Subject: POLITICO’s Saturday Score: The Gingrich Paradox—4 new Florida polls, 3 new ads—McCain blames Mormonism for S.C. loss—Secretary says Paul proofed newsletters—More delegates available in Puerto Rico caucus than N.H. primary
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:10:43 -0600

POLITICO's Morning Score:

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

THE STAKES - NEWT GINGRICH AT A RALLY JUST NOW:"If I win Florida, I will be the nominee."

THE NARRATIVE - DAN BALZ ON THE STOP-GINGRICH MOVEMENT:"The revenge of the Republican establishment is a sight to behold. From one corner to another, those who have tangled with Newt Gingrich, who feel aggrieved toward Newt Gingrich or who fear Newt Gingrich have amassed to stop him. They know how much harder it will be to do so if the former House speaker wins Florida on Tuesday...What is fascinating about the Republican race is that, in a matter of days and weeks, it has turned from the question of whether a stop-Romney movement would materialize to the reality that a stop-Gingrich movement now has taken shape."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c5932ac9d5473ecccdd7a661d65ae47c905869b954c30ee3b6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c5932ac9d5473ecccdd7a661d65ae47c905869b954c30ee3b6 

THE PARADOX - IS GINGRICH'S BIGGEST STRENGTH ALSO HIS MORTAL FLAW?"Across Florida this week, Mr. Gingrich's rallies drew thousands of chanting, vociferous supporters eager to embrace his insurgency against what he calls the party establishment...And while he does not regularly live up to the caricature of 'Nuclear Newt,' erratic and prone to temper tantrums, he is sufficiently unscripted and blunt to provide a sharp contrast to Romney's caution," Trip Gabriel writes in today's New York Times. "BUT there is a thin line in politics between appealing bluster and self-destructive ego, and the same qualities that appeal to his supporters are the ones opponents cite in concluding that he is too
 hot-headed and undisciplined to win the Republican nomination, beat President Obama and be an effective president."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c50cb1d8037b0a548b2fcdf5b7db5850728190cf4d22e87436 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c50cb1d8037b0a548b2fcdf5b7db5850728190cf4d22e87436 

A GLOOMIER TONE - "GINGRICH STRUGGLES TO SNAP HIS SLIDE IN FLORIDA":Time Magazine's Alex Altman writes that "the buoyant Gingrich who swept to victory on the strength of forceful rhetoric in South Carolina has vanished in a blink. In his place is a listless figure who speaks softly with a minimum of inflection, barely mustering a smile even when accepting the endorsement of several Hispanic leaders. Reeling in the polls and seemingly punch-drunk after the debate shellacking he suffered at the hands of Mitt Romney on Thursday night, Gingrich's speeches Friday had all the uplift of a hospital waiting room...As Romney asks voters to 'believe in America,' Gingrich warns them of its destruction."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c510e06c8a12c5aed07dc796476be5f3f128054f9e93e60cab 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c510e06c8a12c5aed07dc796476be5f3f128054f9e93e60cab 

THE COUNTERINTUITIVE NEWSWEEK COVER - WHY CONSERVATIVES WHO HATE ROMNEY WOULD LOVE HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE:Peter Boyer argues in a lengthy piece for the coming edition of the magazine that in Romney's "long struggle to convince the ideological right that he is on their side, he has bound himself so tightly to a conservative program that he could wiggle free only at great cost. It is possible to imagine that, if Romney somehow survives the primary battles and defeats Obama in November, the Massachusetts Moderate will govern more closely to the Reagan model than the conservatives now hoping to undo him would ever imagine."The story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c506b62ab941665c0e35e84fcfc0080ad81a7b140e0d59daa5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=063b9126d3dbc9c506b62ab941665c0e35e84fcfc0080ad81a7b140e0d59daa5 . The cover illustrates Romney as Spartacus:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585fabf540fefc96cd0cfcab59602a347edb1e92aabd57ecde82 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585fabf540fefc96cd0cfcab59602a347edb1e92aabd57ecde82 .

