Subject: POLITICO’s Morning Score: Ohio within margin of error -- Santorum hires delegate counter -- Chougule wins MI prediction contest -- Bruning hits Kerrey in ad -- Gary Condit son runs for House -- Dem women plan fundraising victory lap
From: "Morning Score" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:02:50 -0600

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

Good morning fromSEATTLE, where I am sleepless. Washington State holds its caucuses tomorrow. Fresh numbers released overnight by Public Policy Polling show Mitt Romney up five, 37 to 32, over Rick Santorum. Ron Paul gets 16 percent, and Gingrich trails with 13. Two weeks ago, the Democratic pollster had Santorum up double digits. Mormons are poised to make the difference, according to an analysis by Tom Jensen. But turnout is expected to be low, which makes it tougher to predict:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d937447590b5a02e3662765a52707344c0cdfee4f979cc7b98 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d937447590b5a02e3662765a52707344c0cdfee4f979cc7b98 .

SANTORUM SETS THE STAKES IN SPOKANE: The former Pennsylvania senator thinks a win here would help get back some of the momentum he lost in Michigan. "You folks have an opportunity to reset this race on Saturday before Super Tuesday," he told hundreds of supporters at the New Life Assembly of God Church last night. Note that Pat Robertson won the Washington caucuses over incumbent George H.W. Bush in 1992:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d93df32c00cec236878dd97d6c9b1d52bf7c34c9f08515413b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d93df32c00cec236878dd97d6c9b1d52bf7c34c9f08515413b .

BREAKING - QUINNIPIAC SHOWS OHIO WITHIN MARGIN OF ERROR:Santorum leads Romney 35-31. "34 percent say they still might change their mind by Tuesday," according to the press release that just went out. Santorum led by 7 in the Q poll released the day before Michigan. Top lines:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9d3e34ac6d44c352562be6c7acdc455f074dfdd7526fe5b12 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9d3e34ac6d44c352562be6c7acdc455f074dfdd7526fe5b12 .

SNEAK PEEK - ROMNEY ROLLS OUT MORE OHIO ENDORSEMENTS:Mitt Romney will get the support of Ohio State Speaker Pro Tempore Louis Blessing, Jr., today. He's been in either the state House or Senate since 1983. "Louis is a conservative leader who shares my values of smaller government, lowering taxes, and reversing Obamacare," Romney says in a forthcoming statement. "Ohio is a crucial state and I look forward to working with Louis to spread my message to all Buckeye state voters." The campaign is also rolling out an "Ohio Conservatives Coalition" that will head up the effort to recruit conservative activists throughout the state to assist with voter education and GOTV strategies. Auditor David
 Yost will be honorary chair. Ron Beshear, a major conservative donor, and Mark Smith, the president of Ohio Christian University, will be co-chairs. Here's the list of the 11 who will be on the coalition's state steering committee:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90171ce71d4d2ec5c096de6b32abc43d28dce6f68ae2b830d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90171ce71d4d2ec5c096de6b32abc43d28dce6f68ae2b830d .

FIRST IN SCORE - BRUNING HITS KERREY AS "NEW YORK LIBERAL" IN NEW AD:Nebraska Attorney General John Bruning, the frontrunner in the Republican primary for the open Senate seat, comes out swinging against newly-declared-candidate Bob Kerrey with a strong contrast spot. The initial week-long flight, which starts today, is for $70,000 on broadcast and cable. Bruning hits Kerrey for saying President Obama's health care law should have gone further, for being the deciding vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment and for voting to support more than $50 billion in earmarks. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b15243925a1ef68ff7802fb6217410c54d1ceff83ceefb18 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b15243925a1ef68ff7802fb6217410c54d1ceff83ceefb18 .

INDIANA SENATE - VIRGINIAISFORLUGARS.COM:American Bridge 21st Century is launching a microsite to hit Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar for living in Virginia since the 1970s. It features the liberal group's research hits and web videos on a story that has garnered a lot of Hoosier state attention:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9c557511fefc1ebd4ecfe9ee7633644d1385a2356fb613e65 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9c557511fefc1ebd4ecfe9ee7633644d1385a2356fb613e65 .

