The Note: Democrats Brace for Debate Battle in Brooklyn

— -- NOTABLES

--5 THINGS TO WATCH AT TONIGHT'S DEMOCRATIC DEBATE IN BROOKLYN: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere -- or so they say. And now, after competing press releases and months of negotiations, the two Democratic presidential candidates have their chance to show which one of them is ready to make it all the way to the White House. A political subway series, if you will, ladies and gentlemen. Two (sort of) New Yorkers battle it out on the debate stage again just days before the Empire State votes on Tuesday, April 19. ABC's MARYALICE PARKS and LIZ KREUTZ highlight what to look for in tonight's faceoff: http://abcn.ws/22wjIRl

--A NEW YORK ONE-MAN UPMANSHIP: Will the real New Yorker please stand up? Over the past few weeks, Clinton and Sanders have showed off their New York City chops as they've campaigned across the five boroughs. Clinton -- who lives in Westchester County north of New York City, is a former senator with campaign headquarters based in Brooklyn. Sanders, who was born in Brooklyn, held campaign events in front of his childhood home and iconic locations such as Coney Island and Washington Square Park. Tonight at the debate, the two candidates could likely try to one up each other about who lays greater claim to the Empire State. MORE: http://abcn.ws/22wjIRl

--ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: As we add the Republican National Committee to the list of Donald Trump's enemies, even as he works to take Megyn Kelly off that same list, it's worth remembering that Trump doesn't always choose his feuds wisely. He plays political poker, not chess – thus attacks on the pope tumble from his campaign, as a tactical, not strategic, response. This, though, is one time he might want to learn how the pieces on the chessboard move. He's not going to get RNC rules changed. His belittling of RNC leaders won't change the leadership, and almost certainly won't sway delegates. His arguments are feeding his grievances. His supporters will follow, and may even threaten delegates who aren't on his side. But – and recent Trump hires suggest that he gets this - the fight is already changing to one over delegates. Trump can adjust, or he risks losing further ground, on the ground.

POLLING NOTE

TRUMP'S UNPOPULARITY STAYS SKY HIGH; CRUZ HITS A HIGH IN NEGATIVE RATINGS. Donald Trump ranks as the most unpopular top-tier presidential contender in more than 30 years of ABC News/Washington Post polls, trailing only former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke among presidential candidates in any election year since 1984, notes ABC's GREGORY HOLYK. At the same time, the unpopularity of Trump's main rival, Ted Cruz, has reached its highest level yet this election cycle. Trump's seen unfavorably by 67 percent of Americans in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates. That's unchanged from last month and slightly off his high, 71 percent unfavorable in an ABC/Post poll nearly year ago. http://abcn.ws/1T6735a

YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL

with ABC's PAOLA CHAVEZ