Romney campaigns in Pennsylvania while Santorum takes a break, plus more to watch for Thursday in politics
— -- Mitt Romney will be in Pennsylvania on Thursday campaigning on Rick Santorum's home turf while Santorum takes an Easter weekend break.
Romney now leads Santorum in Pennsylvania by five percentage points, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released late Wednesday. Santorum aides have said it would be "tough" to justify staying in the race for the GOP presidential nomination if Santorum loses in Pennsylvania.
As for Santorum's break, here's the message posted on his web site:
"The Santorum for President campaign will be taking a brief break from the campaign trail so that the team has an opportunity to return to their homes and spend time with family and friends. The Santorum family wishes everyone a safe and blessed holiday weekend."
[Yahoo! News Update: Santorum on Pennsylvania: 'We are going to win']
Newt Gingrich, suffering from a scratchy voice because of allergies, and wife Callista are not taking a break. Both will be in Delaware on Thursday. And Ron Paul will be in California.
At the White House, President Barack Obama will sign the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (aka JOBS Act) at a bipartisan ceremony that includes members of Congress who played a role in getting the bill passed.
And then there is this: Obama will host a special screening Thursday of "To Kill A Mockingbird" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the movie adaptation of Harper Lee's novel. The audience will include DC-area school children; Mary Badham, who played Scout in the film; and Gregory Peck's family, including his wife Veronique. Peck played lawyer Atticus Finch.
Sources: Yahoo! News reporter Chris Moody, ABC News, Associated Press.
Updated at 1:10 p.m. EDT
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