OVERNIGHT CAMPAIGN: Obama-Boehner showdown

TWEET OF THE DAY: “Honored to run in ACLI Capital Challenge this AM to benefit wounded warriors. Congrats @SenJohnThune – fastest Senator!” — Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)

{mosads}Lots of other lawmakers ran the race and tweeted about it. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “My sense was the tone was congenial, the discussion was productive, the sandwiches were delicious.” — White House spokesman Jay Carney, on the lunch meeting between President Obama and congressional leaders. 

POLL POSITION:

President Obama leads Mitt Romney by 1 percent in North Carolina, 48 percent to 47, according to the latest survey from left-leaning Public Policy Polling. 

AD WATCH:

Karl Rove’s super-PAC Crossroads GPS is launching a $25 million ad campaign on Thursday in 10 battleground states that will be critical to determining the outcome of the 2012 election.

President Obama‘s campaign released a new Web video targeting female voters, spotlighting the president’s support for contraception coverage through healthcare policies.

Republican Jesse Kelly‘s grandfather stars in a new ad for Kelly’s bid to replace former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). “Grandpa Hank” defends Kelly in the ad against attacks on his position on entitlements, saying that Kelly won’t cut Social Security.

Mark Kelly, Giffords’s astronaut husband, shot back in a fundraising pitch for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, arguing that Republicans are airing deceptive attack ads on entitlements and asking for grassroots support to help set the record straight.

Former wrestling mogul Linda McMahon released her second ad of her campaign for Senate on Connecticut, a positive spot explaining why she’s running. McMahon describes herself as a grandmother concerned that her grandchildren’s quality of life will be worse than hers.

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE:

New York: Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) said that he didn’t believe seeking his 22nd term in Congress was contrary to President Obama‘s 2010 suggestion he be given the opportunity “to end his career with dignity.” 

SENATE SHOWDOWN:

Florida: Mitt Romney endorsed Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) in his contested primary for the Senate. Mack had already endorsed Romney and campaigned with him in Florida.

Massachusetts: Democrat Elizabeth Warren is back on the air in Massachusetts with an ad portraying her as a hard-nosed fighter and highlighting her work to establish a new consumer protection agency. It comes as new developments continue to emerge in the controversy over her claim to Native American heritage.

New Mexico: Former Rep. Heather Wilson (R) is up with her second ad, which focuses on the debt and spending.

Ohio: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Republican Josh Mandel’s challenge to Sen. Sherrod Brown (D).

Missouri: Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has lost her voice and is on vocal rest on advice from her physician. Her campaign manager, Adrianne Marsh, emailed supporters to warn that if Missouri voters let special-interests flood the race with secret cash, “we could all lose our voices in the American political system permanently.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

No more Dennis: Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich won’t run for the House in Washington state, ruling out his last feasible option to stay in Congress after being ousted from his Ohio seat in a primary.

Attack dog: Vice President Biden attacked Mitt Romney’s jobs record during a campaign stop in Ohio.

Back at ya: Romney, meanwhile, said that the Obama campaign’s criticism of his tenure at Bain Capital was “really off target” during an interview with the conservative blog Hot Air.

Sunny skies: Romney said he’ll work with the Republican National Committee to make sure Florida is treated well at the convention, despite harsh penalties imposed by the RNC for violating the party’s primary rules and moving their contest into January. Florida Republicans were dismayed over their placement at a hotel some 32 miles from the convention site.

Endorsement watch: Herman Cain formally endorsed Romney.

Acting 101: Actors Studio host James Lipton offers Romney acting tips.

Money, money: Obama and his various reelection committees raised a total of $43.6 million in April.

Strange bedfellows: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is huddling with Democrats on a new campaign finance reform proposal.
 
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