** As Paul meets with Maine's governor, Nevada says it will tweet caucus results andSantorum gets a spike in searches after Thursday's debate, here's a special Saturday edition of POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

THE FIGHT FOR FLORIDA-

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR EARLY VOTING,per the Pensacola News-Journal:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585ff85f59c16c43c74416a58e0a6966de2d28ec3ed0bdc0cebf 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585ff85f59c16c43c74416a58e0a6966de2d28ec3ed0bdc0cebf .

THE LIVING DEAD - BACHMANN, PERRY, CAIN, HUNTSMAN AND JOHNSON STILL ON THE BALLOT:"Palm Beach County elections chief Susan Bucher said Friday she is worried the ballots may confuse voters," according to the Palm Beach Post. "She wants to make sure residents don&#39;t 'waste' their vote by choosing a candidate who dropped out."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585fa40785aa8457d0fce7332857e48ed5cab3abf633d4d6dd1d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585fa40785aa8457d0fce7332857e48ed5cab3abf633d4d6dd1d 

HIGH SENIOR TURNOUT IS KEY FOR ROMNEY WIN,Patrick O'Connor tells us from The Villages in today's Wall Street Journal:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f4723b77bd937b9a87d63fa1209988de00bfb8cff47a98d1a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f4723b77bd937b9a87d63fa1209988de00bfb8cff47a98d1a .

LATEST POLLING-

REUTERS/IPSOS online survey of Florida voters:Romney, 41; Gingrich, 33; Santorum, 13; Paul, 5.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f5dd33a3a37f75472e899dc10ed6a5d5d27ee0fd06ca1f2f3 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f5dd33a3a37f75472e899dc10ed6a5d5d27ee0fd06ca1f2f3 

QUINNIPIAC of likely Florida voters:Romney, 38; Gingrich, 29; Paul, 14; Santorum, 12.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f21201aaa695eb4e3441d7380aab362b99fa8cc50af3030fd 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f21201aaa695eb4e3441d7380aab362b99fa8cc50af3030fd 

DIXIE STRATEGIES/FIRST COAST NEWS of likely Florida voters:Gingrich, 35.46%; Romney, 35.06; Santorum, 9.38; Paul, 7.42.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f3ede076b4dcae6e9f468e00a15ca28eee6fd281c2f01d0a6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f3ede076b4dcae6e9f468e00a15ca28eee6fd281c2f01d0a6 

WAR ROOM LOGISTICS (a Republican consulting firm in Gainesville) of Florid Republicans:Romney, 40; Gingrich, 30; Santorum, 15; Paul, 6. Miami Herald blog item:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f29a0a22919447c72523bcf71d2520ade3e76f0d6a4f605ae 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f29a0a22919447c72523bcf71d2520ade3e76f0d6a4f605ae . A 5-page PDF with a memo from the pollster on his robo-poll:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f61e0f6b468838cdb05f35691786921205d7ba61168f6d03a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f61e0f6b468838cdb05f35691786921205d7ba61168f6d03a .

ALLUP - GINGRICH LEADS ROMNEY 32-24 NATIONALLY:There was NO sign in Gallup Daily tracking from Jan. 22-26 that Gingrich is giving back any of his recent gains. "The 32% of Republican voters now choosing Gingrich as the candidate they are most likely to support for the nomination is his highest level of support since the 2012 primary voting began in early January. The 24% supporting Romney is his lowest. Despite the heavy media focus on the two front-runners, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are each holding their own at just under 15%, putting the two men in a statistical tie for third."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f1f08c8f62ea35490dc7898f3e1bc4c7f9020500de40459ff 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=e60e0148dbfa585f1f08c8f62ea35490dc7898f3e1bc4c7f9020500de40459ff 

NOTE THE DIVERGENCE BETWEEN FLORIDA AND NATIONAL POLLS:"Florida, far from being a bellwether state, has unique voter demographics. And by adapting his strategy to account for these demographics, Romney has managed to gain support in Florida that he&#39;s failed to win nationally," Stewart Lawrence writes for the Huffington Post.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b26a93af8d94bd15ec2dde77879d9d6a9f0a4de4cbb89820cf 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b26a93af8d94bd15ec2dde77879d9d6a9f0a4de4cbb89820cf 

GINGRICH PLEDGES TO STAY THROUGH CONVENTION EVEN IF HE LOSES FLORIDA:At a press conference his morning rally, Gingrich said he "will go all the way to the convention." He said he'll fight state by state no matter the outcome: 'You just had two national polls that show me ahead. Why don't you ask Gov. Romney what he will do if he loses since he is behind in both national polls." Ginger Gibson:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2144a3a93870fc6cddadbd5ecc64b5112156cc06cb146faad 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2144a3a93870fc6cddadbd5ecc64b5112156cc06cb146faad .