** As Barbara Bush maxes out to Romney, Bob Dole endorses in a Democratic primary and Gary Condit's son challenges the DCCC's favored candidate for a House seat, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

CHOUGULE WINS MICHIGAN CONTEST:Yale Law School student Pratik Chougule wins the Michigan prediction contest. Daniel Hay and Jerry Skurnik finish closely behind in second and third, respectively. More than two-thirds of those who emailed guesses on Tuesday predicted a Santorum victory. A bunch of others guessed Romney would win but thought Gingrich would outperform Paul. I'll buy Pratik lunch next time he's in Washington. Here's the ranking of the 23 readers who correctly forecast the top four:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d96f6ad378c0c887b071b56fb8943226a0322f461b40047c0c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d96f6ad378c0c887b071b56fb8943226a0322f461b40047c0c .

WHAT THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE UP TO:Romneymeets with voters in Bellevue at 8:25 a.m. and then flies to Cleveland for an evening rally with Chris Christie.Santorum is in Ohio,with a rally in Chillicothe and a speech to the Lake County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner in Willoughby.Paul has a town hall in Spokane and then comes to Seattle tonight. Gingrich has rallies across Georgia today: Savannah, Brunswick,Valdosta and Columbus. Details:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99d1e7b592fda24fef03849b66966b1b2b3a2755afadd9560 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99d1e7b592fda24fef03849b66966b1b2b3a2755afadd9560 

SHOT - SANTORUM FLIPS OUT AFTER ROMNEY WINS BOTH MICHIGAN'S AT-LARGE DELEGATES:"On a 4-2 vote, the Michigan GOP&#39;s credentials committee met Wednesday night and awarded both of the state&#39;s at-large voting delegates to the party&#39;s national convention to Romney -- who won the popular vote 41%-38% over his chief rival, Rick Santorum," per The Detroit Free Press. "Based on earlier explanations to reporters and the campaigns that the party&#39;s rules said the at-large delegates would be awarded proportionally, it had been expected that each candidate would get one at-large delegate. There was no controversy about the first 28 delegates -- each candidate won seven congressional
 districts and got two delegates for each district. That made it a 14-14 tie. When Romney got both at-large delegates, he took a 16-14 edge over Santorum in voting delegates to the national convention in Tampa. Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said it was 'the kind of backroom dealing, political thuggery that just cannot happen in America.'" On the front page:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d97d71e4e88ad7e9b5b9e4635553bc589d27f729bc179abba6 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d97d71e4e88ad7e9b5b9e4635553bc589d27f729bc179abba6 .

CHASER - SANTORUM FINALLY HIRES A DELEGATE COUNTER:"John Yob, a political strategist from Michigan, who advised the Santorum campaign in the days leading up to the Wolverine State primary, will soon take on the responsibility of heading up the campaign&#39;s delegate strategy," NBC News reported last night. "The move signals a newfound interest in, as one adviser put it, 'learning the rules.' No one in the campaign was dedicated exclusively to delegate strategy previous to Yob."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99d00e9719e4f82233e06d2d43094eca537c67f942840ea0d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99d00e9719e4f82233e06d2d43094eca537c67f942840ea0d 

ROMNEY TALKERS-

A HUGE CROWD IN IDAHO:More than 2,200 came to see Mitt at a high school in Idaho Falls yesterday. "One woman in the crowd held a sign that said,'MITT IS BRINGING SEXY BACK'- a most unusual placard to see at a Romney rally. After speaking to a crowd of more than 1,200 in the school's auxiliary gym, Romney held a second rally in another gym next door," the LA Times' Maeve Reston reports.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b25b2c014b1cd34f6ffec9326d951bbf0be4a43468f82806 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b25b2c014b1cd34f6ffec9326d951bbf0be4a43468f82806 

FUNDRAISING - RATCHETING UP FOCUS ON SMALL DOLLAR DONORS:"Some strategists not affiliated with the Romney campaign said that it should be spending more on conservative voter lists and online advertising. Romney campaign officials rejected that criticism, saying their success at raising money in large sums has overshadowed the work they have done to reach small donors," write The Los Angeles Times' Matea Gold and Melanie Mason. "But an analysis by the Campaign Finance Institute found that Romney relies more heavily on large donors than any other major presidential candidate in the last 12 years. Two-thirds of the money he has raised so far has come from donors who have given $2,500.
 That&#39;s in part because soliciting money from big donors is more cost-efficient."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9ad6f4ff72e937d5fd3aa4ef844bf715be2cfa6107d617ca8 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9ad6f4ff72e937d5fd3aa4ef844bf715be2cfa6107d617ca8 

