The Note
Johnny used to work on the dock, but now he hosts high-dollar fundraisers for Democratic politicians. PoliticsNJ.com reports that on June 14, Jon Bon Jovi will play a short live concert at a fundraiser at his Middletown home. The event, hosted by Sen. Jon Corzine, Gov. James McGreevey, State Sen. Raymond Lesniak and Bergen County Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, is expected to "raise $1 million from a crowd limited to 350 people." The next day, New Jersey AFL-CIO leaders will give Kerry their endorsement. LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: Bush v. Kerry:
Independents are splitting evenly in New Jersey, according to Quinnipiac's latest poll.
In the overall horse race, Kerry gets 46 percent to Bush's 43 percent -- right at the margin of error -- and Nader's 5 percent. Take Nader out of the mix, and it's Kerry with 47 percent and Bush with 44 percent. In a three-way race, independent voters split 41-41, with Nader claiming 13 percent.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Drew Jubera writes up the paper's new poll conducted by Zogby that shows that if "the election were held today […] Bush would beat Democratic Sen. John Kerry by 15 points -- 52 percent to 37 percent." LINK
ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:
After a "contentious" school board meeting Tuesday night, the Toledo Blade reports that Sen. Kerry will be the commencement speaker at Bedford High School's June 6 ceremony. LINK
The ground rules: "[Bedford High School Principal] Mr. Caldwell said the senator's speech must not have political statements in it, that media would be restricted to a platform behind the graduates, and that there would be no signs allowed. He also noted that tickets for the event would be limited."
The Cincinnati Enquirer's Gregory Korte has a must-read look at Ohio's big six Democratic mayors all focused on electing John Kerry president. LINK
"Though the big-city mayors represent just 20 percent of the state's population, Democrats say their influence reaches beyond city limits. The mayors of Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Toledo and Akron are at the center of regional economies -- and media markets -- that cover 80 percent of the state."
Mark Naymik has lots o' good nuggets in his Cleveland Plain Dealer column today. LINK
1. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones' political organizer Vel Scott will run Cuyahoga County for Kerry. 2. Kerry's Ohio staff will be in Cincinnati today for the mayors meeting, which Jane Campbell is unable to attend, but has sent a representative. 3. The Regional Transit Authority has invited President Bush to attend a groundbreaking ceremony in early fall.
Keystone State residents will soon be able to forgo the long drive down the Atlantic City Expressway to play the slots. LINK
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette leads its Thursday editions with the guilty plea of Bedford County native Jeremy Sivits. The paper reports despite his plea, most area residents are still proud of Sivits and don't believe he acted on his own. LINK
"US Airways Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lakefield yesterday apologized for the carrier's recent decision to strip the city of its hub status…" reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. LINK
"…Under a new plan designed to return US Airways to profitability, Pittsburgh would lose flights, service and perhaps jobs as early as this fall . . . "