THE AIR WAR -

ROMNEY'S NEW AD HIGHLIGHTS GINGRICH'S 1997 ETHICS VIOLATION:The 30-second spot is simply a clip of Tom Brokaw at the top of the January 21, 1997, NBC Nightly News. "Good evening. Newt Gingrich, who came to power, after all, preaching a higher standard in American politics, a man who brought down another Speaker on ethics accusations, tonight he has on his own record the judgment of his peers, Democrat and Republican alike," Brokaw reports. "By an overwhelming vote, they found him guilty of ethics violations; they charged him a very large financial penalty, and they raised - several of them - raised serious questions about his future effectiveness." Then Romney approves the ad. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2f7dad5c5c716de9a6348e0905288eb51fe07684d1e66ae80 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2f7dad5c5c716de9a6348e0905288eb51fe07684d1e66ae80 .

#NEWTORIOUS is the Romney press shop's new hashtag on Twitter to attack the House Speaker.

GINGRICH'S AD, OUT LAST NIGHT, CALLS ROMNEY UNTRUSTWORTHY:It starts with a four-year-old clip of Mike Huckabee saying, "If a man&#39;s dishonest to get a job, he&#39;ll be dishonest on the job." Then a narrator intones direly over images of Romney: "What kind of man would mislead, distort, and deceive just to win an election? This man would be Mitt Romney." It hits him for voting in the 1992 Democratic primary, for misleading about his blind trust and for saying he didn't know about an attack ad when he signed off on it. The close: "If we can&#39;t trust Romney in a debate, how can we trust him in the White House?" Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2fb365af92419b0b4c52754ec2558b4e7057d9ac0a64a07da 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2fb365af92419b0b4c52754ec2558b4e7057d9ac0a64a07da 

HUCKABEE CRITICIZES IT:"Any use of an out of context quote from the Republican Presidential primary 4 years ago in a political ad to advocate for the election or defeat of another candidate is not authorized, approved, or known in advance by me," he said in a statement on is PAC's website. "I have made it clear that I have not and do not anticipate making an endorsement in the GOP primary, but will support the nominee." He posted a similar statement when Romney used video of him in a recent video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b25e4354b1c11785235f82a5b1bc203512bf1be5a748c9dfc0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b25e4354b1c11785235f82a5b1bc203512bf1be5a748c9dfc0 .

GINGRICH SUPER PAC MINI-DOCUMENTARY POSTS - "BLOOD MONEY; ROMNEY'S MEDICARE SCANDAL":This is how Winning our Future describes their new Romney attack: "Bain, under Romney's 'supervision,' purchased and ran the Damon Corporation, who pled guilty to Federal conspiracy charges as a result of tens of millions of dollars in systemic Medicare fraud committed under Romney's and Bain's control. Damon was fined over $119-million which was, at the time, the largest criminal healthcare fine in Massachusetts history." Here's the30-second spot running on Florida TV:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b20ea8b97502d9a5c751abfd01a75677aef688d3380872a935 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b20ea8b97502d9a5c751abfd01a75677aef688d3380872a935 . Thiseight-minute "mini-documentary" attacks Romney for "preying" on seniors and accuses him of being involved in Medicare fraud:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b264fb6bda2246a96f7c996797d60b7981edb8650c2d66164d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b264fb6bda2246a96f7c996797d60b7981edb8650c2d66164d .

