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OVERNIGHT CAMPAIGN: No Gold for Romney in London
TOP STORY: Not winning the Gold in London
Mitt Romney stumbled on his first day in London.
On Thursday, he tried to backpedal on his suggestion that London might not be sufficiently prepared to handle the Olympic Games, a comment that brought a rebuke from British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Romney’s critique, made during an interview Wednesday with NBC's Brian Williams, earned front-page treatment in London's tabloids.
“My experience with regards to the Olympics is it is impossible for absolutely no mistakes to occur. Of course there will be errors from time to time, but those are all overshadowed by the extraordinary demonstrations of courage, character and determination by the athletes," Romney said.
London Mayor Boris Johnson also knocked Romney.
At a concert for 60,000 Olympics supporters in Hyde Park on Thursday, commemorating the end of the Olympic torch relay, Johnson used Romney to rally the crowd.
"There are some people coming from around the world who don't yet know if we are ready," the London mayor said. "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!"
Romney had spent the day in London meeting with current and former leaders. But the British tabloids had a field day with speculation Romney had forgotten or not known Labour Leader Ed Miliband’s name. The papers noted the presumptive GOP nominee repeatedly referred to Miliband as “Mr. Leader.”
TOMORROW’S AGENDA TODAY: Mitt and Ann Romney are in London to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Romney will also meet with Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
First lady Michelle Obama is also in London for the ceremony. In addition, she’ll have a breakfast with Team USA athletes, host a “Let’s Move” event at the American Embassy and attend a reception at Buckingham Palace.
President Obama will attend fundraisers in Washington, D.C., and in McLean, Va.
Vice President Biden will attend a fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
POLL POSITION:
Some 4 in 10 Americans were not able to correctly identify Mitt Romney as a Mormon, according to a Pew survey. But of those aware of Romney's religion, 81 percent say that they are either "comfortable" with it or that his religion doesn't matter to them.
Gallup found that 59 percent of business owners disapprove of President Obama's policies while only 34 percent approve.
AD WATCH:
An ad from the super-PAC supporting President Obama has been removed from YouTube after a copyright claim from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the organization has agreed not to air the commercial on television as had been originally planned.
BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE:
Arizona: Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) has a 13-point lead over Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) in their member-vs.-member primary, according to a poll commissioned by Citizens United, a group backing Schweikert in the race.
California: Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) has an 11-point lead over former California Lieutenant Gov. Abel Maldonado (R), according to a poll conducted for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released to The Hill.
California: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) released an internal poll showing him with a big 46 to 29 percent lead over fellow Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.). The two are running in a district that is mostly Sherman's old territory, though Berman has gotten more support from other Democratic office-holders.
Connecticut: Seven people were arrested Thursday in connection to Connecticut state House Speaker Chris Donovan's (D) campaign for Congress, an ominous sign for his viability in both the primary and general election.
Florida: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) is endorsing House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) in his bid for reelection. Mica is running in a contentious member-versus-member primary against freshman Rep. Sandy Adams.
Michigan: Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) leads fellow Rep. Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.) 45 to 27 percent in a poll commissioned by the local Fox News affiliate.
SENATE SHOWDOWN:
Hawaii: Two polls showed Rep. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) with a 19-point lead over former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle (R). One came from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, while the other was conducted for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the state's main newspaper. Hirono also has a solid 18-point lead over primary foe and former Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) in the Star-Advertiser poll.
Massachusetts: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he would endorse Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) in his high-profile Senate showdown against Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren, a coup for the Republican incumbent. Bloomberg will host a fundraiser for Brown next month.
Michigan: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has comfortable leads over both Republicans running against her, according to a new poll from the Democratic-affiliated Public Policy Polling. Stabenow leads former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) by 52 to 38 percent and businessman Clark Durant (R) by 51 to 34 percent. Hoekstra is way ahead of Durant in the poll with a 51 to 17 lead, though those on the ground say Durant is closing hard on him. Hoekstra released an ad attacking Durant on Thursday.
Pennsylvania: Self-funding businessman Tom Smith (R) is up with his first ad against Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), which touts his coal-mining roots and profile as a "job creator" while ripping Casey's record. The buy is running statewide on cable and in most markets besides Philadelphia on broadcast television. Casey is favored in the race.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
The Obama campaign on Sunday is marking 100 days until the presidential election by holding more than 4,200 grassroots events in states across the country, campaign aides say.
The pro-Obama super-PAC Priorities USA Action and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have invested heavily in Spanish-language attack ads against Mitt Romney, and according to their numbers, those ads are working.
Romney's off-the-cuff admission that he met with Britain's secret service chief has sparked speculation that he was pressed to adopt a more interventionist U.S. policy in Syria if he becomes president.
If Romney wants his running mate to have the best buzz online, he should go with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), according to a survey by Twitter consulting firm Digital Acumen.
Senior House and Senate leaders voiced optimism that they could reach agreement on a stopgap spending measure that would prevent a government shutdown shortly before the November election.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) formed a political action committee this week.
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