whole negative stuff,' Brabender said. 'One is that he&#39;s gotten Newt Gingrich awfully mad. And I don&#39;t know if I&#39;d want Newt Gingrich mad at me. But number two is that Romney is starting to come across as a bully. Everybody understands that he has all these friends who can write big
 checks and they hide behind a super PAC, and they run negative ads. And that comes across as the rich kid who shows up showing you all the toys he has and then, when you&#39;re not looking, takes yours away. And I think that that starts to smell bad to people when they see a candidate that&#39;s going to run that type of relentless, negative barrage and feels that&#39;s the best way to get elected.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67fe3e0ae7b824177f24ec0934cb8a042466791dc2fbd1bb160 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67fe3e0ae7b824177f24ec0934cb8a042466791dc2fbd1bb160 

SOUTH CAROLINA - ROMNEY MAILER EMBRACES FAITH:"The glossy fold-out brochure, provided to CNN from a voter who received it, seeks to turn Romney&#39;s deeply-held religious convictions and his 42-year marriage into assets in a state where roughly six in ten Republicans call themselves 'born again' or evangelical Christians," writes Peter Hamby. "'Meet Mitt ... Faith. Family. Country,' the front of the mailer reads...The mailing makes no specific mention of Mormonism but repeatedly invokes Romney&#39;s 'faith' and explains how it would guide him in the White House." Story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67f7640bbaac273d491c0acefc117406dfff83bc0662cd2c035 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67f7640bbaac273d491c0acefc117406dfff83bc0662cd2c035 . Front of mailer:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67fbc492efb1c1b6e9779bb0d0a97d3033cf37461ca654f17a7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67fbc492efb1c1b6e9779bb0d0a97d3033cf37461ca654f17a7 . Back of mailer:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67ffcc5ffba4d03e31e87bd4c8232f481f0e05ddac565851c53 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67ffcc5ffba4d03e31e87bd4c8232f481f0e05ddac565851c53 .

THE NARRATIVE - GOP LOSING ENTHUSIASM EDGE AS ROMNEY MARCHES TO THE NOMINATION:"The GOP heads into Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary in an unexpected and uncomfortable position. The party that once seemed to have so many advantages going into 2012 - a fired-up base, an unpopular Democratic president, a struggling economy - now finds itself stuck, ambivalent about its front-runner and unable to decide on an alternative," Joel Achenbach and Peter Wallsten wrote in yesterday's Post. "In 2010, the GOP fed off the anti-establishment energy of the tea party movement, but now Republicans are closer to the nomination of Romney, a quintessentially establishment figure with a record of
 compromising with liberals."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67f414dd4f0ae57855cc3240606f7caefc89291a37a793b8e6a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67f414dd4f0ae57855cc3240606f7caefc89291a37a793b8e6a 

TURNOUT ESTIMATES - SECRETARY OF STATE EXPECTS 250K GOP VOTES:"New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner says he expects 250,000 ballots to be cast in the highly contested Republican presidential primary on Tuesday and 75,000 on the Democratic side," per the AP. "As of last month, New Hampshire had about 232,000 registered Republicans, 223,000 Democrats and 313,000 undeclared voters, who can vote in either primary. The state also allows same-day voter registration at the polls. In 2008, when both sides had contested races, just over 241,000 ballots were cast in the GOP primary and 289,000 in the Democratic primary." AP:
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67f038cbf2bf0853bb3cf86ee05da4b8b29644e1cd75367e3c6 . Union Leader:
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80454ea970bba67f1ec17da69598b61b467fe297b1cebcd350053226dcc180d5 .

POLITICAL TOURISM - UNION LEADER WRITES ABOUT "PRIMARY GROUPIES":Reporters have been struck at New Hampshire events at how many people are from out-of-state. The New Hampshire Sunday News: "Three guys from Baltimore planned to [see] five major Republican presidential candidates in about 48 hours. 'For people who don&#39;t travel in these circles, it&#39;s intoxicating,' David Vaeth said while waiting for U.S. Rep. and presidential candidate Ron Paul to speak at Nashua Airport on Friday. They are among the primary groupies who search out the presidential candidates every four years for answers or autographs, philosophies or photo-ops. 'If you&#39;re a political junkie who unfortunately lives
 in another state, this is your Disney World,' said Dante Scala, associate political science professor at the University of New Hampshire."
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NEBRASKA SENATE - BOB KERREY MULLS RUN:"Former Nebraska governor and senator Bob Kerrey said he&#39;s exploring a possible run for the U.S. Senate," per a local TV affiliate. "Kerrey told KETV NewsWatch 7 that he&#39;s returning to Nebraska next week to talk with friends about the possibility. He said he&#39;ll come to a decision quickly on whether to pursue a bid in 2012. The deadline to declare candidacy for the spot is March 1."
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CALIFORNIA HOUSE - ELTON GALLEGLY RETIRES:"U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly, a Southern California political fixture for more than 25 years, on Saturday announced plans to retire from Congress at the end of his term, becoming one of the first casualties of California&#39;s new political map and further unsettling the state&#39;s congressional delegation," Jim Puzzanghera and Rich Simon write in today's LA Times. "Gallegly, 67, faced tough political choices. A new redistricting map, drawn for the first time by a citizens&#39; commission instead of politicians, had placed his Simi Valley home in the same district as fellow Republican Howard P. 'Buck' McKeon of Santa Clarita, the well-funded chairman
 of the House Armed Services Committee. Gallegly could have challenged McKeon, or he could have run in a new district, one with a slight Democratic edge. That district has already drawn at least one strong Democratic candidate, Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett."
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CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"I&#39;m a married man...seven kids...glad we&#39;re off the contraception discussion." - Jon Huntsman at last night's debate
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