TOP TWO ROMNEY TALKERS -

MCCAIN BLAMES ANTI-MORMONISM FOR ROMNEY SOUTH CAROLINA LOSS:"We haven't had time to do a real analysis of the Romney race in South Carolina, but once we break that down, there was some element of anti-Mormonism in that vote," top Romney surrogate John McCain told RealClearPolitics in an interview yesterday. "I'm not saying all of it, but there were elements there. There was nothing that Mitt Romney could have done." Erin McPike reports that "McCain cited the possible anti-Mormonism in response to a query about the growing Tea Party support Gingrich has begun to draw, particularly in Florida."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b20f8e6f11f63e5dd5b35bab787df97ff6ba95f2e1d9309212 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b20f8e6f11f63e5dd5b35bab787df97ff6ba95f2e1d9309212 

 "CLOSE TIES TO GOLDMAN ENRICH ROMNEY'S PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIVES":The New York Times fronts a triple-byline story, with three additional credit lines, to outline the long and deep links between Romney and the investment house. "When Bain Capital sought to raise money in 1989 for a fast-growing office-supply company named Staples, Mitt Romney, Bain's founder, called upon a trusted business partner: Goldman Sachs, whose bankers led the company's initial public offering. When Mr. Romney became governor of Massachusetts, his blind trust gave Goldman much of his wealth to manage, a fortune now estimated to be as much as $250 million. And as Mr. Romney mounts his second bid for the presidency,
 Goldman is coming through again: Its employees have contributed at least $367,000 to his campaign, making the firm Mr. Romney's largest single source of campaign money through the end of September. No other company is so closely intertwined with Mr. Romney's public and private lives except Bain itself." More on some complex investment vehicles and his access to Goldman's 1999 IPO:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b25d44729c89996f1322b85d4121458d301cee12b826b28226 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b25d44729c89996f1322b85d4121458d301cee12b826b28226 .

TOP TWO NEWT TALKERS -

SARAH PALIN HAS BECOME AN UNOFFICIAL GINGRICH CAMPAIGN SURROGATE:She still hasn't formally endorsed Gingrich (although she said she'd vote for him if she could in South Carolina), but the former Alaska governor is providing important air cover on Fox News as more establishmentarian conservatives rally against someone they believe has almost no chance of defeating President Obama. "They're trying to crucify this man and rewrite history and rewrite what it is that he has stood for all these years," Palin said yesterday.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2a8b14eb124bfa1b8543722a069dd318c09b451206d6ba99c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5c45aed84d5db3b2a8b14eb124bfa1b8543722a069dd318c09b451206d6ba99c 

GINGRICH DAUGHTER HELPING CAMPAIGN FROM KEY BISCAYNE:A Miami Herald profile says Kathy G. Lubbers "has come to be an indispensable piece in her father's political and promotional machinery. Gingrich's elder daughter, Lubbers is also the senior adviser of her father's presidential campaign...She is a resident of Key Biscayne, where for 12 years she has shared a condominium with her husband...In 2000, Lubbers began to work with her father as president of Gingrich Communications, a marketing and public relations firm that promotes Gingrich's conservative ideology...Lubbers resigned last year to devote herself full time to the campaign. She also owns a boutique talent management agency in Key
 Biscayne."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a7892fd4d023ace9cebe8b20438c6a2a8c5b22cdb4a2d3e21 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a7892fd4d023ace9cebe8b20438c6a2a8c5b22cdb4a2d3e21 

PAUL IN MAINE - ON A TWO-DAY SWING IN THE CAUCUS STATE:"Ron Paul braved Maine's snow and ice Friday in a quest to pick up delegates, vowing he and his loyal band of supporters would be a factor in the Republican nominating contest for weeks to come," The Associated Press' Beth Fouhy reports. "The Texas congressman attracted a packed house in Bangor despite a powerful winter storm that shuttered schools and brought traffic to a virtual standstill...Paul was spending two days in Maine, campaigning on or near college campuses, which have typically been receptive to his libertarian-leaning message. Maine's caucuses begin Feb. 4 and wrapping up on Feb. 11, when the GOP will announce the results
 of what is essentially a nonbinding straw poll."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a56f385367c8c9e79b14d2da157899b3cec08bff788a9bb3c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a56f385367c8c9e79b14d2da157899b3cec08bff788a9bb3c 

MET PRIVATELY WITH THE GOVERNOR:"Paul met with Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage on Friday, a stop that was not announced as part of the congressman&#39;s public schedule. 'He called and asked to meet,' Paul told CNN when asked how the meeting with LePage came about."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a507e7a88bb25198abf8f79f18e515f22e8852f44eff566d4 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a507e7a88bb25198abf8f79f18e515f22e8852f44eff566d4 

