Scott Walker leads Democratic rivals in new Wisconsin recall poll

A good poll for Scott Walker, a not-so-good poll for President Obama, a Republican Hispanic outreach effort and a penguin bite.

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EARLIER ON THE FIX:

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President Obama’s March fundraising haul: $53 million

President Obama’s (very) cautious economic optimism

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

* A new robopoll from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows Gov. Scott Walker (R) with a slim lead over both likely Democratic rivals in the June Wisconsin recall election. Walker leads Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett 50 percent to 45 percent and former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk 50 percent to 43 percent.

* A new Gallup tracking poll (the first head-to-head of the cycle!) finds former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and President Obama tied nationally among registered voters, 47 percent to 45 percent (within the margin of error). While polls this far out don’t predict anything, that’s obviously not a good place for an incumbent president to be. Washington Post polling finds Romney’s favorability numbers with Republicans at a record high. But CNN polling still gives Obama a nine -point lead.

* The Republican National Committee has hired five Spanish-speaking Hispanic outreach directors in six key states — Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Virginia. The National Republican Congressional Committee has also been touting 27 Latino recruits, but Huffington Post found that many of them had not heard from the organization. Two were not actually Latino.

* Washington State Democrats have a message for Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who has been considering a run there — stay out. “It is clear that Cleveland and Washington state agree on one thing: We just don’t want Dennis Kucinich,” Democratic State Chairman Dwight Pelz  said in a statement. Kucinich lost his primary after being thrown into the same district as Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D).

* A University of North Carolina student who writes for the Daily Tar Heel claims he was cut off and detained by Secret Service after asking former House speaker Newt Gingrich about his spat with Fox News. But an aide to the candidate says the student was shouting questions, was not supposed to have a formal interview and was never detained. Meanwhile, Gingrich was bit by a penguin.

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T MISS:

* Former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, a supporter of Barrett, wrote an editorial suggesting his preferred candidate use union opposition to his benefit. “A candidate beholden to big unions is no more appealing to independent voters than one who answers to the Koch brothers,” he wrote.

* MoveOn.org is out with an aid aimed at the under-exploited cat-video-people demographic. Airing “during a variety of cat themed shows,” the ad calls Romney a “fat cat” and asks “I can haz Buffett rule?”

* Former House member and Senate candidate Joe Sestak has endorsed Rep. Jason Altimire in his member-vs-member Democratic primary against Rep. Mark Critz. Sestak was popular with liberals and might give Altmire, who earned ire by bucking his party on health-care reform, a bit of a boost with the base.

* Romney has tapped longtime aide Beth Myers to lead his search for a running mate. “I think it’s way too early to begin narrowing down who the potential vice presidential nominees might be, but we’re beginning that process.”

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With Rachel Weiner