BARBARA BUSH HAS MAXED OUT TO ROMNEY:"Ann Romney, speaking to supporters at Romney&#39;s Georgia primary campaign headquarters in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta on Thursday, said that Barbara Bush, the wife of President George H. W. Bush ... and mother of President George W. Bush...brought her a 'maxed out check' -- meaning the legal maximum of $2,500 per donor per candidate -- to a Romney campaign fundraiser in Houston that Mrs. Romney hosted a few days ago. 'She said this is the most important election of my lifetime,' Mrs. Romney said, quoting the former first lady. 'For her to say that means a lot, and she&#39;s getting upset too, and you don&#39;t want Barbara to be mad.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99f7538e1ca6a848cd725d4c16cfb9ac955cef06e877cdd6f 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99f7538e1ca6a848cd725d4c16cfb9ac955cef06e877cdd6f 

WHATEVER IT TAKES - NYT GIVES MITT A1 CREDIT FOR BEING GOOD AT GOING NEGATIVE:"Even his battered rivals acknowledge that Mr. Romney is proving unusually adept at defining, diminishing and disqualifying a serial cast of challengers through relentless attacks," write The Times' Michael Barbaro and Jeremy Peters."As successful as the strategy has been, though, it has raised questions about Mr. Romney's role in turning the primary process into something akin to a civil war, even as it has demonstrated a ferocious, whatever-it-takes style that could hearten Republicans if Mr. Romney ends up in a general election matchup against Mr. Obama. 'It's clear the negative ads are what's keeping this guy
 alive,' said Nelson Warfield, a Republican strategist who worked for Mr. Perry. 'It seems like Republican primary voters will not vote for Mitt Romney unless they are forced into it. And the way they're forced into it is when he beats the other guy senseless.'"
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d98e1ebd81d2c46be482911d6cd91f02ddc435b322a17ae901 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d98e1ebd81d2c46be482911d6cd91f02ddc435b322a17ae901 

BILL CLINTON INVOKES GEORGE ROMNEY:"Every time I hear Mr. Romney talk about [his opposition to the auto bailout],I think his daddy must be turning over in his grave," Clinton told a group of auto workers. NBC reports that "Clinton called the auto bailout the most important decision Barack Obama has made as president."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9f85806ca49e5b489b88915bc9d12097c84ae2e80266057ec 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9f85806ca49e5b489b88915bc9d12097c84ae2e80266057ec 

PIERS MORGAN ASKED PAUL IF HE'S IN BED WITH ROMNEY: "No," Paul said on CNN last night. "I mean, one of our ads on right now challenges him for being, you know, a flip-flopper. I think you guys are desperate for news if that's the big news, because there's nothing to it...I would say that politicians pretty much come together sort of like a family. You know the old saying, that you can fight with your siblings, but don't let the neighbors come in." Video via Mediaite:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9769abc8a4a33e969db538261c960034c64798d112c18f0b2 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9769abc8a4a33e969db538261c960034c64798d112c18f0b2 .

SANTORUM ATTACKED ROMNEY FOR HIS CONTRACEPTION ANSWER:"At the Atlanta event, he said Romney's initial comments appearing to oppose the Blunt amendment - he later said he misunderstood the question - revealed an 'insight into what's in the gut of Governor Romney,'" Juana Summers reports. "When Governor Romney was asked that question," Santorum said, referring to an exchange between Romney and an Ohio reporter, 'his knee-jerk reaction was no, I can't be for that. And then after his consultants talked to him, he came back and said, 'Oh, I didn't understand the question.' Well maybe he did and maybe he didn't,' Santorum said."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d92a85ea9c3139071c21210bbb01461367aacf3b169513cd0e 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d92a85ea9c3139071c21210bbb01461367aacf3b169513cd0e 

