OVERNIGHT CAMPAIGN: Glimpses of Romney

Here’s the full White House readout:

This afternoon, President Obama and Governor Romney visited for an hour over lunch in the Private Dining Room adjacent to the Oval Office.  Governor Romney congratulated the President for the success of his campaign and wished him well over the coming four years. The focus of their discussion was on America’s leadership in the world and the importance of maintaining that leadership position in the future.  They pledged to stay in touch, particularly if opportunities to work together on shared interests arise in the future.  Their lunch menu included white turkey chili and Southwestern grilled chicken salad.

Before he met with Obama, Romney sat down with former running mate Paul Ryan. Their meeting was at a Washington-area hotel and closed to the press — a common theme of Romney’s stop in the nation’s Capital.

{mosads}A Ryan aide said of the sit-down that the two enjoyed the chance to catch up — and spent time discussing policy.

TOMORROW’S AGENDA TODAY: President Obama will visit Montgomery County, Pa., to make his case for a deficit deal.

TWEET OF THE DAY: “For all those who’ve been asking: No, I’m not the #Arizona Powerball winner…” — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “There can be no deal without rates on top earners going up” — White House spokesman Jay Carney on a deficit deal with Republican

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE:

ILLINOIS: Illinois state Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D) will run for former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.’s (D-Ill.) old seat, adding her name to a quickly growing list of candidates in the heavily Democratic district.

NEW YORK: Rep. Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) argued that the Grover Norquist-backed anti-tax pledge he signed in 2010 no longer applies after redistricting changed the number of the district he represented.

SENATE SHOWDOWN:

IOWA: Rep. Steve King
(R-Iowa) isn’t closing the door on a possible 2014 Senate run, but a
decision isn’t currently his top priority, he told The Hill on Thursday.
“It is not something I think about when I get up in the morning, nor
when I go to bed at night, but it is a topic that comes up during the
day. It’d be pretty hard to go through a day and not have that topic
come up,” he said. “But it is not consuming me at this time — I am
focused on what we need to do here to wrap up this Congress and
transition into the next one, and there’s time to think about such a
thing.”

NEW JERSEY: A new poll suggests Newark Mayor Cory Booker has the edge on incumbent Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) in a hypothetical Democratic primary match-up. Democrats in the state favor Booker, a popular national figure with close ties to President Obama, by a 59-22 percent margin, over the 88-year old incumbent senator, according to a PPP survey.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) did everything short of officially announce on Thursday that he was planning to run for reelection in 2014. His remarks came as former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) announced he will run for Johnson’s seat. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Actress Rosie Perez was spotted strolling into the White House around the same time Mitt Romney was due to have lunch there with President Obama.

Vice President Biden attended the grand opening of a Costco in Washington, D.C.

Obama’s second inaugural ceremony will be focused around the theme of “Faith in America’s Future.”

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