Afternoon Fix: Republican National Committee raised $13.7 million in March

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Friday, April 13, 2012 EARLIER ON THE FIX Kennedy scion off to very fast fundraising start Obama's taxes all about Mitt Romney Cory Booker's next move, and why it might take a while Ranking the Republican presidential candidates: The best and worst Wisconsin recall elections: Scott Walker launches ads against two top opponents Why Obama (probably) won't endorse gay marriage this year WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * The Republican National Committee says it raised $13.7 million in March, its best month of the cycle. The group had $32.7 million in cash at the end of the month but still carries $9.9 million left of the huge debt from last cycle. * Mitt Romney, who as governor of Massachusetts supported strict gun control policies, tried to win over the National Rifle Association in a speech today. He warned that in a second term President Obama, who has not made gun control a priority thus far, would do his best to roll back gun rights. * Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) today called a Roll Call report that he was planning to fire most of his legislative staff "laughable and false." The article claimed he had failed to build relationships in the Senate and wanted a staff focused more on messaging than legislating. * A mystery donor gave $10 million to the pro-Republican nonprofit Crossroads GPS to run ads attacking President Obama. The huge contribution to Crossroads, a group founded with the help of Karl Rove, puts this anonymous donor among the top political givers. * While Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced today that he was running ads against both Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and former Dane County executive Kathleen Falk, so far only the ad targeting Barrett is actually on the air. The two Democrats are competing to take on Walker in the recall campaign.  WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T MISS * Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) is statistically tied with challenger Carl Wimmer, a former state lawmaker, in a new Salt Lake Tribune poll, 46 percent to 45 percent. Former state Rep. Stephen Sandstrom (R)trails Matheson 47 percent to 41. It's going to be an uphill battle for the targeted Democrat. * Former Connecticut Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz (D) raised about $362,000 in the last quarter for her Senate bid; she was far outpaced by Rep. Chris Murphy (D), her primary rival, who raised $855,000. * Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey (D) is off to a good start, at least in the fundraising race. He's brought in more than $900,000 in the month since he announced that he would seek the seat held by retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D). * Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) raised close to $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2012, and has nearly $6.3 million in the bank. His Republican challenger, state Treasurer Josh Mandel, has yet to release his numbers but his fundraising has been formidable; he had $4.3 million in the bank as of mid-February. THE FIX MIX Traffic cop heroism. With Rachel Weiner and Aaron Blake. Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 © 2012 The Washington Post Privacy Policy