SANTORUM SCRUTINY -

GINGRICH - ROBOCALLS HITS SANTORUM ON LABOR TIES IN TN, OK:Ginger Gibson reports that Newt Gingrich&#39;s campaign is releasing anti-Santorum robocalls in the Super Tuesday states of Tennessee and Oklahoma. The script hits him on his ties to labor: "On the campaign trail, Rick Santorum talks a good game about his blue collar roots and about being for the average family. But here's the Record Rick Santorum doesn&#39;t want you to know about: As senator from Pennsylvania, Santorum cozied up to the Labor union bosses and voted for the AFL-CIO and against a national 'right to work' bill that would have let workers opt-out of paying union dues. Union dues that hurt families and small businesses.
 Rick Santorum, friend of working families or the Union bosses pal? You decide."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d97b480e7b090ca3126f2f1675b4b6dd69120b69dda5a1617d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d97b480e7b090ca3126f2f1675b4b6dd69120b69dda5a1617d 

NEW YORK TIMES - SANTORUM WAS BIG STEEL'S BIG DEFENDER:"Again and again, as Big Steel faced crippling competition from abroad during the 1990s and early 2000s, Mr. Santorum joined Democratic and Republican lawmakers from steel-producing states to seek special protection in Washington for the industry, including direct subsidies, trade tariffs and import quotas," Raymond Hernandezwrites. "In an interview, former Representative Phil English, a Republican from Pennsylvania who once led the Congressional steel caucus, said Mr. Santorum was a main figure within the group in advancing its cause with the new Bush White House. The role fell to Mr. Santorum, he said, because he had good
 relationships within the White House. In particular, Mr. Santorum worked to persuade the Bush administration to impose tariffs on imported steel...In the end, President George W. Bush approved temporary tariffs in March 2002 on imported steel from certain countries."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d948f80961fd0068f175e8a8abe14b6276763cc6d84c68094b 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d948f80961fd0068f175e8a8abe14b6276763cc6d84c68094b 

HUFFINGTON POST - "FRAT BROTHERS PERPLEXED BY CLAIMS OF CULTURAL OPPRESSION":"David Vondercrone doesn&#39;t remember sharing his fraternity house with a besieged conservative student. He remembers his former Penn State frat brother -- and current GOP presidential contender -- Rick Santorum as a regular poker player. 'I played a lot of basketball with him and a lot of poker with him,' Vondercrone tells The Huffington Post...Santorum was just another fraternity brother at Tau Epsilon Phi. 'He wasn&#39;t so outspoken,' Vondercrone says."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9dd5f8b61c83d008d0f4afa1b1239ba98e8d48d71d1563cee 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9dd5f8b61c83d008d0f4afa1b1239ba98e8d48d71d1563cee 

SUPER TUESDAY AIR WAR - TV, RADIO SPENDING NOW TOPS $6 MILLION:"Mitt Romney's campaign and super PAC account for a big majority of the spending. The Romney campaign has shelled out $1,486,960, while Restore Our Future has put in $2,369,244. That totals nearly $3.9 million - massively more than any other single campaign or group has spent in the state," Alex Burns reports, based on a GOP media-buying source. "The pro-Gingrich super PAC Winning Our Future has put in $736,044. Rick Santorum's campaign has spent just $386,669, while his super PAC has put in $515,937. That means the pro-Romney forces have outspent the pro-Gingrich and pro-Santorum forces, combined, by more than two to one. There
 are other, non-campaign groups playing a role in the state. The Susan B. Anthony List is airing six figures' worth of ads boosting Santorum. The Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action is running anti-Romney ads in Columbus. And AFSCME has shelled out $327,685 to ding up Romney - nearly as much as the Santorum campaign."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90ce8bb3f93a587bea9fb3a973e59275f901d9c4399a2c669 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90ce8bb3f93a587bea9fb3a973e59275f901d9c4399a2c669 

WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO:"In the afternoon, the President will travel to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to visit with wounded service members. This visit is closed press. Later in the afternoon, the President will deliver remarks at a conservation event at the Department of the Interior. The President's remarks are open to pre-credentialed media."