THE NEWSLETTERS - WAPO GETS EX-SECRETARY ON RECORD SAYING PAUL PROOFED THEM:"The Republican presidential candidate has denied writing inflammatory passages in the pamphlets from the 1990s and said recently that he did not read them at the time or for years afterward. Numerous colleagues said he does not hold racist views," write The Washington Post's Jerry Markon and Alice Crites. "Butpeople close to Paul's operations said he was deeply involved in the company that produced the newsletters, Ron Paul & Associates, and closely monitored its operations, signing off on articles and speaking to staff members virtually every day. 'It was his newsletter, and it was under his name, so he always got
 to see the final product. .&thinsp;.&thinsp;. He would proof it,' said Renae Hathway, a former secretary in Paul's company and a supporter of the Texas congressman's."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a74b0c2a92d218fa4aa677252a1c43acd3480576e8db11d7d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a74b0c2a92d218fa4aa677252a1c43acd3480576e8db11d7d 

PAUL ADAMANTLY DENIES:Paul told CNN on Friday: 'She&#39;s made that story up. ... It&#39;s completely false.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a37e788a2ff7399ea929b6681b886c0e39ffeef8e64e4e338 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a37e788a2ff7399ea929b6681b886c0e39ffeef8e64e4e338 

SANTORUM - SPIKE IN SEARCHES DURING THURSDAY'S DEBATE:Searches for Rick Santorum among Floridians spiked 900 percent during Thursday night's debate. Rubio searches increased 134%. And the breakout item was "language ghetto." Sam Smith's post for Google's politics and elections blog:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a5ca5f733f81f263dc5bb4257047b00dbb173795b4e2c767f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a5ca5f733f81f263dc5bb4257047b00dbb173795b4e2c767f .

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO:Gingrich and Romney are the only two in Florida today. Santorum has a fundraiser. Paul is in Maine. Here are details:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a0a6147839ba3a7f3253a7e06842f047ae6c12c70ecdd2b60 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a0a6147839ba3a7f3253a7e06842f047ae6c12c70ecdd2b60 .

SUNDAY SHOWS -Gingrich on"Fox News Sunday" and ABC's"This Week," Rick Santorum on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Ron Paul on CNN's "State of the Union."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a7998104709ad7e1d713c204f6f891e628db191faffc673d9 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302a7998104709ad7e1d713c204f6f891e628db191faffc673d9 

DNC BRACKETING:Democratic National Committee Vice-Chair and Mayor of Minneapolis RT Rybak will hold a media availability following the opening of the new Obama for American office in St. Petersburg at 2 p.m. today. DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse has also written a memo on the "10 ways Romney distorted the truth" in Thursday's debate:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302aa985772786c214ffb9378c8d9470276e9d4bae1a428e7c5a 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302aa985772786c214ffb9378c8d9470276e9d4bae1a428e7c5a .

THE FIGHT FOR HISPANICS -

HISPANIC LEADERSHIP NETWORK CROWD PREFERRED ROMNEY:"Of the two GOP primary frontrunners, the crowd of several hundred - almost all of them Hispanic - clearly preferred Romney," the Miami Herald reports. "He was introduced by his wife, Ann, and the youngest of his five sons, Craig, who lived in Chile and speaks some Spanish. Loose, confident and not wearing a tie, Romney received enthusiastic applause and whistles when he declared, 'We are not anti-immigrant.' ... a reference to a controversial attack ad Gingrich aired against him earlier this week before the campaign pulled it following scathing criticism from Rubio and other prominent Florida Hispanics."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302af9bca312785293841abbbc90fb7c9b965ee049fe4213d411 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3257729ac804302af9bca312785293841abbbc90fb7c9b965ee049fe4213d411 

