The Note: Ready For Rand Paul?
— -- NOTABLES
THE MAIN EVENT: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is set to announce his candidacy for president of the United States in Louisville today around noon Eastern, ABC's CHRIS GOOD and JORDYN PHELPS note. Paul will be the second major candidate to enter the race for the White House, following in the footsteps of fellow GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. In advance of today's event, Paul's Twitter handle changed overnight from @SenRandPaul to simply @RandPaul.
RAND'S ROAD TRIP -- 5 STATES, 5 THINGS HE HAS TO PROVE: The Kentucky Republican will quickly hit the ground running -- kicking his campaign into high gear with a five-day, multi-state "Stand with Rand" tour across the U.S., with stops in key battleground states -- New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa and Nevada -- each meant to highlight a distinct aspect of Paul's message. Here's a look at where he's going and what he has to prove in each place: http://abcn.ws/1JgniXC
RAND PAUL IN A MINUTE: Meet the soon-to-be 2016 presidential contender: Who is he, what he used to do, his family tree, his favorite band, potential baggage and more. http://abcn.ws/1O2PjET VIDEO: http://abcn.ws/1c3AX9K
ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: Is he his own man, too? (Does he really entirely want to be?) As the nation will begin to learn Tuesday, it's not just Jeb Bush with a textured, layered, and downright complicated family legacy as he seeks the Republican nomination. Sen. Rand Paul will have his father, Ron, on hand in Kentucky when he announces for president -- an important piece of family togetherness and political messaging. But don't look for Ron Paul to speak. Rand's quick political rise was of course helped along by his dad's presidential campaigns and the network of supporters he built along the way. His challenge from here will to not be limited by that -- and not to let it define him. It's hard to overstate the skepticism the GOP establishment harbors told both Pauls -- a sentiment Rand will play up, though to a point. He and his team know that they can't completely alienate the still-robust (and always dedicated) Ron Paul crowd.
THE BUZZ
with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
SHOTS FIRED: OBAMA TELLS SCOTT WALKER TO 'BONE UP' ON FOREIGN POLICY. In an interview on NPR's "Morning Edition," President Obama had some tough words for Gov. Scott Walker, suggesting the Wisconsin Republican needs to "bone up" on foreign policy, ABC's ALI DUKAKIS notes. The president's remarks came in response to comments by the governor, a likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate, in recent interviews that if elected, he would withdraw from the Iran deal "on day one" of his presidency -- even if U.S. allies wanted to remain in the arrangement. "I am confident that any president who gets elected will be knowledgeable enough about foreign policy, and knowledgeable enough about the traditions and precedence of presidential power, that they won't start calling into question the capacity of the executive branch of the United States to enter into agreements with other countries," Obama told NPR host Steve Inskeep. "It would be a foolish approach to take, and perhaps Mr. Walker, after he's taken some time to bone up on foreign policy, will feel the same way."
NOTED: RICK PERRY SAYS HE'D UNDO THE IRAN DEAL TOO. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry would undo the Iran deal in one of his first acts as president, he said Monday in a speech at the Citadel in South Carolina. "Should I run for president, and be so fortunate to be elected, one of my first actions in office would be to invalidate the president's Iran agreement, which jeopardizes the safety and security of the free world," Perry said, according to remarks released by his PAC. Perry spoke at an event hosted by The Citadel Republican Society, ABC's CHRIS GOOD notes.
JEB BUSH APOLOGIZES FOR MARKING 'HISPANIC' ON VOTER IDENTIFICATION: 'MY MISTAKE!' Jeb Bush knows he's not Hispanic. After the New York Times reported Monday that the former Florida governor and potential 2016 presidential candidate identified himself as Hispanic in a 2009 Dade County voter registration application, Bush took to Twitter to react, saying it was a mistake, according to ABC's BEN SIEGEL and ALANA ABRAMSON. Bush spokesperson Kristy Campbell called the mistake a "paperwork error," and said it was unclear how it happened. "The Governor's family certainly got a good laugh out of it," she said in an email, adding that Bush is filing a new form with correct information. http://abcn.ws/1HIshzh
NOTED: BUSH TRAILS HILLARY CLINTON AMONG HISPANICS, POLLS SHOW. He speaks Spanish flawlessly, has personal ties to Central America, and raised his family in the diverse melting pot of South Florida, but Jeb Bush trails Hillary Clinton among Hispanic voters in a possible 2016 presidential match up, according to ABC News/Washington Post polling. According to the last two ABC News/Washington Post polls, conducted by Langer Research Associates, the former Florida governor trails Clinton with registered Hispanic voters 71-26, a margin of 3-1 -- nearly the same margin by which Hispanics supported President Obama over Mitt Romney in 2012. ABC's GARY LANGER has more. http://abcn.ws/1c2m0or
HAPPENING TODAY
--ON THE TRAIL: It's Election Day in Chicago: Voters will go to the polls in the city's mayoral run-off between Rahm Emanuel and Chuy Garcia. Emanuel is expected to win by a comfortable margin, ABC's CHRIS GOOD notes. Jeb Bush will hold an energy town-hall in Denver and Chris Christie will hold a town-hall at a high school in Matawan, N.J.
--AT THE WHITE HOUSE: President Obama will urge Americans to view climate change as a threat to their health, ABC's MARY BRUCE notes. In a speech this afternoon, the president will announce a series of steps and new private partnerships aimed at reducing the health impacts of extreme weather events and climate changes.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL'S 3 UNSPEAKABLY CUTE MOMENTS. Tykes in bowties and Easter bonnets (and their photo-happy parents) swarmed on the South Lawn of the White House yesterday for the 137th annual Easter Egg Roll. More than 35,000 guests from all 50 states celebrated alongside celebrity guests like Nashville actress Connie Britton, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, chef Bobby Flay, and the cast of Disney's "Newsies." Not in attendance: first daughters Malia and Sasha, who "had a little school stuff going on today," according to President Obama, ABC's ERIN DOOLEY writes. But their parents -- along with first dogs Bo and Sunny -- emerged from the White House yesterday to supervise the Roll and pay tribute to the fifth anniversary of the first lady's physical fitness initiative, "Let's Move." http://abcn.ws/1Jgpi28
WHO'S TWEETING?
@JoeBrettell: Don't underestimate @SenRandPaul organization around the US. Gives him legitimacy and saves big $$. Walker, others must build from scratch
@JenniferJJacobs: Rand Paul says he's running for president to overhaul taxes, stop common core, etc. "Basically it's the opposite of what Hillary would do."
@howardfineman: Rand Paul Ready To Run As His Own Meme. My new HuffPost piece on Rand Paul http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7013804?1428406882
@JillDLawrence: .@RandPaul has fab sense of humor & interesting ideas. But his budget proposals have been harsh. Re-upping http://bit.ly/1lhnnTA
@matthewjdowd: latest column. we need to feed the wolf of good in our lives and politics. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wolf-main-street/story?id=30126144