TEXAS PRIMARY WILL BE MAY 29 - JUDGE SIGNS OFF ON DATE:"Political candidates, volunteers and activists celebrated Thursday when a federal court in San Antonio set May 29 as the date for the primary elections, with runoffs July 31," the Austin American-Statesman reports. "The announcement appeared to finally settle an election season upended by fights over redistricting. The Texas primary originally was set for next week&#39;s Super Tuesday; now voters will be asked to cast ballots the day after Memorial Day, and the runoffs will be later than they have been in years."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90884613c59cad4743dc84cb230a5f55c0714c43d347ee15c 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90884613c59cad4743dc84cb230a5f55c0714c43d347ee15c 

CONTRACEPTION FUNDRAISING - DEM WOMEN PLAN POST-BLUNT VICTORY LAP:"Fresh from the Senate's rejection of a GOP-led measure to roll back new rules on contraceptive coverage, the historic number of Democratic women running for U.S. Senate will take a victory lap with a Western states fundraising swing," per the LA Times. "The tour will bring almost all of the 11 Democratic female candidates -- six incumbent senators and five challengers -- for stops in Los Angeles, Seattle and Denver, including one hosted by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple&#39;s Steve Jobs, in San Francisco." Here's the list of the 11 participants, per a DSCC official: 1. Tammy Baldwin;
 2. Shelley Berkley; 3. Senator Maria Cantwell; 4. Dianne Feinstein; 5. Kirsten Gillibrand; 6. Heidi Heitkamp; 7. Mazie Hirono; 8. Amy Klobuchar; 9. Claire McCaskill. 10. Debbie Stabenow; 11. Elizabeth Warren. A DSCC web video they participated in (included in Score yesterday too):
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9380f19a1cabdbab95f4fefa8d2724782eec507a4d98fa1bf 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9380f19a1cabdbab95f4fefa8d2724782eec507a4d98fa1bf . The LA Times story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d98dd9e4d412cd23bbe479e2bb5e08b9f59d99d81f2c1e8d82 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d98dd9e4d412cd23bbe479e2bb5e08b9f59d99d81f2c1e8d82 .

MAINE SENATE - PINGREE IS FRONTRUNNER AFTER MICHAUD PASSES:"Rep. Mike Michaud announced tonight that he will not run to replace retiring Sen. Olympia Snowe (R), a move that all but ensures fellow Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree will enter the race," Roll Call reports. "Michaud and Pingree had both moved to begin collecting signatures in the hours after Snowe's surprise announcement on Tuesday, which came about two weeks before the state's filing deadline. But Michaud, first elected to Congress in 2002, said he is staying put for now...Pingree will likely now be considered the frontrunner in the open-seat Senate race, although the field remains very fluid and she could still face a
 competitive primary against former Gov. John Baldacci." Roll Call:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d92a798538b9c6c1cbf73d85f8f16a6f99b6004dc7e884acb5 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d92a798538b9c6c1cbf73d85f8f16a6f99b6004dc7e884acb5 . Snowe's op-ed in today's Washington Post on "Why I'm leaving the Senate":
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d958ca45092af4e848bf6ca434fead11117dec236963846bfc 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d958ca45092af4e848bf6ca434fead11117dec236963846bfc .

NEW MEXICO SENATE - WILSON DISTANCES HERSELF FROM FRAUD INQUIRY:The husband of a staffer to New Mexico Republican Senate candidate Heather Wilson registered the couple's dog to vote so he could show how easy it is to commit voter fraud. Now the local sheriff's office is investigating whether he broke the law, while the campaign distanced itself and denied any knowledge before it hit the press.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d968c801988a0fd6c269728e0cd870a5808211be0369de6a18 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d968c801988a0fd6c269728e0cd870a5808211be0369de6a18 

CABLE CATNIP - GARY CONDIT'S SON RUNS FOR CALIFORNIA HOUSE SEAT:"Chad Condit, the son and chief public defender of a former high-profile California congressman once tarnished in a media frenzy, has now entered a congressional race of his own," per McClatchy. "With the quiet unveiling of a campaign web site, Condit has announced his candidacy as an independent in the newly redrawn House of Representatives district based around his hometown of Ceres, Calif...Condit&#39;s entry throws a new wrinkle - and some potential tabloid zing - into the race for the California&#39;s redrawn 10th Congressional District. Although he has not been locally active for some time, his name recognition may still
 be high thanks in part to the legacy of his father, former congressman Gary Condit. Incumbent Rep. Jeff Denham, a Republican, already is facing off against Democratic challenger Jose Hernandez, a former astronaut, in the 10th Congressional District...Hernandez is being touted as a top contender by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9e7f505bbae6cab6dcf2d84e99274993d8d9c6acaae2cd066 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9e7f505bbae6cab6dcf2d84e99274993d8d9c6acaae2cd066 

