Compiled by ABC News Digital News Associates Jacqueline Fernandez, Amanda VanAllen  and Desk Assistant Erin McLaughlin

MITT ROMNEY The Wall Street Journal’s Jonathan Weisman: “ Obama, Romney Camps Look Past the Primaries” Five weeks before the first nomination contest, the race for the White House took on the tone of a general election Monday, with GOP candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama’s allies trading barbs. The Democratic National Committee launched its broadest attack on Mr. Romney so far with a multistate ad buy portraying the former Massachusetts governor as a serial flip-flopper willing to say anything to get elected. LINK

The LA Times’ Maeve Reston: “ Mitt Romney still faces a trust deficit with GOP voters” As other Republican candidates have stumbled their way toward the presidential primaries, Mitt Romney has put together what would seem to be all the elements of a winning campaign: an effective staff, a robust treasury and smooth, knowledgeable performances both in debates and on the trail. But for months, the threshold of support for the former Massachusetts governor hasn’t inched above a quarter of Republican voters in national polls. For many GOP voters in early primary states, hesitation about Romney comes back to one thing: their perception that he has routinely molded his views to suit the political mood, with ambition his overriding principle. LINK

The Hill’s Josh Lederman: “ Democrats keep Romney in cross hairs” Newt Gingrich might be leading the GOP presidential pack in the polls, but Democrats aren’t budging one inch from their unidirectional focus on Mitt Romney. Democrats began an all-out bombardment against the former Massachusetts governor on Monday, targeting him with television ads in five states plus Washington, D.C., hitting him as a flip-flopper in a new website and holding events to undermine him in 10 key swing states. LINK

NY Daily News’ Thomas DeFrank: “ ‘Mitt vs. Mitt’: Democrats target Romney in new attack ad” President Obama’s strategists have concluded that Mitt Romney’s policy contortions and Newt Gingrich’s resurgence can cripple Romney’s White House hopes — even if he wins the GOP nomination. The Democrats are testing their theory that Romney’s history of flip-flopping has finally reached critical mass by unveiling a new 30-second ad and a four-minute video with the theme of “MittvMitt: The story of two men trapped in one body.” LINK

NEWT GINGRICH ABC News’ Elicia Dover: “ Gingrich slams Obama for South Carolina immigration lawsuit” Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich touched on a local issue when speaking at a packed town hall meeting in Charleston, South Carolina Monday night. The GOP hopeful had harsh words for President Obama for allowing the U.S. Department of Justice to sue the state of South Carolina over its immigration law. LINK

The New York Times’ Trip Gabriel: “ Gingrich Wields History, Seeking to Add Chapter” Newt Gingrich is a historian. He earned a Ph.D. in history. If you’ve forgotten, he’ll remind you. During a six-candidate forum in Iowa recently, Mr. Gingrich dropped in references to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Capt. John Smith’s leadership of Jamestown, the French Revolution and, as a bonus, the Latin root of “secular.” LINK

The Washington Times’ Ralph Z. Hallow: “ Tea partyers split over Gingrich on illegals” Newt Gingrich’s willingness to let certain illegal aliens avoid deportation has annoyed some and pleased others on the right, leaving open whether it will slow his growing ascendency over the Republican presidential field. Some suggest the former House speaker did himself in on Nov. 22 when he said in a CNN-hosted Republican candidates’ debate that he favors finding ways to identify illegals who have been long-time, employed, tax-paying and churchgoing contributors to their communities and to give these immigrants permanent resident-worker status — but not citizenship. LINK

HERMAN CAIN The Washington Posts’ Krissah Thompson and Sandhya Somashekhar: “ Ginger White accuses Herman Cain of long affair” An Atlanta woman said Monday that she engaged in an extended consensual affair with Herman Cain that began after a business meeting in the 1990s, continued as he flew her from city to city for dates and ended eight months ago — as Cain launched his presidential campaign. In an interview with Fox News in Atlanta, Ginger White offered details of what she said was a 13-year relationship with Cain, sharing cellphone records that showed repeated calls and text messages from a number she said belongs to the presidential contender. LINK

Politico’s Juana Summers and Maggie Haberman: “ Herman Cain affair: Candidate fights back against Ginger White’s claims” An Atlanta businesswoman said Monday she had a 13-year extramarital affair with Herman Cain, prompting an extensive and harsh denial from the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO. But in an extraordinary step for a presidential candidate, Cain preempted the claims on national television. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO Our ‘World News’ look at Obama and Gingrich attacking Romney  LINK Obama campaigns in swing states  LINK

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