PUERTO RICO GOVERNOR BACKS ROMNEY - COULD BE KEY ON MARCH 18:"Romney&#39;s campaign announced Friday the endorsement of Puerto Rico&#39;s Governor Luis Fortuno. Fortuno will appear alongside Romney at a rally Friday evening in Orlando," per CBS' Sarah Boxer. "Puerto Rico has 23 delegates up for grabs in its March 18 caucuses -- 11 more than New Hampshire. An important issue to Puerto Rican voters is that of statehood, which will be voted on by the commonwealth later this year. Fortuno leads the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, and earlier today, Romney said he would lend his full support to Puerto Rico were they to vote in favor of seceding to the U.S. Should the referendum vote
 determine that Puerto Rico would like to become a state, Congress and the president would need to make final approval of such an addition. Addressing the Hispanic Leaders Network in Miami, Romney said he expected Puerto Rico to vote in favor of becoming the 51st state, and if so, 'we will vote for the process in Washington to provide statehood to Puerto Rico, and again create a model in the Caribbean - one more model in Latin America - of the benefits of having freedom.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=094ac672d49395b12bfeb0e2018e27e489e916a621589b80ae4af4d5198bd988 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=094ac672d49395b12bfeb0e2018e27e489e916a621589b80ae4af4d5198bd988 

PUERTO RICANS WON'T MATTER ON TUESDAY:"Because Puerto Ricans tend to lean toward Democrats, they won't be a major factor in Tuesday's Republican primary," Sasha Issenberg, in Orlando, notes in a lengthy story for Slate. "The primary will be the first of the year restricted to only those voters registered with the party. Some 452,619 Latino Republicans statewide are eligible to vote on Tuesday- just over 11 percent of the total electorate-but only a small minority of those who turn out are likely to be Puerto Rican." The piece explores the broader problem of Puerto Ricans voting in high rates back on their island but then staying home once they arrive on our mainland: "There is no reliable
 method to precisely measure turnout by country of origin, but results from precincts in Orlando's Puerto Rican neighborhoods-and interviews with pollsters, academics, and political operatives and officials-suggests that in 2008 Puerto Ricans living on the mainland voted at or below the 57 percent rate for eligible voting-age Hispanics countywide."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=094ac672d49395b1d8aea48c4a10de184004e1c10006dc8945cf6cb567c486b7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=094ac672d49395b1d8aea48c4a10de184004e1c10006dc8945cf6cb567c486b7 

WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO:He went to Sasha's basketball game this morning. Now he's back at the White House. Tonight, he'll speak at the Alfalfa Club dinner. He has no public events scheduled tomorrow.

FLORIDA SENATE -NELSON LEADS MACK 45-42:"Sen. Bill Nelson faces a tough re-election campaign in a year when Florida voters are dissatisfied with the economy, Congress and President Barack Obama, according to a new Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald/Times/Bay News 9 poll. The survey, released Friday, shows Nelson with a three-point lead over Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, 45-42 percent. Mack is the leading contender in a five-man Republican primary field. Thirteen percent were undecided...The GOP Senate primary is August 14." Miami Herald:
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=094ac672d49395b18ecbb62895d9ee3367ceaa70854ed5c559f976896fe51fa7 .

NEVADA GOP WILL TWEET CAUCUS RESULTS:The Nevada Republican Party announced Friday afternoon that it will release up-to-the minute results of its Feb. 4 caucus via Twitter and Google, enabling anyone to get the latest information without relying on a news site's election map or the ticker at the bottom of a TV screen," per Poynter. "This is the second time a state party has used a public platform to distribute results as they are counted. It happened earlier this month for the Iowa caucuses, when the Iowa Republican Party worked with Google to tally the results, and Google released the rolling counts. The setup in Nevada will be similar."
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HOUSE FUNDRAISING - NRCC OUTRAISED BY DCCC:"TheNational Republican Congressional Committee will later this month report raising $2.7 million in December, giving it $15.24 million cash on hand through the end of last year," a source familiar with the committee's finances tells POLITICO's Influence. "That represents about $12.5 million more cash on hand compared to what the NRCC had at the end of 2009, the last time it was midway through an election cycle. The December haul, however, is slightly down from what the NRCC raised in November - $3.06 million - and October - $4.56 million." For the year, the DCCC outraised the NRCC $61 million to $54 million:
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=094ac672d49395b1c26bb68c575216749870263084ff2b2044e9344c44913f34 .

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Speaker Gingrich said the debate before last night that the crowd wasn't allowed to cheer, and so he couldn't do so well because the crowd was too quiet. Then last night he thought the crowd was too loud. It's like Goldilocks - the porridge is too hot, the porridge is too cold." - Mitt Romney poking fun at his opponent in Orlando
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