OHIO HOUSE - BOB DOLE, TOM HANKS ENDORSE KAPTUR OVER KUCINICH:"After Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich began campaigning in Northeast Ohio with celebrities Russell Simmons and Willie Nelson, Rep. Marcy Kaptur enlisted her own star power by announcing endorsements from actor Tom Hanks, former GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole, and Rep. John Dingell of Michigan," reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "In a release from Kaptur&#39;s campaign, all three cited Kaptur&#39;s efforts to build the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. as the reason they support her."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d916418a5524c6b447561a5cc89bb813ef58923b787a886da1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d916418a5524c6b447561a5cc89bb813ef58923b787a886da1 

LIGHTER CLICKS -

SARAH PALIN's PACreleased a two-and-a-half-minute mock movie trailer for "Game Change" that highlights clips of her being praised and well-received in 2008. Patrick Gavin's story:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d96eee468ac293cae624db2b8046dab097bafab043202c26f1 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d96eee468ac293cae624db2b8046dab097bafab043202c26f1 . Watch the video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99fbc70697526b3fdf88af1a3116bacc933b64699887a5113 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d99fbc70697526b3fdf88af1a3116bacc933b64699887a5113 .

HERMAN CAINhighlights a dying goldfish writhing in mud in a new web ad (a metaphor for the economy), but his spokeswoman won't tell CNN whether fish were farmed to make the video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d98932a5628ab2e82758761c2d61593ec0d3c21f7767910fc0 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d98932a5628ab2e82758761c2d61593ec0d3c21f7767910fc0 . Watch the video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9da3542c61be444efea8c5c52bf8189fd403ff61078d91929 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9da3542c61be444efea8c5c52bf8189fd403ff61078d91929 .

A 5-YEAR-OLD BOYstars in a campaign commercial about the national debt for his dad, a long-shot Republican challenging the safe Sheldon Whitehouse in Rhode Island. Neil Cavuto devoted a five-minute segment to the ad during his show last night, including an interview the father and son. Watch:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d915d359e76546c82b15af2c01466bb3ab96efbff110a1ef98 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d915d359e76546c82b15af2c01466bb3ab96efbff110a1ef98 .

"HANK THE CAT"is pretend running for Virginia Senate, and a 30-second spoof campaign commercial touting his bid went viral. Someone has made a 30-second "Canines for a Feline-Free Tomorrow Super PAC" attack video that's even funnier. "We need more facts and fewer fat cats in Washington," a male narrator says. Both videos are here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b77b1d5b763d38c5e273d08650109f64bcba8729304394d7 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b77b1d5b763d38c5e273d08650109f64bcba8729304394d7 .

JON STEWARTmade fun of Barbara Boxer for invoking a skit on his show while arguing against the Blunt Amendment.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b01fc26b4fdf42222e19dbe3e61db6fd6bdaa06ef4b03889 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b01fc26b4fdf42222e19dbe3e61db6fd6bdaa06ef4b03889 

D.C. CHERRY BLOSSOMpeak bloom is now expected between March 24-31.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90b2aa07ebbf853ab31cd555c343572ec177d194267fe111d 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d90b2aa07ebbf853ab31cd555c343572ec177d194267fe111d 

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY:"Nobody has announced a war, young lady. But we appreciate your sentiment. You&#39;re jumping the gun a little bit there." - President Obama talks back at a heckler during a New York City fundraiser. He raised more than $5 million last night at four events, the last of which was his 100th fundraiser since announcing his reelection campaign last April.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d97b684c69c9ab982f9917d49b9721e6a12965047faa364ab4 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d97b684c69c9ab982f9917d49b9721e6a12965047faa364ab4 

Go to POLITICO Morning Score Now >> http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=a371eac89d0333d9b2ddce7e356b0ba1db839e44c1709d3bd4eda074c05a9159

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